What's With Lincoln, Illinois, and the Tropics Sign?

I was much upset yesterday to see a picture of the horrible state of the the sign of the Tropics which was recently taken down.  The city promised to take care of it until something could be done for it and they certainly haven't lived up to their word.

I saw pictures of it and was disgusted.  Lincoln is a city that acknowledges and takes care of its Route 66 heritage and are currently working on the Mill Restaurant to restore it and turn it into a museum.

The Tropics opened in Lincoln in around 1950 and served food up until the early 2000s.  We count ourselves fortunate to have eaten there and even once enjoyed a Chicago Bears football game in the bar with a whole bunch of Chicago fans.  However, the building has been closed for years, but the famous old sign remained.  It was always a joy to see it and get the feeling of a South Seas Isle with its palm tree.

We were hoping that perhaps it could be placed by the Logan County welcome center or by the Abraham Lincoln covered wagon.

I see that the Route 66 Association of Illinois is willing to pick up the Tropics sign and take it to the their museum in Pontiac and repair and restore it at that site.  Hopefully, Lincoln will accept their offer if they have no plans for it although I would prefer to see the sign stay in Lincoln.

Geoff Ladd Certainly Wouldn't Like This.  --RoadDog