Flossmoor, your winter nights just got a little brighter with a new lighted town pride sign recently unveiled in the downtown area.
Flossmoor, your winter nights just got a little brighter with a new lighted town pride sign recently unveiled in the downtown area.
Flossmoor was installed
earlier this month.
(Provided photo)
The oval sign boasts “Historic Downtown Flossmoor, established 1924” in white lettering against a forest green background, matching the color of the new town logo.
After the massively successful fundraising effort to revive the downtown Flossmoor clock tower, there was some money left over in the fund, said downtown businessman Dean Armstrong, a member of committee that restored the overhead timepieces at Sterling Avenue and Central Drive.
“The clock tower was the first step in this process, and then it was a natural progression to the sign,” Armstrong said. “For many years, it was the sign for the Lappin Pharmacy. Over the years, it had fallen into disrepair.”
Flossmoor Mayor Paul Braun, also a member of the clock tower committee, contacted Carolyn Armstrong about using the remaining funds to restore the sign. Carolyn told Dean, her husband, about the idea, and he was really excited to help make it happen. The couple own Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery. Armstrong said he and his wife love to celebrate their town pride.
“Everyone is like that around Flossmoor,” Armstrong said. “I dare say, you won’t find many other towns with such a strong sense of civic pride.”
The restored clock tower was unveiled at Flossmoor Fest in September. The new sign was installed early in December.
Along with the community-raised funds, the sign was funded by the Armstrongs; Braun and his wife, Mib; and two tenants of the building, dentist Judy Johnson and optometrist Wendy Schweinfurth.
“They could have insisted on putting up a sign that advertised their businesses,” Armstrong said. “Not only did they let us put up a sign that reflects our community, but they both made financial contributions. Everyone worked together for the common good in an uncommonly good community.”
The sign, which hangs in its original frame, is ringed in white neon light. Though neon signs are not allowed in downtown Flossmoor, this sign was able to be grandfathered in. Armstrong said they worked with village trustees to make it happen and expedite the permit process. He added that — just like the clock tower project — many people worked together to make the sign a reality.
