Service clubs put up signs at entrance ways for tourists
By Scott Crowson, Alaska Highway News
Thanks to the Rotary Club of Fort St. John, the city now has three new welcome signs at the main entrances to town.
The large black and white signs — besides thanking visitors for coming to Fort St. John — also list the various community organizations here.
Two signs are posted on the Alaska Highway, near the City’s colourful “Energy Capital of B.C.” displays, and the third is located on the Airport Road.
Originally there were two such Rotary signs on Highway 97, but over the years these became badly weathered. So the Rotary Club decided to upgrade them and add a third to greet travellers arriving here via the airport and the Boundary Lake Road.
Permission to erect the signs was obtained from the Ministry of Transportation and Highways in 1988, and after severals months of work, the signs were finally installed earlier this month.
Jim Frey, a Rotarian and chairman of the project, said 13 fraternal, service and community organizations are listed underneath the main greeting on each sign. The individual listings include the group’s name, logo, and information about their meeting place.
“You’d be surprised at the number of visitors who stop at these signs to see if their group has a chapter here,” Frey said. “Tourists find it very helpful, and it’s a good way for them to meet people in the community.”
The 13 organizations displayed on the signs are listed in alphabetical order, and there’s plenty of room on the side of the road at the three locations for motorists to safely pull over if they wish to read the smaller print on the signs.
Frey said each participating organizations was charged $180 — this paid for the paint and some of the supplies. The Rotary contributed $4,000 for the steel posts and sunken cement post-anchors. The wood for the signs was provided by the Highways Ministry.
Frey said much of the actual labour was done by Rotarian Alex Pryndik, his son John and Harry Chwyl.