NEW VIDEO: "That Man" Caro Emerald cover featuring The Swing it Girls & Tap Dancing Sensation, Becky Fullington.
To celebrate the re-opening of our beloved hometown, Pin-Ups on Tour filmed a new video at the world-famous WELCOME TO FABULOUS LAS VEGAS Sign.
The ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign is one of the most historic Las Vegas landmarks, built-in 1959. The sign sits in the median at 5100 Las Vegas Boulevard South, which, interestingly enough, is outside of the city limits and in the town of Paradise.
The sign was built by a woman named Betty Willis, as per the request of a local salesperson named Ted Rogich. Rogich applauded the neon signs of the city that advertised the hotels, casinos and restaurants, and felt that there should be such a sign to represent the city itself. Willis considered the sign her gift to the city and so the sign was never copyrighted, hence why you’ll find it on so many souvenirs in Vegas. The sign cost a mere $4,000 to build and Young Electric Company currently owns it, while leasing it to Clark County.
The sign stands at 25 feet tall, which is actually smaller than most Las Vegas signs, like the famous Vegas Vic sign which reaches 40 feet. It is a stretched diamond shape, with the top and bottom angles pointed and side angles rounded. Across the top of the sign are seven white circles that are meant to represent silver dollars, as a salute to Las Vegas’ nickname, the “Silver State”. Each letter of the word “Welcome” is inside the silver dollars with “to Fabulous” in 1950’s-style cursive in the line below it, followed by “Las Vegas” in capital letters taking up the width of the sign and “Nevada” in smaller text on the last line. The back of the sign (which is not as often photographed and much lesser-known), reads “Drive Carefully, Come Back Soon”. The sign is in Googie architecture style, a form of architecture popular during the 40’s and 50’s, which combines futurism, the Atomic Age, and car culture.
We love this vintage landmark and the city of Las Vegas - we hope you enjoy our tribute to this iconic location!
Information about the Las Vegas Sign was sourced here: https://www.smartsign.com/blog/short-history-welcome-fabulous-las-vegas-sign-second-smartsign-blog-series-famous-signs-origins/
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