Angler’s Tale

Theme restaurants are hot properties. Nobody knows this better than Mike Whalen, owner of Heart of America Restaurants and Inns (Davenport, IA) and Iowa’s 1991 Entrepreneur of the Year. Beginning with his 1978 conversion of a 100-seat Davenport coffee shop into a full-service farm-style restaurant, Whalen built his company into an expanding mid-western chain that currently includes six hotels and eleven restaurants. Each of Whalen’s restaurants is based on well-known regional themes.

The northern lodge decor of Whalen’s Thunder Bay Grille (Davenport, IA) demanded combining appropriate signage with eye-catching design. That’s when Phil Garland, Vice President of Nesper Sign Adv. (Cedar Rapids, IA) sat down with Whalen to discuss some of the classic neon signs of yesteryear. Inspired by this conversation, Whalen produced an impromptu sketch of a fisherman catching a huge trout, and the idea was born to render the entire image in neon on a freestanding sign. The result of Whalen’s brainstorm and Nesper’s handiwork is a sign that capitalizes on neon’s penchant for pizazz. The first step in the fabrication process was producing the life-size, double-faced angler (Fig. 1). The man’s aluminum form was computer-cut, welded together, and fitted with a supporting, internal steel frame. A heat-formed, 2-in.-diameter steel pipe was used to create the fishing line, which had to be strong enough to withstand wind and weather. All steel components were primed and painted to prevent rust.

White lexan faces were cut for the man, illuminated with white and blue neon.

The next step was to fabricate the sign’s 11.5 x 16.5-ft. main body. The 30-in.-deep cabinet consists of a 2-in.-angle steel frame covered with .090 sheet aluminum. The computer-cut open channel letters are painted with polyurethane aircraft enamel, and the trout is backlit with white neon (Fig. 2). The 8-ft.-long trout’s lexan faces are decorated with 3M translucent vinyl, and the top waves consist of vinyl graphics (illuminated with blue neon) extending around all four sides of the cabinet (Fig. 3).

When the sign was hoisted into place, it quickly became a landmark for motorists on I-80. Designed to be effective in daylight or after dark, this custom electric sign is an excellent example of neon’s unique ability to accentuate complex forms with bright, eye-grabbing highlights. The Thunder Bay Grille sign is such a hit that Mike Whalen has ordered a carbon copy for his new location in Rockford, IL. This demonstrates another conspicuous property of a well-conceived neon sign — generating repeat business. In terms of sheer commercial appeal, nothing does it better than neon.