Benjamin Moore & Co. recently donated a bunch of paint to the owner of the Road Runner’s Retreat property so it could be used on its neon sign during the next workday on Oct. 21.
Ryan Anderson, who runs the Facebook page for the defunct Route 66 restaurant near Chambless, California, said the donation came with the help of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Anderson clarified in a Facebook message that Benjamin Moore “will be providing all paint needed to complete the project. The prep of the sign and paint should be completed late this year.”
The next phase of work for the Oct. 21 event for the site’s historic neon sign will include electrical work, metal repairs, re-installing the sign topper, paint preparation and, finally, painting.
The Road Runner in 2021 received a $5,386 cost-share grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program to help cover costs related to planning for the sign’s restoration.
The owner added restoring the neon sign to his to-do list after a test in late 2019 revealed much of its wiring and tubing still worked.
Those who wish to volunteer that weekend should message the Road Runner Retreat page directly.
Anderson is the grandson of the restaurant’s last owner.
Roy and Helen Tull built Road Runner’s Retreat along Route 66 in the early 1960s. The business closed in the mid-1970s after Interstate 40 bypassed the area, choking off traffic.
Bill Ross Murphy purchased the property after it had been closed for some time, with the intent of never reopening but maintaining it as much as possible due to its Route 66 significance.
(Image of Road Runner’s Retreat near Chambless, California, by Patrick Dirden via Flickr)