Big Springfield sign pays homage to Simpsons — and Hollywood

Jenevieve Johnson and her friends think there should be more Simpson-flavored fun things to do in Springfield.

A new large sign welcomes people to Springfield as they cross the bridge on lower Main Street. Photo: PHOTO BY LEN EMERYPublished June 17, 2014 in the Rutland Herald Big Springfield sign pays homage to Simpsons — and Hollywood By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — Jenevieve Johnson and her friends think there should be more Simpson-flavored fun things to do in Springfield. So Johnson & Co. built a big S-P-R-I-N-G-F-I-E-L-D sign, a la ‘‘The Simpsons’’ Springfield sign, in time for last Saturday’s Springfield Alumni Parade. Johnson said she and a group of her friends have been brainstorming about creating more fun things to do, and the idea of a giant Springfield sign, as portrayed in ‘‘The Simpsons,’’ came up. Springfield in 2007 won the right to host the world premiere of ‘‘The Simpsons Movie’’ via a video contest, and the Chamber of Commerce office is full of Simpson mementos from that July 2007 weekend, including a giant yellow hand holding a pink frosted doughnut. “The Simpsons’’ Springfield sign is itself an homage to the iconic Hollywood sign that is positioned on a hillside overlooking Los Angeles in the Hollywood Hills. That famous sign is 45 feet tall and 350 feet long. The Springfield sign is only four feet tall, made up of 11 individual letters. It currently greets people coming into Springfield at the foot of Main Street hill, opposite the Springfield Community Center and sits on the lawn of Honor Hingston-Cox, Johnson said. But Johnson, the executive director of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, is hoping the town gives her permission to put the sign in different locations around town on town property. One spot Johnson has her eye on is above the retaining wall opposite One Hundred River Street and the Springfield Health Center on River Street. That space is owned by the town, she said. But she said she also wants to move the sign to a more accessible location where people can pose and have their pictures taken with it, and she thinks along the Toonerville Trail would also be another good location. While Springfield has been in the headlines recently for drug and gang-related violence, Johnson said the town shouldn’t be identified with that. “A few people are making poor decisions,” said Johnson, who owns the downtown bakery, Jenny Wren Cafe. The group worked through the night Friday to get the four-foot-high letters, painted white, ready for Saturday morning’s parade, she said. Johnson said she understood not everyone is a Simpsons fan, but the big sign is a “neutral” way of promoting the town’s connection with ‘‘The Simpsons.’’ She said the chamber often receives inquiries from potential visitors asking if there are Simpson-related events in town.