Main Street Corydon, CVB promise new signage

Corydon is on the threshold of getting some badly needed new signs for tourists and shoppers, both downtown and at the main highway entrances.
Sean Hawkins, community development manager for the Harrison County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said Main Street Corydon has formed a committee that will also order new colorful signpost banners that promote various public events or attractions around the square and replace the deteriorating billboards on Interstate 64 plus the old ‘gateway’ signs on state roads leading to the town square.
Hawkins said Monday he expects all or most of the signs to be up by late spring, in time for the start of tourist season.
Main Street Corydon will replace the old Corydon signs on the main east-west and north-south thoroughfares with financial help from the Harrison County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Swain Marketing of Louisville has been hired to study the town’s signage needs and create a series of ‘gateway’ (entry) and ‘wayfinding’ (tourist information) signs that will be unique to Corydon, attractive and cohesive, Hawkins said. Swain has plenty of experience, having done the signs for Community First Bank in Corydon, Floyd Memorial Hospital and Health Services in New Albany, and Circle Center in Indianapolis.
‘These are long ovedue,’ Hawkins said. ‘You can tell from the lack of maintenance’ on the old signs on state roads 62 and 135. ‘These signs are the cover on our book. They give an immediate first impression of our community.’
The large, stone ‘Welcome to Corydon’ sign put up years ago by the Chamber of Commerce of Harrison County next to Shireman Produce (which once identified Corydon as the home of Gov. Frank O’Bannon) is destined to get a face-lift. It’s located at the intersection of new and old state roads 135.
Main Street Corydon is asking the Harrison County Community Foundation for $15,000 to redo Corydon’s most impressive entrance sign and other gateway signs on S.R. 62.
Bob Davis of FGB Images in Corydon is designing street post banners that will feature a series of colorful logo-type images of the First State Capital, Harrison County Fairgrounds, Battle of Corydon and the Constitution Elm.
‘This is just one part of our downtown revitalization project,’ Hawkins said. ‘We want to have these all up by the beginning of tourist season in late May.’
The members of the committee in charge of new signs are Hawkins, Larry Bennett, Katie Butt Beckort, Janet Zimmerman, Fred Cammack, Shirley Gibson and Diane Cooper. All are board members of Main Street Corydon and have a direct connection with downtown businesses.
‘This group will take Davis’s banner designs and show them around and make sure we have something everybody will be happy with,’ Hawkins said. They will cost about $8,500, which Hawkins says is a reasonable price for good graphic art. ‘It’s a good way to add a lot of color to the town and let people know about things in a very special place.’
Davis will eventually make about 115 banners.
Hawkins also plans to talk to the county commissioners about new welcome signs where motorists from Floyd, Crawford and Washington counties enter Harrison County. ‘Ours are just standard highway signs. We can do better than that.’
Ron Rinescheld of Brandenburg, son-in-law of veteran Corydon signpainter Bob Frakes, has been hired to completely redo the billboard on the eastbound side on I-64 as one approaches Corydon from the west. It could cost up to $8,000.
Another old billboard on the other side of I-64 on the west-bound lane is also due for replacement by Main Street Corydon.