Karl's Sausage KItchen (Gone)
Saugus, MA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The old parking lot sign for Karl’s Sausage Kitchen looks right at home along the Saugus stretch of Route 1. With its simple lettering, red arrow, and little sausage-maker pictured at the top, it certainly lets passing motorists know where to turn for the bratwurst. 08-08

Master butcher Karl Engel opened the shop in 1958, selling handmade German sausages and imported European foods. The kitchen eventually produced an impressive 55 varieties, including knockwurst, weisswurst, frankfurters, and Nuremberg sausages.

Karl’s moved from this small Saugus storefront to a larger market in Peabody in 2012. The new location added a German cafe serving schnitzel, spaetzle, sauerbraten, and beer on tap. It also had a seven-foot sausage perched over the entrance. Now that was a sign.

UPDATE: Karl’s Sausage Kitchen closed its Peabody market on January 18, 2025, ending a 67-year run. The old Saugus parking lot sign was removed after the 2012 move. The whereabouts of the giant sausage from the Peabody location are unknown. 08-26

Strong Homes (Gone)
Erie, PA
Photo courtesy Kevin Newman

The sign for Strong Mobile Homes certainly lives up to the name. A muscular strongman stands beneath the big sign cabinet, looking as if he is holding the whole thing above his head. Now that is one strong sales pitch. 06-09

The family-owned dealership sold manufactured and modular homes along West 12th Street, not far from Lake Erie. It was officially registered as T/A Strong Homes and was operated by Richard Powell.

The strongman was a great example of a roadside sign turning a business name into a literal visual gag. Whether the figure was ever outlined in neon or simply lit by floodlights remains unknown.

UPDATE: Strong Mobile Homes has closed, and the strongman sign has been removed. No record has surfaced showing whether the character was saved or scrapped. 08-26

Robert Indiana "EAT" Sculpture
Rockland, ME
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

Here's an eye-catching "eat" sign located in Rockland, ME. The sign now sits atop an art museum. Perhaps it was a restaurant at one time. Many thanks to Paul Bauke for info. 09-10

Here’s an eye-catching Robert Indiana "EAT" Sculpture perched atop the Farnsworth Art Museum in downtown Rockland. It certainly looks like an old restaurant sign, but this flashing display has a rather surprising history.

The sign is actually a piece of Pop Art created by Robert Indiana for the 1964 New York World’s Fair. When it was turned on, hungry fairgoers mistook it for a real restaurant sign and started following it in search of food. The confusion was so great that the lights were shut off after just one day. Really?

After the fair, the five-disc sign disappeared into storage for 44 years. Each six-foot disc weighs about 300 pounds. It was finally restored and relighted at the Farnsworth in June 2009, bringing its hundreds of flashing bulbs back to life.

UPDATE: Robert Indiana’s EAT sculpture remains installed at the Farnsworth Art Museum and continues to flash above downtown Rockland. 08-26

Playground Lounge (Gone)
Atlantic City, NJ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The neon sign for the Playground Lounge was quite a sight along Pacific Avenue. A swinging go-go girl kicked her legs beneath the name while the lower part of the sign advertised “Go Go Girls.” There was certainly no mystery about what kind of playground this was. 05-20

Located at 2405 Pacific Avenue, the Playground was one of the many small bars and lounges once tucked just off Atlantic City’s main casino strip. The animated girl and colorful neon gave the place plenty of after-dark roadside character.

While the casinos grabbed most of the attention, signs like this one helped make the surrounding streets interesting to cruise. Unfortunately, the Playground and its swinging neon girl have both disappeared.

UPDATE: The Playground Lounge remains closed, and its animated neon sign has been removed. 08-26