LOUDONVILLE—The Cleo Redd Fisher Museum in Loudonville is raffling a custom-made neon sign to raise funds for historic preservation.
The sign, featuring the former Flxible Corporation’s logo, features a vibrant blue oval with white script lettering inside. The sign measures 31 inches long by 13 inches high with a black background and was made by neon artist John Barton. The sign is currently on display in the front window of Copper Top Gallery.
Flxible, the former manufacturing titan best known for motorcycle sidecars and buses, was started by Loudonville native’s Hugo Young and Charles Kettering in 1913. Based out of the founders' hometown, the factory quickly rose to prominence as a leader in manufacturing – even earning the nation’s highest military manufacturing awards during WWII – and employed nearly the entire town. Headquartered in Loudonville, Flxible also operated manufacturing facilities in Millersburg, Kent and Delaware Ohio, as well as Alabama, Canada, Australia, and China before eventually closing its doors in 1996.
The museum is currently selling tickets for those interested in acquiring the sign, which is valued at over $1,500. Tickets are $5 each or 6 tickets for $20 and are available at Copper Top Gallery (203 W. Main St., Loudonville) or online at www.crfmuseum.com/raffle (online sales will close on Aug. 25). The drawing will be held on Saturday, Aug. 27, at Copper Top Gallery. The drawing will take place at the same time as the Flxible bus rally downtown, where guests can also see and tour many of the surviving Flxible buses for free.