This is a little time-out post from the Tennessee photos. I took a five-day trip with stops all over Nevada and attended the Neon Speaks festival “soft opening” of the new Light Circus Museum in Reno over the weekend. The photos (much, much more than shown here) are up at my website (roadarch.com).

Let’s start with the Dinosaur House in Henderson:

These lions in front of this fraternity in Reno were built in 1915 and originally installed in front of the Kern County Jail in Bakersfield, CA. Just before the jail was demolished, the fraternity bought them in the early 1960s and had them moved here:

A knight at the castle-themed Manor Suites in Las Vegas:

This bear is one of about five noisy and animatronic animals with fur or feathers inside Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall in Las Vegas:

A giant Dunkin’ cup in Las Vegas:

A giant hand and baseball at the Desert Diamonds Baseball Complex in Las Vegas:

A giant water bottle vending machine in Las Vegas:

The under-construction giant guitar building for the Hard Rock Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas:

The long-closed former Stuckey’s in Baker, CA:

A former gas station in Goldfield:

This former Phillips 66 station has been repurposed as a Union 76 station — quite a miracle after sitting vacant for years — in Las Vegas:

The court house in Pioche:

The former fire station in Winnemucca:

The glass facade at the closed Western Motel in Las Vegas is still there:

First stop of the trip was to shoot this sign in Wrightwood, CA — not a motel but actually a long-gone pool where you could take lessons, etc.:

A recently adapted sign (formerly the El Dorado Motel) in Reno:

The long-closed Nugget in Reno:

In case you didn’t know, Wendover Will in West Wendover had his neon replaced with LED. They also repainted his face and some other places pretty badly:

The Travelers Motel sign in Elko has gone back to its original red paint:

These two signs are in Pioche:

Although StreetView says this sign is is Ely (way further south), it is apparently in Lages Junction or Lages Station. The place appears to be closed and the “Bar Cafe” was painted over sometime after 2009. I would assume there was neon originally:

The cowboy and bucking horse are still hanging in there at the long-closed El Rancho Hotel in Wells:

The Marin Hotel directional sign in Winnemucca:

The long-closed Golden Motel sign is in Valmy. The bottom reads “Beautyrest” (mattresses) and “No Vacancy:”

This sign is in Las Vegas:

A recently restored sign in Las Vegas:

And here are just a few of the signs from Will Durham’s collection at the soon-to-officially-open Light Circus Museum in downtown Reno:

I’ll be back soon with more Tennessee photos.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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This bronze birdwatcher and his dog are installed in Kingsport:

This coal miner is in Big Stone Gap, VA:

This Hamburger Man was installed on the roof of Pal’s #2 in Kingsport around 1966. The original building was just a box but got this retro makeover in 2002:

This Indian in Kingsport was built in 1954 for Honest John’s Trading Post. It was successfully moved to a new location in the late 1950s. In 1971, the business became Pratt’s Bar-B-Que. Here’s one of my photos from 2010:

In 2018, the statue’s head fell into his chest. A new head was produced by Mark Cline and the original head was moved inside the restaurant. Pratt’s closed in 2024 and the Indian was sold to Rocky Top Golf in Kingsport. However, as it was being lifted by a crane for the move, the entire statue collapsed. Rocky Top Golf got the original head from inside Pratt’s and installed it on their roof and painted a mural below. The destroyed body is supposedly in storage at Mark Cline’s place in Virginia and “might” be restored one day. I have my doubts that it’s even there:

This spaceship and aliens are installed on a front lawn at a residence in Blountville:

This “sit in my hand” gorilla is located in Kingsport:

This Plycrete elephant is installed in front of Ayers Real Estate in LaFollette. He is repainted monthly:

This dog statue hangs above the Pickers Paradise antique store in Tazewell:

This former bottling plant is in Jellico:

This former Pure Oil gas station in Rogersville now houses a cookie bakery:

This restored Gulf station is in Tazewell:

This Rexall sign is in New Tazewell:

There are two similar signs at the Frostee Freeze in Tazewell:

The Hob-Nob Drive-in is in Gate City, VA:

There are five of these Chevrolet OK Used Cars signs at Edde Chevrolet in Rutledge:

The Bennett & Edwards Insurance and Real Estate building and sign in Kingsport are from 1955. The sign’s neon was replaced with plastic letters at some point.

