Photos courtesy of Lyle Moen.

While some car rides feel like an endless climb, new signposts installed near Washington hope to capture motorists’ attention with their rhythm and rhyme.

Washington Chamber of Commerce volunteer Lyle Moen installed road signs on the north side of County Road G36 just east of North 12th Street this week. Evoking the Burma-Shave signs of the 20th century, this installation has a rhyming phrase to welcome visitors to Washington and wish them well as they depart. Moen instigated a similar project near Marr Park in 2013 when he served on the county conservation board, and he pitched the idea last spring to the Chamber, as well as County Engineer Jacob Thorius, and property owner Duane Hammen. Moen got the go ahead from all parties, and this summer the chamber hosted a contest for residents to submit a phrase to go on the east and west facing signs. Dr. Paul Towner and Sue Meeks were announced as the two winners during the Chair-A-Thon Auction last July.

Moen spent the last several months ordering the signs, fashioning them together, and waiting until all the row crop was cleared and conditions were right to plant the signs on November 8th. He shares how it feels to finish the project, “Well, I initially proposed the project to Michelle Redlinger and I said that I would do all the work to order the signs and install them so I’m very happy, very pleased to have it all done because it turned out to be a lot of work. But I’m glad that it’s done, I’m glad that it worked out, I’m glad the three entities were agreeable and cooperated with the idea and the project.”

Heading west toward the city the signs read, “For more than stores and folks who care, the fountain calls, visit our square,” submitted by Towner, and for those exiting east Meeks penned, “Hope you had fun and enjoyed your stay, please come back and visit another day.” The attraction was funded by the city’s hotel/motel tax grant committee.