Week of August 4 & 11, 2025
From neon-lit cityscapes to roadside markers steeped in nostalgia, signs play a significant role in American culture and commerce. Signs guide, inform, and captivate audiences, becoming powerful visual symbols over time. Whether it’s the dazzling lights of Las Vegas, historic markers at the Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum, or the towering Turnage Theatre marquee on Main Street, these signs leave an indelible mark on our collective memory.
The Turnage Theatre was first known as the New Theater, built in the vaudeville style in 1913 on the second floor. The building is named for its owner, C. A. Turnage (Cat). Cat added a second theatre on the first floor beside and behind the shoe store as foot traffic was replaced with automobile traffic. To get drivers’ attention, clear and captivating signage became a necessity. Restored in the 1990s by the Turnage Theater Foundations group, the building reopened for a short time in 2007. Purchased in 2013 by Beaufort County Arts Council, dba Arts of the Pamlico (AOP), it has continued to keep the lights on with community and funding partners to preserve the historic gem.
The exact date of the sign’s construction is not known. “The marquee was brought back to life in 2014 by the arts council as one of AOP’s first major expenses,” shared arts council director, Joey Toler. Under the marquee on Main Street, the sign has for decades lit smiling faces of newlywed couples, glowed down on giggling children filled with joy in their stage costumes, outlined families posing in PJs, framed actors giving their best angle to the camera, and served as the perfect backdrop for selfies snapped by locals and social media influencers seeking to make their mark.
Preservation efforts are underway to restore the luster of the iconic glowing sign. The flexible LED lighting design approved by the Washington Historic Commission will support retention of the sign’s historic design. Thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Marion Stedman Covington Foundation, AOP is on its way to the $50,000 goal to save the marquee. On September 19 at 7 p.m., musicians Jay Costello and Ken Braddy of PC Sound are hosting a Chicago Blues Benefit concert on stage at the Turnage to help support the marquee’s restoration costs. The free concert features two bands – the CBR Band and Cathead Biscuit – and is free to the public with a goal of raising funds and awareness about this precious piece of history that is fast reaching the end of its life.
Come by and look up to take in the history above during the Downtown Art Walk this Friday, August 8 (5:30 –7:30 p.m.) and other events coming up at the Turnage in August 2025. And mark your calendars for this event to kick off local efforts to Save the Marquee. Adult and creative beverages & food will be for sale. Stop by Wed-Fri 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. or Saturday 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. or visit artsofthepamlico.org to reserve your free concert seat.