This sign and shopping center in Bristol, VA are only from 2000. The shopping center was built on the site of a former Kerns Bakery:

The Lynn Garden Restaurant in Kingsport closed last year but the sign remains. Those neon rings must have been lit sequentially at one time:

Lots more Tennessee to come. Be back soon.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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Rain and grey skies to end my days of Kentucky shooting. I was thorough but there are lots of “[reshoot in sun]” notes my my master list.

This is Old Joe Clark who performed for over 50 years at the Barn Dance in Mt. Vernon:

These horses at the Kentucky State University in Frankfort are replicas of the ones inside St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice Italy:

This sculpture of Man O’War is installed on top of his grave at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington:

This Wildcat, the mascot of the University of Kentucky, is installed in Lexington:

This Dixie Cup water tower in Lexington has gotten pretty rusty since Georgia-Pacific has been operating on the property:

The Old Taylor Distillery in Frankfort was built in 1887. It shut down in 1972 and was nearly demolished before being renovated for the Castle & Key Distillery in 2018:

This former Shell station from 1945 in Lexington was adapted in 2012 for this restaurant:

This former Texaco in Lexington now houses Missy’s Pies (and I can attest to the fact that the pies are incredible):

This theatre is also in Lexington:

This midcentury courthouse addition is in Frankfort:

The Southland Lanes from 1960 are also in Lexington:

A sideview of the parabolic roof at Paul Miller Ford in Lexington:

There are two “skinny M” McDonald’s signs in Lexington. Both buildings have had modern makeovers:

Burgers Shakes in Lexington used to put their burger price in the oval in the middle of the sign:

And let’s close with this two-fer at the Grigg’s Motel in Richmond. The pole sign is in rough shape:

and the Neo-Lectra has been missing a spike for at least 20 years:

The next post, I’ll begin sharing stuff from Tennessee.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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This Putt-Putt Fun Center in Louisville is from 1970. While these old PP courses are getting scarce, when they do have animal statues, they usually have elephants, zebras, and giraffes. But these turtles are rarer:

Even more rare — in fact the only courses I’ve ever seen with these: score tables with ashtrays (blurry photo but they read “Putt Putt”):

This giant abacus is in Goshen at St. Francis Elementary School:

This giant sausage made from propane tank (and stuffer) are in Simpsonville:

A midcentury library addition in downtown Louisville:

A former Sears, Roebuck & Co. store in Louisville:

A former Coca-Cola bottling plant in Shelbyville:

The Parkland Theatre in Cincinnati:

This former Standard Oil station is in Mt. Washington:

This Krispy Kreme is in Louisville. While the sign now has LED tubing and the building’s been remodeled a bit, I’m just glad to see it’s still there:

The sign at the long-closed Starway Drive-in theatre in Frankfort:

This sign is in Louisville:

This shopping center sign in Louisville now has plastic letters and a new clock:

And lastly, this business in Louisville is long gone but the sign remains:

One more day of Kentucky left before we move on to Tennessee.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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This was a much sunnier day so I’ll drop a lot of photos in this post to make up for the last one.

This is Leo the Lion from the 1800s — in West Chester, OH:

Secretariat in Paris, KY where he was a retired stud horse and buried there:

There are a few dinosaurs in front of this farm house in Wellington, KY. I think this is my favorite:

A very rare redheaded Frisch’s Big Boy statue — at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati:

This Catrina Day of the Dead sculpture is at a Mexican restaurant in Winchester, KY:

Yes, Paris, KY has its own mini Eiffel Tower (like Paris TX, Paris, TN and elsewhere) — but this one at the visitor center is even mini-er:

This prefabricated gas station is in Cynthiana, KY:

This well-preserved Pure Oil gas station is in Paris, KY:

This former gas station in Corinth, KY was part of Fisher’s Camp:

The cabins and other buildings burned down in a fire but this vacant station hangs on. This shell sign is probably from the 1950s:

There were three of these round, folded plate buildings at rest areas on I-64 in Kentucky but this one in Winchester is the only one left:

This former Newberry department store is in Paris, KY:

This pole sign in Cincinnati surely had neon originally. There is also a roofline sign here which does have neon pins & balls:

This drive-in theatre in Winchester, KY has been closed since 2015:

The adapted Rich’s Jewelry sign in Covington, KY. Thank goodness the restaurant kept the very rare Gruen text and clock at the bottom:

Lastly, I have to include just a few signs from the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati — if you’ve never been and want to know what you’re missing — see these pages at my website: https://www.roadarch.com/signs/ohasm.html

This sign came from Amana, IA:

And here are a couple waiting in the wings — an opal glass ripple tin beauty:

And a very early channel letter sign with a beaded border:

More Kentucky coming soon!

