Hello again to everyone out there in the blogosphere, and welcome to a short but interesting tidbit about Roanoke, Virginia, “Big Star.” Many of you might know that the Golden Acorn has relocated to Blacksburg, Virginia, and just have found this place interesting with all sorts of things we never knew about. This includes Roanoke’s “big star, over on the hill,” as a local told me. “It’s something special around here, and it will grab your attention at night.” So here is a quick story introducing you to the Big Star on the hill.
The Mill Mountain Star, the biggest artificially illuminated star in the world, has been a landmark in Roanoke, Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, for more than 70 years. It is also a well-liked photo opportunity, but many enthusiasts may be unaware of the landmark’s history.
The Roanoke Merchants Association and Chamber of Commerce sought a method of announcing the start of the holiday shopping season in 1949. They asked for assistance from regional businesses, and the Roy C. Kinsey Sign Company came through, designing and erecting the neon sign with more than 2,000 feet of tubing and the Roanoke Iron and Bridge Works, which provided the steel base. Cables were made out of trolley system leftovers to support the eighty-eight-and-a-half-foot-tall star. The total cost for the star’s construction was $28,000, the entire year’s advertising budget for the association.
On the eve of Thanksgiving that year, the star began to shine together with smaller stars suspended from lampposts. Around a hundred locals, including the town’s mayor, A. R. Minton, were present for the initial lighting, as well as Roanoke native and Miracle on 34th Street star John Payne. The occasion was covered by Life magazine and broadcast nationally on radio.
The star was so beloved by the people of Roanoke that they chose to keep it up after Christmas. Today, travelers may locate it along a winding road from town, just off Milepost 120 on the venerable Blue Ridge Parkway. The star is surrounded by Mill Mountain Park, a 500-acre park with miles of mountain biking routes and a zoo that first opened its doors in 1952. A StarCam gives viewers access to the view from the star every day of the year. The star is still maintained by The Kinsey Sign Company, which has been in business since 1907. And while it often glows white, it changes hues for celebrations and important occasions like the Bicentennial and September 11th.
The star also served as the inspiration for the Starcropolis theater festival, which honored local accounts of the monument. Those who have recently resettled in the city, according to Katherine Fralin, the festival’s organizer, have embraced the celebrity status of the star. One of Roanoke’s newcomers commented, “The star is special to Roanoke because it is beautiful, and I feel at home when I see the star,” which was one of my favorite things, according to Fralin. “I think that says it all, that even someone who has just moved here, literally from the other side of the planet, already feels a part of that.”
Well, I hope you enjoyed our little story and until next time, take care and have a day.
Acorn Done
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