Ten Gallon Hat

Vintage Arby's Sign-Aurora, IL, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Most people are probably familiar with the Arby's restaurant logo, a little stylized cowboy hat. It's been this way for as long as I can remember (not very, if I'm honest!), but back in the sixties the company really played up the Western theme. The earliest franchised restaurants were called "covered wagons", and were designed to have a sort of domed roof, reminiscent of an old Conestoga. Similarly, floors were tiled, in patterns that outlined steer horns, branding irons, and horses. And The Hat.

The iconic hat sign was designed by the company's sign maker, from the very first store opened in Ohio in the early sixties. Like the Golden Arches, The Hat was Arby's signature symbol, and you didn't have to even read the sign to know where you were heading.

Arby's stopped using the big neon signs some time ago, but older franchisees have made an effort to keep them in place, even when their buildings are updated and replaced (I don't think I've ever seen a "covered wagon", but I've seen a bunch of Hats).

Anyway, this one was in Aurora, Illinois, in front of an older restaurant, probably one from the later sixties. It was a fixture for decades, till the restaurant closed a couple of years ago, and The Hat was taken down. I sort of hope someone saved it-this one was in really nice shape.

Food

Food, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Maybe this is "Neonless Friday"? This arrow was tubed at one time, although I have no idea how long ago it lost it's glass. It points at the Chick-N-Dip in Hampshire, Illinois, which is an old school joint with a patio and no interior seating. It features no other old signs except this one. I think it's interesting that they've kept it for so long!

Parkston Co-Op

Door, originally uploaded by William 74.

One of the maxims I live by is "It's always worth it to ask". Such is the case here. This well-seasoned sign is on the door of a sixties Ford pickup truck. Actually, it's just the cab of the truck-no chassis, no engine, no glass, no fenders, no box, no nothin'. I found it in the back of a repair shop in rural Illinois, and the only reason I saw it was because they had a nice old Chevy parked at the side, and I asked if I could shoot it. The guy said told me to go ahead and look around, and walked back into his shop.

I loved this door the second I saw it. I love the fact that the signwriting was never painted over-this truck clearly led a long life with the Parkston Co-Op Association. It's also a long way from home-as best as I can tell, this is Parkston, South Dakota. This fact makes me even happier that I stumbled across it.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Lothson's Karry Out-DeKalb, IL, originally uploaded by William 74.

It's the end of the week, and that means another Neon Friday, folks! This week we're in DeKalb, Illinois. Best known as the home of Northern Illinois University, DeKalb was also a fairly major stop along the Illinois stretch of the Lincoln Highway, and still features a few old businesses along the main drag.

One of them is Lothson's Karry Out, which specializes in fried chicken. They've been in business since 1949, and are rightfully called a Lincoln Highway classic. They also feature this cool vintage sign over the door. Chaser bulbs aside, it even works (although I still haven't managed to get a decent photograph of it at night. Must work on that).

The food's pretty good, too!