Echo Park Illuminated: Take a Virtual Neon Tour From Home

December, for many Southern California-based glow-seekers, is all about signing up for an after-sundown Neon Cruise.

These take-to-the-streets treats, which are helmed by the Museum of Neon Art?

They don't only occur around the holidays, it is true, but the Decembertime drives, which involve a bus, a knowledgeable neon pro, and several attendees in a festive mood, are now seasonal staple in Los Angeles.

The on-the-go gatherings are not happening in 2020, no surprise, but there is a way to connect with the incandescently awesome people of the Glendale-based museum.

The illuminating institution is temporarily closed to in-person visits, but there will be a virtual happening that's all about one of our city's great night-bright neighborhoods.

It's Echo Park, an area that has become known for its beautiful bulbage over the decades.

And on Friday, Dec. 18, MONA will present an in-depth look at some of its shimmery, buzz-buzz-iest treasures during a virtual get-together.

"Evangelism, electric signs, and early Hollywood" will all be in the spotlight during the event, "A Behind the Bulb History" of both Echo Park and Los Angeles.

Leading the informative session on some of the signs we know so well? Or the roadside icons that still live in our Echo Park-loving memories?

Prepare to virtually join "... historian and author Dydia DeLyser, neon expert Paul Greenstein, and MONA Executive Director Corrie Siegel" as they look at a pair of signs that have been "restored and recreated" in the area.

You might once and for all learn the tale of a favorite local sight, and depart the Zoom with the sort of anecdote you'll relate to friends for years to come.

How could you not tell the story of a great sign each and every time you encounter it? Please. Once you have a local tidbit to share, you'll share it forever, and rightly so.

It's ten bucks per device, or five dollars if you're a member of MONA.