Passport to Neon Speaks 2025 Event Recordings

Thursday Oct 1: Neon Speak: Still Speaking, 3 illustrated talks on Zoom

Register now and get access to this bonus evening of neon talks and get access to all the recorded events of Neon Speaks 2025. If you missed the symposium at the Verdi Club, you get a second chance to watch a live Zoom event of these illustrated neon talks. Join this live event on Zoom on Oct 1 at 7pm PDT and join the lively chat and the Q&A.

The Great American Retro Roadtrip with Rolando Pujol, Retrologist, New York City
Rolando is the author of The Great American Retro Road Trip, a coast-to-coast journey chronicling retro roadside America. Take an illustrated trip to discover iconic signage like the Moon Motel sign or little-known neon storefronts like Hildebrandt's Ice Cream. Rolando's book talk is a sweeping sense of roadside charm that still exists, the signs tell a story of American ingenuity, creativity, and community.

Great Signs Don't Use Fonts with Stephen Coles, Letterform Archive, SF
What is the difference between type and lettering? What makes a vintage sign memorable and unique? How can contemporary makers carry on that tradition? Stephen makes the case for handmade letters.

Art vs. Actual with Heather David, CalMod Books, San Jose
Commercial signs are storytellers. For the past 10+ years, Heather has been collecting brilliantly executed concept illustrations that became iconic neon signage in Las Vegas and other cities. It’s not often that you get to see the two images side-by-side so to see the art vs. the actual fabrication of an over-sized spectacular sign.

The Online Symposium Passport

The passport gives you full access to recorded Zoom and live events for the annual Neon Speaks Symposium & Festival. These recorded events will bring to light many mysteries about neon signs and why these glowing signs are so worthy of preservation. Neon world records will be revealed!

Recorded events are ready to view on YouTube now. Once you register, you'll get an emal with one link to a playlist to view all 2025 events as soon as they are uploaded.

See full schedule at neonspeaks.org.

Online Recorded Events

Let There Be Neon with Jeff Friedman and Dave Waller ,New York City/Boston
Let There Be Neon studio in Manhattan was the brainchild of light artist Rudi Stern. Jeff Friedman became LTBN’s president and sole owner when Stern left to make documentary films. This year, LTBN moved to Brooklyn under the guidance of enthusiastic new owner Dave Waller. The LTBN neon studio has a huge legacy of bringing neon as art into the public consciousness.

The American Sign Museum book team gives us a sneak preview of the new book about this brilliantly spectacular sign museum in Cincinnati: Tod Swormstedt, Kathy Kikkert, Erin Holland, Sam Roberts, and Natalie Grilli.

Neon and the Guiness World Records 2026 book with Dydia DeLyser and a panel of first-ever neon world-record holders. This is the first year that neon has been included in the Guiness Book of World Records! Panelists: Corrie Siegel of Museum of Neon Art; Nick Malyon, creator of the largest neon sphere; and Wayne Strattman, creator of the largest plasma sculpture.

Follow the Signs, a new book about the sign journey of Dean Blazek, the world’s oldest neon glass bender. Dean is known for his neon school in Antigo, WI and will present with his son Michael Blazek, author and neon artist from Brisbane, Australia.

Nevada Neon Light Circus with Will Durham of Reno.
Will shares his vision to create a new museum exhibition with his vast collection of Reno’s best vintage neon--all on display in downtown Reno. You could be a charter member!

Images above:

• ASM book cover by Kathy Kikkert
• World's largest neon sphere created by Nick Malyon (photo by Nick too)
• Dean Blazek book cover by Randall Ann Homan
• Nevada Club porcelain sign, preserved and photogrphed by Will Durham

About the NEON SPEAKS Online Symposium

1) Neon Speaks is all about camaraderie, networking, sharing experiences, and movement-building; which happens best in person. We endeavor to bring that spirit to your home screen.

2) The upside of online events is the potential to bring together a larger group of neon preservationists, including those who can't easily traipse across a bridge, hop on a plane, or cruise down the highway to San Francisco to join this crowd of like-minded people.

3) There will be a schedule of both morning and evening events to accommodate multiple time zones. All events will be recorded for passport holders to watch on YouTube after the scheduled event.

Photo below of Nardi's TV shop by Al Barna, taken in his hometown of Plains, PA.

FAQs

How do I get the link to join events?

The link to access the recorded events will be sent via an email from Eventbrite. Contact us if you have trouble watching any of the recordings.

Is it OK to share the YouTube link with a friend?

Instead of sharing the events link, please ask friends to register for a free Early Bird passport so that we have an accurate count of participants, this helps us when applying for grants.

Can I purchase neon books, pins, and t-shirts like last year?

Yes. There is an online Neon Speaks Book Fair with a curated list of books and other neon-related items.

Terms & Conditions

Registration and access to recordings are being handled through Eventbrite.com. Confirmation of your purchase will be sent upon completion of registration via email.

In the unlikely case of cancellation of Neon Speaks recordings due to unforeseen circumstance, Neon Speaks and San Francisco Neon will not be responsible for expenses incurred by passport holders.

Still have questions? Contact the organizers, Al and Randall Ann, at neonspeaks@gmail.com.