Signs of the Times

Corky Scholl started his Save the Signs campaign with an unsuccessful Kickstarter run. But his dream of restoring the best of this city’s classic neon signs is still going strong, focusing first on returning one artifact — the rescued sign from Denver’s legendary but long-defunct Sid King’s Crazy Horse Bar...

By Susan Froyd

April 4, 2013

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Corky Scholl started his Save the Signs campaign with an unsuccessful Kickstarter run. But his dream of restoring the best of this city’s classic neon signs is still going strong, focusing first on returning one artifact — the rescued sign from Denver’s legendary but long-defunct Sid King’s Crazy Horse Bar — to a place where the public can enjoy it in all its flashy neon glory, preferably somewhere on the street. Also on his agenda: Restoring the iconic vertical neon hovering above the Oriental Theater at 44th Avenue and Tennyson Street. And tonight he’ll move on to Plan B, raising funds the old-fashioned way — by throwing a party — with a Save the Signs Spectacular at Park House, located on the neon-friendly Colfax corridor.

In addition to live music by Tommy Price & the Stilettos, Broke Bridge, and Dixie Leadfoot & the Chrome Struts, live painting by Eric Matelski and a sale of prints depicting local neon, the evening will have a special presentation. “The Sid King sign will be lit up on Colfax for the first time in thirty years,” explains Scholl, who was just a little kid in Minneapolis when Sid King’s closed. “The thing about all the signs on Colfax is that they have great stories, and this one in particular. And the old neon signs are a dying breed. It’s a cool art form that’s being replaced by LED lights, cheaper materials and plastic. I’d like to save the ones that still exist rather than see them end up as scrap.”

Save the Signs kicks off at 5 p.m. at Park House, 1515 Madison Street; a $5 donation is requested at the door. For details, visit the Facebook event page.
Sat., April 6, 5 p.m., 2013

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Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.

Contact: Susan Froyd

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