It is one of the most iconic images of our community — along with Quonset rooflines and the enchanting ceramic mosaics that now book-end our City. The glowing pink neon Solana Beach sign has tagged countless sunset photos by locals and visitors.
The neon sign wasn’t erected to signify the City. Rather, it was raised likely in the mid-1950s as a glowing invitation to stay at the Solana Beach Hotel, which occupied the building on the Plaza at 101 North Acacia starting in 1925. The building was one of the first to be erected by Col. Ed Fletcher, and its rock buttresses remain today as they were built close to a century ago. Inside, the hotel provided 12 rooms, two apartments and five offices, one of which has been occupied by the Solana Beach Chamber of Commerce for decades.
In 1992, the 4-foot-tall, 20-foot wide sign was spared from demise by official designation as the cultural icon that it remains today. According to this January 9, 1992 report in the North County edition of The San Diego Union newspaper, officials in our relatively young, new City (incorporated in 1986) were dedicated to continuing the Society’s long fight against billboard blight. Roof signs (among others) had been outlawed by ordinance in July of 1991.
However, after hearing Solana Beach Hotel owner Al Childs’ protest, Council “adopted a criteria whereby culturally significant signs would be exempt from the new ordinance.” The Council also appointed an eight-member ad-hoc committee to oversee implementation of the roof-sign-ban rule.
Childs’ was the first to win the cultural or historic designation, backed not only by committee support but also by a near unanimous vote by then 101-members of the Historical Society.
The “hotel” portion of the sign came down when the property was leased to the Chart House for corporate offices in 1993. In place of the word “Hotel” there is now a small sculpture created by Wenetta Childs from pieces of enameled copper that she did not use in her Sun sculpture. The tall Sun sculpture, installed in the Plaza median at Lomas Santa Fe/Highway 101 in 1967, stands as a visual representation of Solana Beach (“a sunny place”). And the pink neon “Solana Beach” remains, still luring visitors and sunset photographers to Fletcher Cove.
[Source: San Diego Union]
Boo-Boo had been looking forward to the Historical Society’s Halloween party all month. He had never been to one before, and was excited to dress up in his best white sheet.
Jackie o’Lantern was feeling excited as she made her way to the community center by the sea. It was the earliest Halloween party of the season, and Jackie loved nothing more than dressing up and celebrating with her friends.
The Jinx attended the earliest Halloween party of the season, at a community center by the sea. It was two days before the full moon and the days might finally start to get chilly. The Jinx was excited to attend his first Halloween party, but he was also nervous. What would he wear? He had no idea what costumes humans wore. He decided to go as himself and flew to the party in a cloud of dark smoke.
Obscuro was getting excited for the upcoming Halloween party. It would be his first one of the season, and he was looking forward to dressing up in his favorite costume. He had white latex skin that made his face look like a mask, so he always stuck out in a crowd. But that was exactly why he loved going to Halloween parties- he loved the opportunity to show off his unique look.
Lucius Morte had never been to a Halloween party before. He had always been too busy tormenting the damned in the 4th level of hell to bother with earthly celebrations. But this year, he was feeling particularly restless and decided to venture out into the world of mortals. He found a community center by the sea that was hosting a Halloween party and decided to attend.
Vespera was so excited to go to the Halloween party. It was at a community center by the sea, and it would be her first party in a long time! She had been practicing her mime and charade skills for weeks, and she was determined to show everyone how good she was.
Gourdy Bane was very excited to attend the earliest Halloween party of the season. It was being held at a community center by the sea, and he loved the sound of waves crashing against the shore. When he arrived, he saw that the party was already in full swing. There were pumpkins everywhere, and people were dressed in costumes. Gourdy Bane saw a couple of gourds wearing pirate costumes, and he couldn’t help but laugh. He loved Halloween parties, and he was having a great time dancing to the music and eating candy.
Morrigana was very excited to attend the Halloween party at the community center by the sea. It was two days before the full moon, and the days were finally starting to get chilly. Morrigana had been working on her Halloween outfit all year long, and she was looking forward to showing it off.
William Wisp had been looking forward to the community center’s Halloween party all month long. It was going to be two days before the full moon, and he loved the smell of fall in the air (cinnamon and pumpkin spice). His Halloween costume was all ready to go, and he was excited to show it off to all of his friends. This year, he was dressed as a pumpkin. His little orange boots matched his little pumpkin body perfectly.
Mr. Creepers was all dressed up and ready to go to the community center by the sea for the earliest Halloween party of the season. It had been a long time since he’d been out and about, but he was feeling young at heart and ready to have some fun. He loved the black 1940s coat that he had found at a thrift store and felt confident that he would be the most stylish person at the party.
The Frankster had always loved Halloween. He loved the costumes, the candy, and most of all, the parties. This year, he was especially excited for the party at the community center by the sea. It was two days before the full moon, and he could feel a tiny bit of a cool autumn breeze in the air.
Wooblydook was really excited to attend the Halloween party at the community center by the sea. He had never been to one before, and he was looking forward to kale pulling and making neep lanterns. The party was two days before the full moon, and Wooblydook was hoping it would start to get chilly soon. He loved being out in the cold and feeling his bat-like ears flap in the wind.
As the sun began to set, the community center by the sea came to life. Lights flickered on, announcing that the earliest Halloween party of the season was about to start. A golden sun slowly rose in the sky, growing brighter and brighter as it got closer to the horizon. As it reached its peak, people whispered: this sun only came out at night. It was the Midnight Sun.