‘Iconic’ neon Old Style sign revitalized in La Crosse for Wisconsin Historical Museum exhibit
Gavin Michaelson
Updated
After a nearly six month restoration, the historic Badger Liquor Shop neon sign was lit aglow once more alongside a full moon Friday night in Downtown Madison.
Sandy Cleary, a descendant of La Crosse’s G. Heileman Brewing Co. owners, discovered a nearly 60-year-old Old Style sign sitting in a farm field in eastern Wisconsin.
The La Crosse Sign Group is replacing the neon and refurbishing the aged, rusted metal of the Old Style sign that had been displayed at Milwaukee’s Summerfest. Once the work is complete, the donated sign will be displayed at the Wisconsin Historical Museum in Madison.
Joel House, La Crosse Sign Group president, holds a newly formed neon "S" that will replace the neon from the Old Style sign. The letters were crafted to match the dated neon letters that no longer work.
A massive Old Style sign was donated to the Wisconsin Historical Society by Sandy Cleary, whose family has deep ties to the brewery. The sign is being refurbished by La Crosse Sign Group ahead of its inclusion in the Wisconsin Historical Center’s upcoming neon sign exhibit.
La Crosse Sign Group craftsmen removed the old neon letters from the Old Style sign and used them to outline the new neon fixtures that will soon light up the Wisconsin History Center.
After a nearly six month restoration, the historic Badger Liquor Shop neon sign was lit aglow once more alongside a full moon Friday night in …
The La Crosse Sign Group is replacing the neon and refurbishing the aged, rusted metal of the Old Style sign that had been displayed at Milwaukee’s Summerfest. Once the work is complete, the donated sign will be displayed at the Wisconsin Historical Museum in Madison.
Joel House, La Crosse Sign Group president, holds a newly formed neon "S" that will replace the neon from the Old Style sign. The letters were crafted to match the dated neon letters that no longer work.
La Crosse Sign Group craftsmen removed the old neon letters from the Old Style sign and used them to outline the new neon fixtures that will soon light up the Wisconsin History Center.
A massive Old Style sign was donated to the Wisconsin Historical Society by Sandy Cleary, whose family has deep ties to the brewery. The sign is being refurbished by La Crosse Sign Group ahead of its inclusion in the Wisconsin Historical Center’s upcoming neon sign exhibit.
