Cream City Ice Cream Sign Off for Maintenance

The lights are off on Cookeville’s Cream City Ice Cream sign for routine maintenance.

CityScape Executive Director Holly Freeman said some of the neon bulbs burnt out on the sign and that the upkeep is something that they plan and budget for every year.

“It has been the heartbeat of our downtown for 70 plus years now, so we as a non-profit organization and one that is wrapped up in historic preservation, we want to make sure that it stays in tip-top condition so that it can be enjoyed for generations to come,” Freeman said.

Freeman said the sign is completely turned off to ensure the safety of the workers. Freeman said work has already begun and they are hopeful it will be completed within the next 10 days.

The Cream City Ice Cream sign has been an iconic part of West Cookeville since 1950. Freeman said the maintenance will also allow the reestablishment of some of the sign’s former animation.

“There’s a cherry on the top that has two cherries so it looks like it’s bouncing on top of the sundae and so we were able to reestablish that cherry–we found a transformer to make it work so some of the capabilities are being reestablished,” Freeman said. “Some people may recognize that from years past.”

Freeman said they budget about $5,000 a year for the electric bill and any maintenance operations that might occur with the money they receive from their fundraiser campaigns. Freeman said to donate you can go to CityScape’s website, cookevillecityscape.com or text “DOWNTOWNCOOKEVILLE” to 44-321.

Freeman urges the community not to worry about the sign, as they hope it will be up and running in no time.