Day 7: Kansas City, MO Area

All these photos are from Kansas City unless mentioned. Let’s start off with some statues. The “Struttin’ Man” is installed in front of the Gates Bar-B-Q on Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd. This is the chain’s mascot:

“Barney” was originally installed at the Carpet Barn in Springfield, MO. He’s now inside Atomic Collision along with some other statues and signs:

The owner plans to paint this statue which he got from Mark Cline molds. He wants to create a giant paint sprayer and put the statue on the roof at some point.

One of the signs at Atomic:

This is a modern scaffold sign is installed downtown:

This Sprite sign has some broken pieces but still great to see as these plastic “privilege” signs are so rare. It reads “Chinese Carry Out Food” at the top if you’re having trouble deciphering the letters:

These two Don’s Liquor signs are pretty neglected but those bottles in the “Swiss cheese hole” are so cute. Certainly not original to the sign, right?:

This giant hamburger-mobile was built in 2009 from carved polyurethane foam. If you’d like to see more giant burgers, I’ve got a page full at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/food/burgers.html

This giant handkerchief and shirt pocket were created by Claes Oldenburg in 1999. The sculpture is installed in front of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art:

The House of Flowers is now a salon but these signs with neon flowers remain:

A former Town Topic Sandwich Shop (now looking closed):

There are still two other locations operating with these signs — this one is on Baltimore Ave.:

The former Tower Cleaners – now Donutology:

The Village Office Center (originally the Bryan Building) in Prairie Village, KS:

An even more impressive barrel canopy at Louis Memorial Chapel:

This Winstead’s restaurant from 1940 is still operating Several other modern locations were built in the Kansas City area but I believe the only other still open is in Overland Park, KS:

The Twin Drive-in in Independence, MO is still operating:

This used car lot is closed but the sign and rooftop feature are still there:

The Scimeca’s sign is behind the Scimeca’s Famous Sausage Company:

A Scimeca’s Retail Market & Deli in North Kansas City opened in 2020 and pays tribute to this sign with a new sign and at their website:

The Milk Jug grocery store in Independence, MO has been vacant for decades but this sign remains:

I was lucky enough to hook up on this trip with Nick Vedros, the man behind the LUMI Neon Museum which will soon be opening a neon alley at Pennway Point. He took me around to his three different storage locations to see dozens of signs. Below are just a few.

More about the project here:
https://www.startlandnews.com/2023/07/lumi-neon-alley/

and LUMI’s website:
https://thelumineonmuseum.org/