New signs focus of Coal City projects

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” – Proverbs 29:18

In late 2023, I resolved to do something about our iconic but aging Coal City “Old Grouch” signs. It was the second version of the sign, the design featuring smiley face artwork. The signs were well-worn, the paint was faded, and the wooden frames were rotting away from years of outdoor aging. I took several pictures and sent them to A Sign Stop in Terre Haute with a request to duplicate the 4’x4’ signs.

Well, what I received was a draft design featuring Sesame Street characters. My wife, who is a semi-retired elementary school teacher, thought it was appropriate. I was perplexed because I thought it would be a simple reproduction of the sign shown in the pictures I submitted. Steve at A Sign Stop told me he thought it would not be suitable for a welcome sign, so he used the Sesame Street characters. I had failed to communicate to him that it was not a welcome sign, but Coal City’s iconic festival sign. Anyway, the design grew on me.

I personally funded this project; two local men, Rick and Lyman, helped me install the new framework and signs.

Next, I had to figure out a way to get the community involved with a fundraising idea. Years before, I came across the Original Old Fashioned Almanac Calendar through a historic, out-of-state hardware store. They used the calendar to advertise their store, and I saved the name and address. The Tennessee company has produced this classic calendar for over 140 years. It is an American tradition.

In 2024, I started offering the calendar for sale for a donation of $25. The calendar featured a custom header about our sign. I ordered more for 2025, but with a different header. I plan to continue to offer this yearly calendar, each with a different header about Coal City and Jefferson Township. A tradition is born.

If you would like to contribute and invest in a local, visible cause please consider ordering your 2025 Coal City “Old Grouch” Original Old Fashioned Almanac Calendar. Email MakeCoalCityGreatAgain@proton.me or call 812-859-4266.

Phase two of the project is the Coal City welcome sign. I teamed up with Jason Kinney from the Owen County Historical & Genealogical Society for this phase of the project; his historical knowledge was invaluable. We selected key structures with historical value and relevance, and I contracted with David Pigg, a pencil artist from Terre Haute, to draw each of the structures. Eight drawings are completed and the sketches scanned for the draft design of the sign, which will be eight feet wide and five or six feet tall and set in a permanent structure on the north and south ends of town.