Iconic neon Ming's sign rescued in Saskatoon

Neon signs evokea time and place, but there's a concern they will go darkforever.

"We used to have a glorious culture of neon signs," Henry van Seters, who has been photographing and painting Saskatoon's neon signs since the late 1970s, said in an interview with CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.

It's art. They are art. It's public art.- Henry van Seters

He andfriend Dave Denny recently took down the iconic Ming's Kitchen sign after it served some 43 years, lighting the way to steaming plates of noodles, sticky riceand crispy ginger beef.

"It was a timely rescue, I think," said vanSeters.

Ming's on the move

The old Ming's location is being torn down. Denny said old stuff like the Ming's sign isn't honoured enough in the city.

That's what is important to me is helping tell our stories.- Dave Denny

"This is a chance to save a sort of touch stone so that people can tell their stories and remember what it is to have had a childhood in Saskatoon," Denny said.

The Ming's sign was not an easy save, according to van Seters. The owners were happy to hand it over, but it took several attempts, he said.

Denny and van Seters are not easily dissuaded. They were the driving force behind saving Saskatoon's historic Perehudoff murals from the wrecking ball.

Neon museum

Denny and vanSetersare unsure what to do with the Ming's sign next, but said there could be a bright future for itand some of the other great examples of neon that once graced the city streets.

"It's art. They are art. It's public art," stated vanSeters.

• Every sign has a story at Edmonton's Neon Sign Museum

They said they have a firm belief that public art should be free to all and are now in the preliminary stages of exploring a neon museum, much like one that exists in Edmonton. While the final form of this effort remains fluid, there is a solid commitment to keep these signsand the moments they represent alive.

"That's what is important to me is helping tell our stories and connect to the past," said Denny.