Putting neon in the spotlight

Johnnie Meier asked someone to plug in the electrical cord to an old Phillips 66 wall clock, festooned with neon letters, he'd brought with him and laid on a table.

Within seconds, a bright red glow erupted from the clock's glass neon tubing, causing a spontaneous "ahh" from about two dozen people watching Meier's neon-lighting workshop Saturday at the Tucumcari Historical Museum's annex.

Later that day, Meier acknowledged that reaction to neon lighting was common.

"It's got a glow that attracts people," he said.

That enticing glow was one of the reasons Meier, a former New Mexico Route 66 Association president and owner of the Classical Gas Museum in Embudo, became an advocate for preserving historic neon signs on Route 66. Meier was the keynote speaker Saturday during the Tucumcari Historical Museum's "Neon and Route 66 Businesses Past and Present," one of the special programs to mark the museum's 50th anniversary.

Meier shepherded neon-revitalization programs that included four signs in Tucumcari - La Cita, TeePee Curios, Cactus RV Park and Paradise Motel. The La Cita and TeePee signs survive, but sign collectors purchased the Paradise and Cactus signs and hauled them away during the past year.

Meier said during his morning speech the Cactus sign would be in a future Route 66 neon-sign display in Albuquerque, and that was "a positive sign." But Meier clearly was irked about the disappearance of the Paradise Motel sign because of an out-of-state buyer who wanted it for his private collection.

"To see it all of a sudden disappear was disturbing to me," Meier said, noting taxpayer money was used to refurbish the Paradise sign in 2003. "It's understandable why neon signs are collectors' items. They're pieces of art; they're pieces of sculpture. But nobody will get to see it."

Meier said the city of Tucumcari should adopt a form of Albuquerque's landmarking ordinance to prevent more disappearances of its Route 66 signs and create tax incentives so owners can relight long-dormant signs. He said Albuquerque's ordinance has some teeth, as violations are a misdemeanor. He said declaring a landmark there can be done without the property owner's consent, and the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld such actions.

He also advocated Tucumcari becoming a Certified Local Government through the National Park Service so it can receive assistance to nominate properties to the National Register of Historic Places and be eligible for aid through the state's Historical Preservation Division.

Meier said one complication is sign-repair companies from Amarillo, Clovis and Albuquerque refuse to travel to Tucumcari. That is why he presided over the "anatomy of neon" workshop Saturday afternoon - so sign owners can make their own minor repairs.

Meier also talked briefly about "Route 66: The Neon Road" 25-minute documentary screened at the Odeon Theatre in Tucumcari. The PBS-TV film, which won a local Emmy, detailed the program that rejuvenated 10 neon signs along Route 66 in New Mexico in 2003.

The museum organized two bus tours to sites on or near Route 66 - Motel Safari, Blue Swallow Motel, TeePee Curios, Kix on 66, Palomino Motel, Tucumcari Ranch Supply, Buckaroo Motel and Odeon Theatre.

Gar Engman, whose neon sign at his TeePee Curios remains one of the best-preserved, said "it depends on hail damage" on how much it costs to keep it operating. He said it averages from $500 to $1,000 a year to keep the neon glowing.

Meier said Route 66 maintains a mystique because of its impact on music, literature, architecture and food.

"It's more than a road," Meier said. "It's a culture."

He said he once attended a scenic-byways conference, and the news he was associated with Route 66 created a buzz.

"The envy and jealousy would fill the room," he said. "'You are such a lucky guy.' Route 66 is something to appreciate in this state."

Larry Smith, owner of the Motel Safari that's marking its 60th year, said the Route 66 mystique remains alive and well when he visits with travelers - many of them foreigners - relaxing at his motel's patio.

"It's my favorite time at the motel," he said. "We do have people from all over the world. We talk about travel experiences and 66. There's no negative; it's all positive talk."

Attendance at the museum fell compared to the several hundred who turned out for the "Western Days" event in June. Hot weather undoubtedly contributed to a turnout of just a few dozen attendees Saturday. According to the National Weather Service, the high temperature in Tucumcari was a record-breaking 107 degrees the day before the event and 105 on Saturday.

Baldwin Burr, a New Mexico Historical Society photo archivist, canceled his Route 66 presentation Saturday because of a medical emergency.

The museum's final special event will be "Patriotic Day" on Aug. 10. It will honor veterans and military history from the time of statehood, including Fort Bascom, World War II gliders, Conchas Dam and the Bataan Death March that affected hundreds of New Mexico soldiers.