Chris Collins
With lightning crackling dramatically in the night sky, several hundred people gathered in the street on July 21 as Orpheum Theater owner Gus Paras led a countdown to the moment he’s been waiting for: the lighting of the 55-foot-tall vertical sign on the State Street venue.
The crowd cheered as the 2,000 lightbulbs scrolled and blinked through the illuminated letters of the theater’s name one at a time — and then all at once — changing the face of State Street.
Chris Collins
Sign Art Studio in Mount Horeb worked for 10 months on the re-creation of the 1920s original, which was removed in the 1950s.
State Street was closed to traffic for the event, but, according to Paras, the storms and flood warnings kept the crowd smaller than the thousands he anticipated.
Chris Collins
Orpheum owner Gus Paras greets a steady stream of well-wishers.
Nevertheless, Paras was jubilant, greeting a steady stream of well-wishers, some of them dressed in 1920s “theater attire” — beaded gowns, sparkly headbands and fringe. An invitation-only event indoors displayed historical photos in the lobby and featured a live jazz orchestra in the historic theater.
The sign was installed by cranes on July 6. Paras told Isthmus that restoring the iconic treasure has been a longtime dream.
Editor's note: This article was changed to reflect the fact that the original sign was taken down in the 1950s, not the 1960s.