Idaho
'Unique and special': Photographer highlights hundreds of neon signs across Idaho – BoiseDev
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An Idaho photographer is showcasing hundreds of vintage neon signs that once shone brightly outside popular Idaho landmarks, businesses, and more.
Neon signs were a popular addition to the outside of businesses between 1920 and 1950 – but by the 1960s, businesses steered away from them due to cost.
“I wanted to capture what still remained of all the vintage neon that I had grown up seeing around Boise, many of which were already disappearing at a rapid rate during the 80’s and 90’s,” Photographer Jess Jackson said. “Since the sign industry was already moving away from neon and into bland, generic looking, backlit LED stuff, I wanted to preserve what was left through my photography, before our last examples of the “golden era” of neon disappeared as well.”
From 2006-2012, Jackson took hundreds of photos of neon signs when he drove throughout the state for his job.
“Instead of sitting around in hotel rooms during my off-time, I decided to start looking for neon signs to photograph as a way to pass the evenings since I usually traveled alone,” he said. “That led into exploring some of the smaller, more remote towns and photographing what neon they still had.”
After five years, Jackson had built a large collection of photographs, and he decided to organize the neon sign pictures into the shape of Idaho – called Signs of Idaho.
“The signs I’ve featured are unique in the sense that there are no copies of them,” he said. “You’ll only find the Torch Lounge sign in Boise, the Turf Club in Twin Falls, Buddy’s in Pocatello, or the Corner Club in Moscow,” he said. “Those are local icons that people have attached their own personal memories to and that’s what I think makes them unique and special.”
While several of the signs in the photograph align with the location where they were taken, many do not.
“A lot of areas in Idaho don’t have any neon signs left, where some parts of the state, like Pocatello, Twin Falls, or Boise still have relatively large collections,” Jackson said. “It just became impossible to put these all in their exact location and still maintain the shape of Idaho, which was the primary objective.”
The individual photographs featured in Signs of Idaho can be found on Jackson’s Flickr page.
BLACKFOOT — A large contingent of Blackfoot Police officers has cordoned off an area near the Taco Bell on Parkway Drive in Blackfoot.
Police responded around 5 p.m., according to multiple witnesses who contacted EastIdahoNews.com.
EastIdahoNews.com has reached out to Blackfoot Police for details.
We will update this story as we learn more.
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MISSOULA, Mont. — An Idaho Falls angler is back in the Idaho record books after landing a record-setting lake trout at Payette Lake.
Idaho Fish and Game said Dylan Smith caught and released a 43.25-inch lake trout on May 2, setting a new state catch-and-release record for the species. The fish surpassed the previous record of 42 inches.
The catch marks Smith’s second appearance in Idaho’s record books. He previously held the state catch-and-release lake trout record after landing a trophy fish in 2018 before that mark was later broken.
According to Fish and Game, Payette Lake has become one of Idaho’s premier lake trout fisheries thanks to years of management efforts aimed at improving both lake trout and kokanee populations.
Pride Month looks different this June along Boise’s Harrison Boulevard, where a long-standing tradition of hanging Pride flags on lamp posts has been put on hold after a new state law restricted which flags can be flown on government property.
For several years, Pride flags lined lamp posts along Harrison Boulevard in Boise’s North End neighborhood. But Idaho House Bill 561, signed by Gov. Brad Little in March, restricts which flags can be flown on government property, including the City of Boise’s Harrison lamp posts.
In response, a group of neighbors formed Pride North End and launched a distribution effort to help residents show support from their own front yards. The group has been making Pride flags and yard signs available to people who want to display them at home.
“I thought that I would…be a personal example of ‘yes, this is what I do.’ This is what I believe in,” said Edna Schochat, a North End resident.
Pride North End has already distributed more than 900-yard signs and 250 flags. The group’s original donation goal was around $2,000 to order 100 flags and 200 yard signs, but it has exceeded that GoFundMe goal, reaching $10,000 worth of donations.
The group plans to continue holding public flag and sign distributions through the end of the month.
“We cannot just say something without doing something that proves that we mean what we say,” Schochat said.
Pride North End said any leftover funds after materials are distributed will go to local LGBTQ+ nonprofits. A link to the group’s GoFundMe can be found here.
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