What’s going to happen to the Parkette lot, neon sign now that the drive-in is gone?
When the Parkette Drive-In closed in June, many in Lexington had one big question: What about the sign?
Now, the property owners say, there’s an answer.
“It’s not going it away. It’s going to stay there forever,” said Bryan Tipton, son-in-law of Parley Smiley, widow of Parkette founder Joe Smiley.
The questions came up again recently when demolition of the buildings at the location began late last month, he said.
Tipton said the property has been leased to the Lexus car dealership next door, which will landscape and pave it to use as a parking lot.
But part of the agreement was that the towering neon sign stays, he said. Tipton said the city worked with them to grandfather it in as a landmark.
He and his wife, Melissa, plan to restore it and are going to pursue an historical marker for the Parkette next year.
The sign, he said, “will be there as long as we’re alive.”
The restaurant, known for its fried chicken and fish served in boxes, “Poor Boy” double-decker burgers made-to-order, chili dogs, onion rings and hand-spun milkshakes, was open for 70 years on New Circle Road. It shut down at the end of June after the family ended the lease with Randy Kaplan, the operator, and closed the restaurant.
This story was originally published October 21, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
