What to Know
- PoMONA Warehouse Tour, presented by the Museum of Neon Art
- $20 timed ticket; the museum is based in Glendale but the event will take place at its Pomona warehouse
- The April 15 event also celebrates the public launch of the museum's partnership with Neon Bear Brewery, which is located next to the warehouse
Neon enthusiasts are drawn to their favorite illumination like, well, certain winged insects are compelled to flutter in the vicinity of a lighted bulb.
Lovers of colorfully bright tubes will pull off a lonely desert highway to admire a vintage motel's neon sign, whatever the hour of the night, and crossing a city to see a diner's name aglow? Yep, neon enthusiasts will go the distance.
But something that neon fans usually must deal with is not the time of night nor a sign's remote location: It's the fact that neon is so often high above our heads.
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And few neon wonders were as high as the Knott's Berry Farm "K," the iconic symbol that sat atop the theme park's Sky Tower for decades. The Museum of Neon Art acquired the 12-foot-tall letter after it was permanently retired in 2020, with the hopes that fans could admire it from a close-up vantage point.
That hope will be realized on Saturday, April 15 when the Knott's "K," and several other spectacular signs, go on view, but there's a twist to this tale: You'll need to call upon MONA's Pomona warehouse, a repository for the waiting-in-the-wings wonders that aren't on display at the Glendale museum.
The PoMONA Warehouse Tour will definitely have a behind-the-scenes feel, but also a neighborly vibe, thanks to the fact that the Neon Bear Brewery, which is located next to the warehouse, will participate in the fun.
That's because the brewhouse features several pieces from the MONA collection, meaning you can stop to sip an IPA and bask in the beauty of retro signage.
The April 15 to-do will also serve as a public launch for the partnership between the Glendale-based museum and the Pomona brew maker in addition to giving people a peek inside the neon warehouse next door.
Beyond the Knott's "K" there will be a number of other pieces that have not yet been displayed in the museum's collection, including a Blue Moon Motel sign.
It isn't too often that museums give people a chance to peek inside their warehouses, and that there are more than a few buzzy treasures found in MONA's Pomona cache?
That is certainly something to buzz about, so buzz we shall. (Breaking out the "buzz" words seems apt when talking about neon, a light source you can often hear as well as see.)
Timed tickets are on sale for the afternoon-into-evening event.
