NEON MUSEUM LAUNCHES FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TO RESTORE HARD ROCK GUITAR SIGN
This Giving Tuesday, the Neon Museum kicks off a fundraising campaign to transport the Hard Rock Café guitar sign from the Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO), install it in the world-famous Neon Boneyard and provide an endowment for its ongoing maintenance and conservation efforts. The museum’s goal is to raise $350,000.
“Having this sign in the Neon Boneyard will elevate the experience of visiting our collection to a brand-new level,” said Rob McCoy, president and chief executive officer, Neon Museum. “We thank the community in advance for their support in helping us bring this jewel of Las Vegas sign history to the museum.”
The Hard Rock Café opened in 1990 and closed on New Year’s Eve 2016. Its monumental guitar sign measured 22 feet wide by 80 feet tall and was situated on the corner of Paradise Road and Harmon Avenue. Over the years, it was featured in countless Hollywood productions, becoming an iconic symbol of Las Vegas. The museum is grateful YESCO, which designed and owned the sign, opted to donate the retired sign to the Neon Museum.
Donors to the Hard Rock sign campaign will be recognized for their contributions, 100 percent of which will go directly to the efforts to transport, install and maintain the sign. Donors of $250 or more will be invited to attend the illumination party for the Hard Rock sign after its installation in the Neon Boneyard. Donors of $100 or more will be recognized with a plaque bearing their name on the base of the Hard Rock sign. In addition, all donors will be entered into a raffle to win a unique neon art piece.
Supporters of the Neon Museum who wish to participate in the Hard Rock Guitar campaign can do so online by clicking here.
ABOUT THE NEON MUSEUM
Founded in 1996, the Neon Museum is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic, arts and cultural enrichment. It has been ranked No. 1 in Las Vegas Weekly’s list of “Twenty Greatest Attractions in Las Vegas History,” one of “Sin City’s Best Retro Sites” by MSN, “No. 1 Las Vegas Museum Sure to Entertain and Educate” by USAToday’s 10best.com, “One of the Top 10 Coolest Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do” by Forbes.com, one of the “Top 10 Historic Spots in Las Vegas” by Vegas.com; one of “15 Most Fascinating Museums in the U.S.” by VacationIdea.com; and earns a consistent 4.5 out of 5 rating on TripAdvisor. On its 2.27-acre campus, the Neon Museum houses an outdoor exhibition space known as the Neon Boneyard (“boneyard” is traditionally the name for an area where items no longer in use are stored); the North Gallery, used mainly for education programs and special events; the new Boulevard Gallery outdoor exhibit and event space; and its visitors’ center, housed inside the former La Concha Motel lobby. The museum collection also includes nine restored signs installed as public art throughout downtown Las Vegas and one restored sign on view at the outdoor Fashion Show Plaza on the Las Vegas Strip. Public education, outreach, research, archival preservation and a grant-funded neon sign survey represent a selection of the museum’s ongoing projects. Both the Neon Boneyard and the La Concha Visitors’ Center are located at 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North in Las Vegas. For tour schedules and pricing information, visit neonmuseum.org.
