The Daily Pulse:

South Knoxville's JFG Sign Scheduled to Return on Boomsday

By Coury Turczyn
Posted August 9, 2012 12:05 PM
0 Comments

All Metropulse blogs:

For those of us making our daily trip across the Gay Street bridge to South Knoxville, something has been missing for the past two years: the iconic JFG Coffee sign. But it's coming back online on Boomsday.

Although JFG is no longer roasted in the Old City (ah, we miss the scent of burning coffee beans...), the quaint bit of mid-century commercial advertising served as sort of a twinkling reminder of our coffee-production past and a long-ago Knoxville. (Thankfully, the Old City's JFG sign also remains atop the refurbished building that now serves as apartments.)

But the South Knoxville sign was deteriorating, and Knox Heritage and Reily Foods (owner of JFG) stepped in to restore it, which necessitated removing it from its resting place. For the past two years, it's undergone renovation, with all-new LED lights. And then there was a small kerfuffle over where to re-erect it as the landowner didn't want it back--but the nearby Kerbela Temple came to the rescue with a new site.

And now it will be unveiled at this year's Boomsday (Sept. 2), and one lucky participant in a "Booming the Business" loyalty card program for South Knoxville businesses will get to "Flip the Switch" and turn the sign back on.

Here's the full press release:

Flip the Switch at Boomsday and Help South Knoxville Businesses

Knoxville, Tenn. (August 9, 2012) - Boomsday is celebrating its 25th Anniversary next month and fireworks are not the only thing that will light up the sky. In an exciting announcement was made this morning, as officials from the City of Knoxville, Reily Foods, Knox Heritage, and Visit Knoxville announced that the iconic JFG sign is returning to the South Knoxville waterfront and one lucky person will get the opportunity to "Flip the Switch" at Boomsday and light up the sign once again.

During the 2010 Boomsday, the JFG sign was turned off and taken down with the plan to restore it to its original shape. After nearly 24 months of repair and renovation, the sign is ready to return to Knoxville and serve as a historic landmark, which will be located at the Kerbela Temple near the Gay Street Bridge along the Tennessee River.

"The big difference on the new JFG sign is that all the bulbs are LED lights," said Jeff Gamble of Reily Foods. "This will save approximately 85 percent on electricity, which will have a positive impact on the environment."

The historic sign will officially be turned on during the Boomsday festivities, and one lucky person will get a chance to "Flip the Switch" and turn on the historic sign.

For the opportunity to "Flip the Switch," community leaders led by Vice Mayor Nick Pavlis, have come together to launch the Booming the Business Loyalty Card campaign and encourage Knoxvillians to shop and support several South Knoxville businesses along the Urban Wilderness Arts and Trade District, which is composed of businesses within the 37920 zip code and offers discounts and specials to customers.

"This is an exciting initiative for our community," says Kim Bumpas, President of Visit Knoxville. "Knoxville is working together to bring this historic sign back to the riverfront and promote new business in the South Knoxville area at the same time. Many different people and organizations have worked to make this a reality, and we are very excited at the outcome of the efforts."

The Booming the Business Loyalty Card features 20 South Knoxville Businesses and with each visit to a business, a stamp will be placed on the Card. Once 15 of the 20 businesses are visited, the card can be submitted for a chance to win the opportunity to "Flip the Switch" on the restored JFG sign and win $2,500 in honor of the 25th Anniversary of Boomsday.

To download a Booming the Business Loyalty Card, visit Boomsday.org or the Urban Wilderness Arts and Trade District's website. The deadline for entries is noon on August 31st, and official contest details can be found on the Loyalty Card.

Comments » 0

Submit a comment

Be the first to post a comment!

Share your thoughts

Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.

About This Blog

Metro Pulse staff members instantaneously commit their innermost thoughts to the Internet for your information and/or amusement.