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

This was a really crummy weather day — no sun all day and some rain. So, low volume shooting and dreary photos. Day 14 wasn’t much better — but lots of sunny days to come though!

Let’s start with this sculpture of Vulcan in Ashland:

This National Guard building is in Carlisle (several in Kentucky with this same exact design):

This drive-in theatre in Mt. Sterling — still operating:

This closed theatre is in Portsmouth, OH:

This theatre is in Maysville:

The Opera House in Maysville:

This sign in Kenova, WV with patched neon tubing holes:

This sign in Portsmouth, OH — with LED tubing:

This rooftop restaurant sign is in Maysville, KY:

This sign in Maysville advertised for a restaurant — gently adapted for the Eat Gallery (art gallery) with just the modern panel added below:

A quick hi from that dreary day from three of my sidekicks. The old guy probably sleeping in the back:

More Kentucky coming up very soon!

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

I’m doubling up for this two-day post since there was a lot of mountain driving (low volume shooting) and crummy weather.

This Colonel Sanders statue is in Corbin inside the Sanders Cafe & Museum:

Abraham Lincoln at the Middle Creek National Battlefield in Prestonsburg:

Holcomb’s Custard Stand in Isom:

This closed movie theatre in Columbia is tucked into an alleyway off the main square:

This theatre is in Russell Springs:

The Lane Theatre in Williamsburg:

This former gas station is in Lawrenceburg:

A former Pure Oil gas station in Prestonsburg:

A former Tastee-Freez in Burkesville:

I believe this place in Harrodsburg has been closed and for sale for a while — but this sign remains:

This roller rink is in Corbin:

This sign in Somerset was such a beauty — StreetView 2019…:

… but by 2025 StreetView, the neon had been removed and it was cheaply covered up for the Makers Mill furniture/crafts/gift shop:

… and now it’s been adapted again for this bar inside Makers Mill:

This sign is in Corbin:

A “Happy Bear” sign in Corbin – more about these signs at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/signs/bear.html

This sign is in Jamestown:

And this one is in Burkesville:

More Kentucky coming up soon!

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Just getting going on the Kentucky stuff — about another 7 days of posts to go.

“Big Mo,” the Mosasaur statue at Big Mike’s Gift Shop in Cave City, got a bright repaint last year:

The Cardinal Motel in Bowling Green was leveled by a tornado in 2021 but the statue survived. It didn’t even tip over! The owner considered it a sign and rebuilt the motel from scratch:

This “fluffy tail” (my type name) rooster statue has been installed at the Rooster Run General Store since it opened in Coxs Creek in 1967. The bib type are very rare:

This Sirloin Stockade type bull (signboard and halter) has been at a Lotto store in Franklin since at least 2008. The statues used at Sirloin Stockade didn’t have horns this may have been a later modification:

This “Fuzzy Bull” (my type name) with horns and no signboard on its sides has been at the Leachman car dealership in Bowling Green since 2006. I don’t know where “Cadillac Jack” (a naming contest earlier this year) was before that:

Big Red is the mascot for Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. This sculpture is from 2014:

This giant cauldron of burgoo (a type of stew) is installed at Moon Lite BBQ in Owensboro. It was hit by a car a few years ago but, thankfully, it was restored (and moved behind the restaurant away from traffic):

This space capsule is installed in Franklin. It was created by welding students at the local high school (along with a giant butter knife and fork):

This former windmill in Griderville was used as a Standard Oil gas station office with a small restaurant building next door. The blades of the windmill have been gone since around 2013. Strangely, they were on the left of the windmill here but more recent photos, they were on that pole on the right:

This building in Bowling Green was built in the 1860s as the Potter Opera House:

It got this makeover in 1964 for the Bowling Green Bank & Trust – the height of modernity then and well-received:

