Monday, November 8, 2010

Motel Neon

What hides behind the faded glamour of motel neon?

Anger, heartache, guilt, despair, anticipation, desire, hope, joy...

The no-tell motel has many untold stories from those that stand in front and behind the motel office counter. The stories are worthy of preserving and some classic motels and their memorabilia are also worth saving.

One aspect of American culture that we like is that they tend to honour their business pop-culture - motels included.

We enjoyed reading about the recent resurrection of the Munger Moss Motel's old neon sign. The motel opened for business in 1946 and the neon sign was added in 1955.

Although motel owners Bob and Ramona Lehman received an $11,000 cost-share grant through the National Park Service to restore the classic sign, they would have invested a substantial amount of their own funds to complete the project. We are glad they did.

Enthusiasts of the Route 66 roadside culture came from as far away as Florida for the relighting ceremony and celebration. We reckon it would have been worth the journey.

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