Neon Night



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neonphoto2: Support the Museum's neon preservation efforts by purchasing neon sign merchandise!



Historic Neon Signs of Bakersfield and Kern County


Neon signs were once the calling card of virtually every diner, motel, and business that popped up along the twists and turns of America’s highways and byways. With a look that at the same time was both alluring and gaudy, this modern day version of the roadside sign reached its peak during the 1950s and 1960s.

The Kern County Museum is pleased to present four restored neon signs that once decorated Bakersfield and other communities in Kern County. It is the museum’s hope this exhibit will help renew interest in Kern County’s neon past. This permanent exhibit is on view in the Transportation Courtyard at the Museum.



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Entrance to the Bakersfield Inn Annex
Sign built circa 1948
The Bakersfield Inn opened on Union Avenue in Bakersfield in 1929. In 1948, the hotel expanded across Union Avenue, opening a 125-room wing on the east side of the street. This sign showed travelers the entrance to the new annex. In 1949, the famous Bakersfield arch linked the main hotel with its annex.

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Far East Café
Sign built circa 1942 and remodeled circa 1951
The Far East Café was a popular Chinese restaurant located on 18th Street in Bakersfield from about 1951 to 2000.

Before the Far East, the Chinese Village Café operated in the building beginning in about 1942. The top and bottom sections of the sign were originally utilized in a sign for the Chinese Village Café. A piece 42-inches tall was added to the top, pagoda-like section when the sign was used for the Far East Café.



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Jim Baker Electrifier
Sign built 1946
When Raymond F. Vinson purchased Jim Baker Electrifier from Jim Baker in 1946, he had this sign built to advertise the store. The sign promoted Jim Baker Electrifier at 818 19th Street in Bakersfield until the spring of 2000.




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Tops Market
Sign built circa 1958
Tops Market was a fixture on 7th street in Wasco beginning in the late 1950s. Pink and turquoise, popular colors for  fashion and decorative arts during the late 1950s and early 1960s, were also popular colors for neon signs at this time.





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Saba's Men's Wear
Sign built 1953
Mike Saba started Saba's Men's Wear on Baker Street in East Bakersfield in the 1930s. The store provided men's work wear for the nearby railroad. The original building was destroyed during the 1952 earthquake. A new building, designed by local architects, Robert N. Eddy and William H. Paynter, was built in 1953. At that time, the store front was enhanced by a neon sign proclaiming "Saba's" in stylized script.


 

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Shafter Rexall Drugs
Sign built circa 1949
E.B. “Doc” Stringham established the Shafter Drug Store in Shafter in 1919. In the late 1930s, he built a new store at the corner of Central Avenue and James Street in the heart of Shafter’s business district. In the late 1940s, Doc’s son-in-law Mert Weidmann began working at the store. At that time, the neon sign was installed. The Weidmanns continued operating the store with its neon sign until 2005.








Download the Neon NightII brochure from the 2009 event.

This exhibit would not have been possible without:
Nancy Carter, Center Neon Company, Inc.
John J. Ulman, John J. Ulman Construction
Jim Calanchini, Down Hole Tool Stabilization
Allene Stanton and Margaret Vinson– Dye
Weeks Roses
Cooper's Nursery
The Estate of Emma M. Sims
The Saba Family
Shafter Historical Society
The Wiedmann Family



Help us add more signs to the Neon Courtyard!

The Museum has more signs awaiting restoration. One of the signs is the marquee from the Tejon Theatre in East Bakersfield. Approximately $10,000 is needed to restore the Tejon Theatre marquee and install it in the Neon Courtyard.

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The Tejon Theatre letters as they appear today.

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Opening day of the Tejon Theatre on Baker Street.

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