But tastes change. Now that the City owns the building, it plans to return the facade to its original look. It’s a little scruffy now but since it’s right on the main square, I’m sure most of the town considers it an eyesore. I sure don’t! Replacing those black granite tiles and maybe powerblasting the concrete would be enough to get the building looking sharp again (and far cheaper than replicating the original facade) but concrete midcentury is not fashionable with many folks these days:

The former Century Christian Church in Owensboro from 1963:

An interior shot at the St. James Catholic Church in Elizabethtown:

The original sign at the original Wonder Whip location in Owensboro with much nicer, neon food:

Updated at some point to its current look. The burger and cone would look so much better painted, even badly, than these graphics:

The second location in Owensboro opened in 2025 with a new retro-style building and sign:

Smith Drug in Hodgenville opened around 1919 and is still operating! This sign is probably from the 1950s:

Lastly, the much less photographed sign at the Wigwam Village in Cave City. It was the second-built location in the chain with tee-pee shaped motel rooms:

More Kentucky coming up soon!

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Let’s start with a giant sheaf of wheat in Hopkinsville:

I shot this statue at the Dempewolf Ford Lincoln Mercury dealership in Henderson in 2010:

By 2012, it had been replaced with this more human-like statue shown below. Then, in 2018, the dealership changed names and moved this statue back behind the building and a fence. I was able to get this shot on this trip through the chain link:

This chicken statue is at Mr. D’s restaurant in Henderson:

There are now six of these Big Twig tree creature sculptures in Lake Malone State Park in Dunmor:

The Everly Brothers and John Prine in Central City:

This tiny Ferrell’s Hamburgers restaurant opened in 1936 in Hopkinsville. Unfortunately, this great neon sign got clipped by a truck in 2023 (my photo 2010)…:

… and it was replaced with this one which has LED tubing and plastic letters:

This former gas station in Henderson now houses Rick’s Una Pizza. It has some similar features with Pure Oil cottage stations but I don’t think it was built as one:

This is Rhea Stadium in Russellville. This Art Deco entrance is flanked with the heads of six sports stars from the time:

The long-closed Capitol Theatre in Princeton has really fallen on hard times. At least the vitrolite facade is still there:

The Wonder Whip in Owensboro opened in 1955. There was a slightly different sign then:

and now:

This former Gulf station in Marion now houses Sugar Shop Donuts:

I believe this cleaners in Hopkinsville is still open. The sign is now missing the plastic shirt panel and one of the clock faces. My photo from 2010:

and now:

This neon diamond is on top of the otherwise-boring Turley Jewelers sign in Evansville, IN:

The Hungry Bear Pancake & Bar-B-Q House in Murray closed in 2022 but this sign remains. The restaurant opened in 1970 so this sign is probably from then:

This sign is at the now-closed PitStop Liquors with a pink elephant statue in Hopkinsville:

The owner of Victor’s Sandwiches in Murray passed away in 2024 and this business has been closed since then:

I’ll be back again soon with much more Kentucky.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

This post covers the day spent in the northwest corner of Tennessee en route to Kentucky.

At the Tennessee/Kentucky border in Hazel, KY — representative frontiersmen from both states (Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett) and their hunting dogs:

A snowball-throwing polar bear serving as a mailbox holder in Jackson, TN. More about these statues at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/critters/bearspolar2.html#Nash

This dog sculpture is in front of a vet’s office in Paris, TN:

A giant crab above the entrance of Red Hook Cajun Seafood in Jackson, TN:

This streamline former hospital/clinic is in Covington, TN:

The former Dr Pepper bottling plant in Jackson, TN…:

… and its 10-2-4 clock:

The former Greyhound bus station in Jackson, TN:

The Jackson-Madison County Library in Jackson, TN:

A former Sinclair gas station in Huntingdon, TN:

This theatre is in Huntingdon, TN:

This theatre is in McKenzie, TN:

Too cutesy for my website but I shot anyway — in Union City:

The Magic Wheels Skate Center is in Jackson, TN:

This sign is in Jackson, TN:

The billboard sign on the former Coca-Cola bottling plant in Covington, TN:

Although a modern chain, this is one of the few neon signs left — in Jackson, TN:

The next post will be the beginning of many from Kentucky. There will be plenty more Tennessee posts after that.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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