The City of Casa Grande is partnering with Casa Grande Main Street to participate in the “Partners in Preservation: Main Streets” national campaign to create a vintage Neon Sign Park in historic Casa Grande. As the only Arizona community competing, Mayor Craig McFarland is encouraging Casa Grande residents and the surrounding communities to vote for the project at VoteYourMainStreet.org.
Located at the Arizona Plaza at 408 N. Sacaton Street (between Florence Boulevard and 2nd Street), the proposed Neon Sign Park will contain salvaged historic neon signs from throughout the community, and will serve as a vibrant downtown destination for visitors.
“This is the perfect opportunity for Casa Grande to showcase its community pride, all by simply voting daily,” said Casa Grande Mayor Craig McFarland. “We may be the underdog compared to other larger competing cities, but I have complete confidence in the dedication and power of our residents to vote early, vote often, and help us create this unique space.”
The public may vote up to five times daily through October 31, and winners will be announced on November 2. The sites with the most votes will get grants of up to $150,000 each, with as many projects funded as possible from a pool of $1.5 million.
Casa Grande Main Street will host a Community Mural Event on Saturday, October 7 at the proposed park site. The event will include a community mural event that celebrates historic sites until 2:00 pm.
Partners in Preservation is a community-based partnership, created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express, to raise awareness of the importance of preserving historic places and their role in sustaining local communities. Partners in Preservation: Main Streets will award $2 million in grant funding from American Express to Main Street districts in need of preservation support across America.