County Fair sign returns
I took a drive on Arrow Highway the other day to check out the new/old L.A. County Fair sign. It stands a few yards west of White Avenue in La Verne at Fairplex Gate 15.
The sign originally stood at Foothill and White near the Mount Baldy Drive-In sign, which featured three images of a skier on the slopes; when the neon blinked, the skier appeared to be in motion.
The drive-in was in existence from about 1960 to 1984, when it was replaced by a Target store, according to Charles Phoenix's "Cruising the Pomona Valley" guidebook. The fair sign was there in approximately the same span and, after being taken down, was preserved in a Fairplex warehouse until its recent restoration.
"That was a little miracle they found it," Phoenix told me. He was pleased to know it was restored, and by the same company that made it originally, Pomona-based Williams Sign Co.
It looks pretty sharp, and I'm looking forward to driving past there at night to see the neon.
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A journalist for more than two decades, David Allen has been writing a column for the Daily Bulletin since 1997 and blogging since 2007.He lives in Claremont.
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Great to see the Fair sign again. I think there was always hope to hang it after it came down when the Mt. Baldy Drive-in went away. It's good to see the sign back in full glory with Thummer the pig perched on top. Seems images of the original Thummer are hard to find these days at the Fair, but he was the identity of the Fair in the '60s into the '80s, and again in the late '80s into the '90s.
[I should have noted the presence of Thummer, the original Fair mascot. -- DA]
GREETINGS:
The folks at the Fair deserve top marks for returning this beautiful sign to service. Seeing this memorable image from the past restored and placed along Arrow Highway was the highlight of the summer. If only more such icons could find life again, it would help renew pride in local landmarks and promote a better appreciation for the area's history.
David: The sign was originally approved by the La Verne City Council on July 21, 1958. This time around, the Planning Commission needed to approve a variance for the sign, as La Verne does not permit "pole signs" any longer. There is an exception that states that signs that bear unique architectural or historical importance can be considered with a variance. Obviously this sign meets that requirement.
While I was not around when the sign was originally located at the southwest corner of Lincoln (now White) and Foothill, I am very impressed with it today.
[Thanks for the research, Eric. Congrats to La Verne for making an exception for such a nifty sign. -- DA]
Yes the sign looks great, now if we can find the sign that used to hang over Holt between Indian Hill and Mills that would say Welcome to Pomona Home of the L.A. Fair now that would great. So does anyone out there know where it might be?
[There was a small Fair neon directional sign at Garey and Foothill in the late '50s -- I saw it in a photo of Henry's when it was under construction, on display at the Hammer Museum -- and that's another one on the MIA list. -- DA]
If you're looking for neon / sign info... I would start with Williams Sign Co./Fairplex/City of Pomona sign shop. Whatever happened to the THUMMER stickers we use to proudly display on our vehicles...advertising the Fair dates ???
[Charles Phoenix was selling a stash of Thummer stickers at his NHRA event a few weeks ago, saved by someone since the '60s (?). -- DA]