News

Outlawed Neon Sign Toppled by Car May Rise Again

An iconic roadside visual for decades, it may be registered as a local landmark.

Published

3 years ago

June 24, 2021

Signs of the Times Staff

The iconic Snookies Malt Shop sign was knocked to the ground last fall. | Credit: @MurphyKeith on Twitter

It seemed the fate of the famous Snookies Malt Shop sign had been sealed when it was hit and toppled by a car in October. As pole signs were no longer permitted by Des Moines (IA) city law, the owners of the ice cream stand weren’t expecting to reinstall the neon sign that had stood for nearly 40 years.

This week, however, a city board unanimously agreed to designate the sign a local landmark, the Des Moines Register reports. Now it just needs a final approval of that designation by the city council, which will pave the way for its resurrection.

“I feel like reinstating the sign, getting it back up, gives a lot of hope to the residents of Beaverdale and the city of Des Moines,” Connie Hunter, co-owner of Snookies, told the Landmark Review Board on Tuesday. “They know that they’re home when they see the sign. They know it’s the start of summer when they see the sign.”

Read more at the Des Moines Register.

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