dave C.

I thought I would share our Parade entry, which, for the second year in a row won the "Grand Prize" award. It was a great time and really brought good will to our company from the community. If you have one of these in your area you should participate.With our industry knowledge and tools at our disposal, you will have a distinct advantage. And everyone loves a Parade....:-)

Thanks Paul. As I mentioned it was some of the best PR we've had. In fact some of our drone pictures were used by the city on their Christmas card last year and they have asked us to take some more "official" shots this year for them. Also made the front page of the paper. It was all 120 volt. the sign on the back was a Nativity picture with lights forming a pyramid up to a star. In addition it gets your employees motivated to be part of such an effort. We kind of took everybody by surprise last year and I think this year we are going to see a lot more entries step up big time. We shall see!

It was a lot of fun and really not to cold as I recall. Tomorrow night it's suppose to be around 40 degrees. Perfect weather for a Christmas parade...:-)

Has anybody else participated in a Christmas Night Parade? It seemed a natural for us as a sign and lighting company. We took first place last year with this entry. It was some of the best publicity we have ever gotten. This years parade is Friday. I'll let you know how we do. We took overhead shots with our Drone....

That's unfortunate there are no good recycling options. This stuff truly will lay in a dump for a hundred years and not degrade.

I would be interested in knowing what others are doing with their old plastic faces and scraps. Any good recycling operations you know of that take whole faces as is? I have had companies bring a shipping container to my place and I've filled and it was sent to China for recycling, but that is very hard work loading by hand and they don't want to leave it for more than a day or two. Usually about 25,000# will fill it. They will pay you for it but price is going way down.

From the google street view it looked overloaded. However an additional inside ring would have probably prevented this from happening. I imagine the plug welds broke loose first which allowed it to move slightly, which put a constant back and forth on the top ring which eventually broke loose and then a banging back and forth probably several feet until it split the second stage pipe and allowed it to fall.

A beautiful machine! Alas, all us sign companies can do is dream of such. Utilities are the only ones who could afford such a beauty! Vegas and Times Square possible exceptions.

Here is 3 samples of different setups we have on 3 different types of trucks. I also have had them buried under the bed and accessible from the back through a drop down door.

That was hilarious! Enjoyed the laugh track and music too!

This is absurd! They take 50 years to enforce a law? I suspect this is about something else. Not sure what but I would bet MONEY or a POWER GRAB is involved.

Here is a couple pictures of complete unit. Just purchased on eBay that was new in box. Only one I could find.

Ran across this unit at a local neon shop. It brought back memories. It's from the Jet Lite Corporation, Highland, IL. Now out of Business. My Father helped set up their first neon plant to make these around 68-69. Later on the units where coiled in Highland and we would transport them to our neon shop where my Dad made the final bends (the only steps that really required a proficient tube bender) and then pump the units (which was my job). When I was 15 I literally pumped hundreds and hundreds of these. Obviously they were the precursor to the coiled fluorescent bulb. These just never caught on big. Used mainly as outdoor lighting. Fixture was large because of transformer. If I find a picture of them I will send it along. Most of the units where white or blue. Very few red ones where made.

Charlie Bootz will be sorely missed by his family I'm sure, and friends alike. I only worked for Charlie 2 years before returning to my family business in 1982 but I still have fond memories of him, his family and Bootz & Duke sign co. His sense of Humor was contagious as he would walk thru the shop. Going out for lunch on Fridays with Charlie, Jeff & Bill at LaPearla Mexican restaurant where they laughed as they fed me chips and salsa until i had tears streaming still brings a smile to my face. He was from the old school where he expected a days work for a days pay and if you wanted respect you had to earn it. I was riding a motorcycle to work everyday back then and I still remember when he walked into my office and handed me the keys to a company car and said "Here, take this. I had a dream you got hit coming to work on your motorcycle and I couldn't get back to sleep". I was a young man of 26 with a wife and 2 kids and God only knows if he was really prophetic or just being kind, but he was who he was. Now, as a man running his own family business I count Charlie, and my time at Bootz & Duke,even with the short time i worked for him as probably second only to my own Father in influencing how I run my business and the ethics I try to display. R.I.P Charlie Bootz.

The Crane Center Mansfield OH. are well versed in the skyhoists also. Contact Us phone number 800.837.0533 419.522.3737 Send Email Now... D address - map... Mail: P.O.Box 907 Shipments: 395 Plainview Ave. Mansfield,OH 4490

I was hoping someone on here might have been involved with this. I thought it would be interesting to know if most of these were made new or restored? If they used conventional or electronic transformers? If they had any special filters to reduce line noise in all of the amplifiers & sound equipment it was surrounded with. And how many people it took to move it and the time it took? Just curious.....

Pretty impressive display last night. Looks to be all real. Must of been quite a task to get it all setup, wired, no breakage or buzzing in just a matter of minutes. Probably from some prop company that services TV, Movies, Etc.?? Anybody know?

In the market for a 16ga. 10' sheet metal brake. Near new or very good shape only. Have 2 brakes for sale 8 ft. and 10 ft. Both 18ga. 1,400.00 and 1,900.00 respectively. Call Dave 217-254-0029

Eric, Thanks for the compliment on the digger, it fits both right & left handed people. So no excuses. I hear what you say about the industry. Are you speaking mainly of strip centers and other commercial retailers? Is there no better market with banks, medical facilities, office buildings, corporate interests, etc.? They seem, from my experience less concerned with the dollars than quality. Probably because they know they will be around in a few years. I agree the regulators just keep piling it on with no end in sight. They have no idea how free market works. Here in the Midwest we are probably just lagging behind the coasts, but we have lots of smaller towns who don't have full time people who need to justify their existence by writing new regs. all the time. People complain about the Federal Government always adding new things, but I see the big cities doing the same or even worse. And not just "Liberal" cities. Some of the so called conservative areas seem almost as bad. I'll even give them the fact that everything they do is with good intentions, but it always adds to costs and that puts additional strains on existing business and further limits those who can afford to start one. Until a new giant "peaceful" surge of people who want their freedom back sweeps the country we are stuck with it. Everyone hang in there.

We had our best year in Ten. Able to add an SC62 and this little beauty...... With 18" & 24" buckets, 10", 24" 36" auger bits. This year, looks promising also. But the winter has been a killer. Good advise from Paul on customers.

I have an 8'-18ga. brake I will sell for 1,800.00.

Gotta hand it to you Shooter, Ya got Guts!

What Gift? :-)

Eric, I think this is the best ad you done yet. Gets you in the holiday spirit.