Irie FM 98.1
Ocean City, NJ Photo courtesy Matthias Tippner
The neon for Irie FM 98.1 really radiates through the studio window and onto the street. Green, red and blue tubes spell out the station name, while the glowing ON AIR sign lets everyone passing by know that somebody is behind the microphone. Despite the original caption, this station is in Ocean City, Maryland, not New Jersey. 12-06
Known today as Ocean 98.1 WOCM, the station broadcasts from inside the sprawling Seacrets entertainment complex on 49th Street. Its mix of rock, reggae and alternative music explains the Irie name, a Jamaican expression meaning that everything is good.
The studio also hosts live performances by visiting musicians, sometimes with a crowd watching through the glass. That makes the neon window more than decoration. It is almost a little roadside radio show of its own.
UPDATE: Ocean 98.1 remains on the air from the Seacrets complex in Ocean City, Maryland. The colorful Irie Radio neon continues to glow in the studio window. 08-26
The Embers Restaurant (Gone)
Ocean City, NJ Photo courtesy Matthias Tippner
Here is another bright neon sign from Ocean City, with the colorful fish swimming above The Embers Restaurant. The glowing seafood mascot was a familiar sight for hungry vacationers cruising Philadelphia Avenue after dark. Despite the original caption, this one was in Ocean City, Maryland, not New Jersey. 12-06
The Embers began on the Boardwalk in 1945 before moving to 24th Street in the late 1950s. It later became known for its enormous seafood and prime rib buffet, a vacation tradition for generations of Ocean City visitors.
The old restaurant building and its neon fish sign are now gone. A modern multi-story complex replaced them, keeping the family business on the same corner but changing the roadside scene completely.
UPDATE: The restaurant reopened as 1945 Steak & Seafood in April 2026. 08-26
Planters Mr. Peanut (Gone)
New York City, NY Photo courtesy Paul Bauke
A giant Mr. Peanut watches over the crowds near Times Square, complete with his familiar top hat, monocle and cane. With all the signs fighting for attention along Broadway, it takes a pretty big peanut to stand out. 01-07
Planters began in 1906, while Mr. Peanut came along ten years later through a company contest. The winning sketch was drawn by 14-year-old Antonio Gentile, who received a whopping $5 for creating one of America’s best-known advertising characters.
Times Square once had an actual Planters store at 1560 Broadway. Its huge animated neon Mr. Peanut reportedly tipped his hat and twirled his cane, while costumed peanut men handed out samples along the sidewalk. The store closed in 1961, though Mr. Peanut later returned to the neighborhood on modern billboards like this one.
UPDATE: The Planters store and its original animated neon sign are long gone. The later Mr. Peanut billboard seen here has also been replaced as the Times Square signs continue to change. 08-26
Weirs Beach Drive-in Theatre
Weirs Beach, NH Photo courtesy Alan Culley
The glowing marquee at the Weirs Beach Drive-in Theatre still looks right at home along Route 3. Its tall shape, red neon trim and flowing “Drive-In Theatre” script are hard to miss after dark. Add the rows of changeable letters advertising the latest movies and this is exactly the sort of roadside sign that makes a nighttime drive worthwhile. The theater sits across the road from the famous Weirs Beach arrow sign near Lake Winnipesaukee. 12-07
The drive-in opened in 1949 under Henry Gaudette, beginning as a single-screen theater with space for about 550 cars. It was later expanded into a four-screen outdoor complex, allowing several different movies and double features to play at the same time. Not bad for a place where the lake breeze sometimes joins the show.
For generations, summer visitors pulled into the gravel field, found a spot facing one of the big screens and settled in for a movie beneath the New Hampshire night sky. The old window speakers eventually gave way to FM radio sound, but the basic experience remained much the same. Bring some snacks, roll down the windows and hope the mosquitoes are watching a different screen.
Weirs Beach Sign
Weirs Beach, NH Photo courtesy Alan Culley
The drive-in also became part of the scene during Laconia Motorcycle Week. Its large open grounds provided room for vendors, parking and special events while thousands of motorcycles rolled through Weirs Beach. Few drive-ins can claim that much action before the sun even goes down.
The future looked uncertain in 2024 when longtime owner Pat Baldi announced her retirement and closed the theater after decades of keeping the projectors running. The property was placed up for sale, raising the usual fears that the screens and marquee might finally disappear. Fortunately, the old drive-in was not finished yet.
UPDATE: Outdoor movies returned for the 2026 summer season as part of a new campground and entertainment setup. The four screens and historic neon marquee remain standing, giving this stubborn old drive-in another chance to light up Route 3. 08-26
Firestone
Hamden, CT Photo courtesy Rick Ibsen
The red neon letters on this Firestone Complete Auto Care really light up the brick building along Dixwell Avenue. Most Firestone shops replaced signs like this with ordinary plastic boxes years ago, making this glowing version a rare sight in the Northeast. 03-07
The individual channel letters follow the familiar Firestone lettering in bright red neon. Firestone has been around since 1900, but only a few of these old corporate signs still light up the night.
UPDATE: The Hamden Firestone remains open and the vintage neon lettering still survives. 08-26
Hamden Plaza
Hamden, CT Photo and info courtesy Rick Ibsen
The Hamden Plaza is located on Dixwell Ave in Hamden, CT. The Hamden plaza is one of the first, if not the first, strip type shopping center in the country. This sign has been there since at least the early 60's and probably longer. Many thanks to Rick Ibsen for info. 03-07
The tall neon sign outside Hamden Plaza is a real survivor from the days when shopping centers announced themselves with something more exciting than a plastic box. Built by the Saxton Sign Company, it has been guiding drivers along Dixwell Avenue since the early 1960s. 03-07 The plaza opened in 1954 and became part of Hamden’s busy “Magic Mile.” Shoppers once found familiar names like Woolworth’s, W.T. Grant, J.C. Penney and Fanny Farmer Candies lined up behind that glowing sign.
The parking lot once had an even stranger attraction. In 1978, twenty old cars were partially buried and covered with asphalt to create the Ghost Parking Lot. Years of weather, skateboards and bicycle jumps took their toll, and the unusual artwork was removed in 2003.
UPDATE: Hamden Plaza remains open at 2100 Dixwell Avenue, and its vintage roadside sign still stands. A Starbucks now occupies the former Ghost Parking Lot site. 08-26
Coca-Cola Store
Weirs Beach, NH Photo courtesy Alan Culley
The red neon Coca-Cola lettering really lights up this storefront along Lakeside Avenue. Despite appearances, this is not an official Coca-Cola store. It is part of the Half Moon Gift Shop and Arcade, a longtime Weirs Beach attraction. 12-07
The Ames family opened the Half Moon complex in 1924. Along with the neon, the old brick building sports large painted Coca-Cola advertisements that add plenty of color to the boardwalk.
UPDATE: The Half Moon remains open at 260 Lakeside Avenue, and its vintage Coca-Cola signs still survive. 08-26
Irie FM 98.1
The Embers Restaurant (Gone)
Planters Mr. Peanut (Gone)
Coca-Cola Store
