Late last week I put the finishing touche to the sign for the Vedder Mountain Grille. Then it was time for the delivery. Any installation of our pieces is fun. The unusual loads on our trailer when we make our deliveries always garner lots of waves and smiles as we travel down the road. Only this time my project was only going about half a block. The excitement was just as enthusiastic as always - if not more so. This was a BIG event for our tiny town. There are only a dozen businesses in the two block 'downtown'.
The minute I started to open the big MAGIC shop doors my neighbor took notice. He came to see what was coming out this time. We pressed him into service to help us load the sign onto the flat deck trailer. I didn't let the owner of the restaurant know I was coming. I knew she was there for I had seen her when I walked to get my mail. despite the sign being heavy I wasn't worried about getting it into position. In this small town I knew lots of folks would happily help out if needed.
As I pulled up in front of the business I could see a flurry of activity inside. THE NEW SIGN HAD ARRIVED. Customers left their tables and crowded to the window. One of them ran to the back parking lot to get his truck. He backed it onto the sidewalk and tipped the old sign into the box and it was gone in an instant. A pedestrian passerby put down his packages and hopped up on the trailer to help tip the new sign upright. Many other willing hands helped guide the sign to its final place. The owner danced a happy dance on the sidewalk and gave me a BIG hug. The sign was a big deal and would undoubtably be the talk of the small town - until something else exciting happened.