POCONO TOWNSHIP, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — It's time to say goodbye to a sign of the times. A historical welcome sign in the Poconos is seeing its final days, something many in the area hate to see go.
The Pocono Township Welcome Sign has stood tall for more than 40 years, but after the weekend, the historical landmark will no longer exist.
The sign in Tannersville is hard to miss, but soon it will be very missed.
The cherished landmark located at Routes 715 and 611 will be permanently removed on Monday.
"100% going to miss it," said Tannersville resident Tucker Reinhardt.
Reinhardt passes the sign in his hometown almost every day.
On Saturday, he and his girlfriend stopped to take one last photo in front of it.
"When you see that sign, especially when you come home from a long trip, you see that sign, pull into town, and you feel home," Reinhardt explained.
Thousands of others have felt the same way since it was built in the 1980s.
Harold Singer, founder of Singer Signs and Crew, built the legacy sign and painted the restaurants and businesses showcased on it.
BP gas station sits just across the street on Route 611. The sign has been a constant sight for gas station owner Nasser Chohan.
"For the 20 years you have been here, what has this sign meant to this community?" 28/22 News Reporter Gianna Galli asked.
"I mean it's an indication of Poconos," Chohan replied.
Taking the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics PA at Montage
The township is made up of roughly 11,000 residents but welcomes more than 60,000 guests during the summer months with people traveling in and out of the tri-state area.
"Oh, on the weekend? Forget about. The weekend is like a parking lot," Chohan continued.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is looking to fix the traffic congestion at the intersection by cutting 40 feet through the mountain. Removing the nearly 30 by 40 foot "Big Brown" sign is a part of that process.
"It's bittersweet to see it come down. A lot of people want to see it preserved. Unfortunately, it is within a PennDOT right of way and on a private landowner," said Pocono Township Manager Jerrod Belvin.
Construction crews have already begun work around the sign, which was recently damaged.
Although its hours are seriously numbered, the sign will always be a part of Pocono history.
"Going forward when it's not there and there's a road straight ahead there I'm just going to remember some fond memories when I was younger and remember home," Reinhardt added.
Belvin says the removal of the sign will begin Monday morning at around 8:00 a.m.
The top of the sign will be moved elsewhere in the Poconos.
