LaHood helps secure grant for
historic sign in Lincoln
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[August 29, 2017]
LINCOLN
- On Thursday, the National Park Service announced a grant of
$17,000 from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program to the
Tropics Neon Sign Project Committee based in Lincoln, Illinois. This
grant will be used to help restore the historic neon sign for the
Tropics restaurant in Lincoln, which serves as stop for tourists
along Route 66. Congressman Darin LaHood wrote a letter in support
of the project committee’s application for the grant in March of
this year.
“I am pleased to announce that the Tropics Neon Sign Project
Committee will be receiving a grant to complete this important
project,” said Rep. LaHood. “For over 60 years, the Tropics
restaurant sign has been a well-known landmark, demonstrating the
uniqueness that defines the Rt. 66 experience. It is crucial that we
maintain this and other iconic stops along the ‘Mother Road,’ which
is why I will continue to advocate for Rt. 66’s preservation as a
member of the House.”
The Tropics neon sign restoration has already raised $60,000 of the
total $70,000 needed to complete the project.
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The project will restore the sign to operating
condition to honor the history of the site and encourage tourists to
stop and explore local shops and restaurants. The project will also
feature an interpretative panel that will tell the story of the
Tropics restaurant, and its relationship to Route 66.
In February of this year, Rep. LaHood introduced a bill alongside
Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) and Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA) to
commemorate the historical significance of Route 66. As a member of
the Committee on Natural Resources, LaHood introduced H.R. 801, a
bill to amend the National Trails System Act to designate Route 66 a
National Historic Trail. This would provide the highway with a
permanent program to preserve, promote, and economically develop it.
[J.D. Dalfonso, Congressman Darin
LaHood] |