While searching for this cache you can see a nearby billboard across a parking lot. The billboard and its role in some funky 1970's town history are what this cache is all about. That sign was literally the biggest billboard in Indiana in 1972. A quote from a local news article in 1971 read "The sign and the light are evidence of the faithful following of the legend of Camelot and the willingness to ‘dream no little dreams." (keep reading, it gets even more weird)
North Webster suffered a form of hysteria in the 1970's. It is known by old timers as "The Camelot Era". A fear back in the 70's was that the town was going to be passed by and overlooked. The town's leader came up with an idea to keep that from happening. The town would become a "theme" town (Remember this was the 70's and any dream vacation worth serious consideration was to a theme destination. Disney World, Sea World or even Circus World). It's a wonder the town wasn't nicknamed Camelot World.
Anyway, the townspeople bought into the idea and businesses all over town started remodeling and renaming their businesses to look as if they were part of the medieval castle theme. Turrets were added to rooftops and names were changed. One of my personal favorites was the “Palace of Sweets” located where the chiropractic is today. One store that still retains it’s 1970’s roots is the local liquor store, “The King’s Keg”.
But turrets and store names weren’t going to be enough to bring in tourists alone and our fearless town leader knew that. No, it was decided that what North Webster needed was a superlative, the biggest, and questionably the best. With all of the logic the 70's could muster it was decided that the coupe de gras would be to build the biggest billboard in Indiana! Yes, that would do the trick (not). Tourists would come in droves to see a giant billboard. (yea and another truth is the 70's had a lot of hallucinogenic drugs as well, but we digress) Here is an actual quote from an article dated October 22, 1971 about the building of the sign. It reflects the spirit of the time. “Other Lakeland villages are easy to identify. One is near the largest lake, one near the biggest duckling farms, one the greatest railroad etc. etc. Now the residents of the ‘friendly little city’ [North Webster] will be able to speak of their sign and feel that they too have a distinctive feature.”
But that wasn't enough. It had to be seen at night. After all, the biggest sign deserves the biggest light. Read on... “A tall light has been erected for the car parking area [in front of the sign] and appears to be about the highest thing in town. It will have four 1,000 watt lamps to illuminate a complete acre of area, and will provide adequate light for the great sign. The local people will be proud of having the greatest sign in Indiana...The sign and the light are evidence of the faithful following of the legend of Camelot and the willingness to ‘dream no little dreams’.”Aha if only that faithful following could have known just how much those big dreams would inspire the town's brightest light far into the next century. For the first decade of 2000 most any Saturday night found rotating spotlights boldly piercing the night sky high above North Webster drawing patrons near and far to the "live entertainment" in North Webster's Adults Only bar. (maybe they should have just stuck with the sign)
The article went on to describe the juicy details of the sign itself:
“The huge sign being erected along the north side of the new parking area will be one of the very largest signs in Indiana. The time and effort required to plan and construct this sign can be explained by the staggering statistics. One hundred thousand pounds of Ready Mix poured in forms set deep in the ground. The sign will stretch a full one hundred feet in length and will face the parking area. Across the top will be spires and flags designed to catch the eye and herald the approach to Camelot Square. The highest points are to be approximately forty feet from the ground level so that the load of wind resistance was a serious consideration. The top and bottom edge of the one thousand four hundred square feet of the space will be lined with 36 shields made of black fiberglass four by six feet in size. At each end will be a sceptor eleven feet high.” Think of that, when was the last time you saw a billboard with (36) six foot high shields topped with 11 foot high sceptors?
Yes this entire madness was a product of the pride of the 70’s. And the 70’s also brought us disco. Need we say more?
My personal favorite - the ice cream palace
Another local store of the 70's - today it is a flower store