Iconic sign moving to Fresno Fairgrounds

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Saturday, June 11, 2016
Iconic sign moving to Fresno Fairgrounds
A neon sign of a cowboy and his horse was originally part of the Hacienda Hotel out on Clinton Avenue and Highway 99.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A piece of Fresno history is on the move Friday.

A neon sign of a cowboy and his horse was originally part of the Hacienda Hotel out on Clinton Avenue and Highway 99.

The hotel has a famous past of welcoming guests such as Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra to the Central Valley.

It also had Plexiglas walls so people sitting at the bar could watch people swimming outside.

There were even daily mermaid shows.

The old sign outside is being moved to the Fresno Fairgrounds.

"We're very excited about the possibility of bringing back one of the most iconic signs to ever be in Fresno," Big Fresno Fair CEO John Alkire exclaimed. "And that's the Hacienda sign. And we're gonna take it to the Fairgrounds thanks to Mike Kaloogian and his wife Debbie. They're going to donate the sign to the museum and it will be on the back side of the Paul Paul Theater.

The sign will be added to the Fair's Fresno Historical Museum along with the old Mars sign, and courthouse cupola.