Reno has glittered with vibrant neon lights for nearly 100 years. Reno native and former elementary school teacher Will Durham has spent his life preserving and restoring as many artifacts of Northern Nevada’s 10 decades of neon as he could.
Now, just a little more than five years before the centennial of legalized full-scale casino gambling in March 1931, and the heyday of neon that came with it, Durham has announced plans to open a museum of neon signs called The Light Circus at the National Bowling Stadium in downtown Reno.
Durham, who has also had a career doing props, art direction and production design in the film industry, said he wants the museum to be a happy place.
“The world right now is a lot to be worried about and … I want this to feel like an absolute escape,” he said. “When you’re there, you’re in this place that takes you away.”…