Stearns History Museum Illuminates Past with Get the Message Vintage Sign Exhibit

(KNSI) – The Stearns History Museum is bringing a piece of Central Minnesota’s commercial past back into the spotlight with Get the Message, a new exhibit that showcases the colorful world of vintage advertising.

The displays will open to the public on Friday, November 7th, featuring large iconic symbols such as the neon Eiffel Tower from Frenchy’s Dinner Club and the Kleis Motel marker. Short videos funded by the American Institute of Architects Minnesota will be available for viewing and feature the two landmarks, along with two other mammoth signs from the Cold Spring Brewing Company and the Grand Mantel Saloon, now MC’s Dougout. The beloved landmarks are getting a second life, fully restored and ready to spark nostalgia.

Among the signs included are a series of billboard mock-ups from the 1940s and 1950s, along with an interactive sign shop that shows the process of making big signs before doing so on a computer. Many of the advertisements are from the 19th and 20th centuries.

The opportunity to repair and showcase large-scale signs was a chance for the staff to dig through its storage and pull out interesting artifacts that had been gathering dust for years.

Museum administrators gave a special thank you to Robert Haus, of Neon Art & Archaeology, and Jeremy Waara of Transcendent Custom Cooperage, for being linchpins to the success of the repair and rebuilding of many of the pieces.

The exhibit will be on display through 2027. Admission is free for Stearns County residents, and tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for kids outside the county.

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