Tag Archives: vandals

“Vandals deface ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ icon” – “Mayor recommends: Off with their heads”

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Photo credit: Sarah Gerke, LA Times
Photo credit: Sarah Gerke, LA Times

This article is from” (LA Times Online) The Movable Buffet: Dispatches from Las Vegas by Richard Abowitz.

“If terms like “street art” seem a little disingenuous, I have to admit graffiti was never an issue that has really upset me much. But some jerks going at the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign Monday really upset me and a lot of people I have spoken to about this vandalism. Like many cities, we have graffiti everywhere, but no one has ever vandalized the welcome sign before in the memory of anyone I reached, and it seems likely that this may not have ever happened before. Take that in for a moment: Since the sign was first created to greet tourists in 1959, no one has put graffiti on it despite the countless alcohol-soaked tourists who must have posed with the welcome sign over the years. I don’t even think a fraternity has ever stolen it as a prank. This is one bit of Las Vegas history that no one has suggested replacing or taking to the Neon Boneyard (though it gets moved south occasionally to keep pace with the growth of the Strip). The welcome sign is the one link with old Vegas that remains totally relevant in 2009.”

“I guess my surprise is that kids don’t scribble their initials on the sign more often, because it is so accessible and popular. But until Monday, the Betty Willis design has received nothing but respect from tourists and locals. I always smile when I drive past it going to and from work. Buffet photographer Sarah Gerke was out there this morning, and most of the scribbled initials left by the vandals had already been removed. But there is still some graffiti you can see in the lower left corner of the photo. A cleaning crew should finish restoring the sign today, according to the Review-Journal, which also has a shot of the more extensive graffiti, since removed, placed on the sign.” finish this article from The Movable Buffet: Dispatches from Las Vegas by Richard Abowitz

Here’s another perspective from Las Vegas’ Review Journal:
“Vandals deface iconic ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ sign.” “Mayor recommends: ‘Off with their heads”

“The famous diamond-shaped “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada” sign received an unwelcome addition this weekend — a series of initials scribbled with a red marker.” read more from MIKE BLASKY –
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

click for full image - click – Photo by John Gurzinski

“Arizona tourists Joseph Harris, left, Laura Massengale and Emily Viramontes pose Monday in front of the graffiti-blemished Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada sign that greets visitors on the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard.”

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