The windmill of the old Van De Kamp’s bakery on Route 66 in Arcadia once again lights the night sky as the iconic gateway to historic downtown Arcadia at Huntington Drive and Santa Anita Avenue.
Every one of the 586 bulbs was replaced and the windmill relit as part of a makeover for the building that became a Denny’s restaurant at the turn of the last century. It’s part of a corporate-wide upgrading of the 200 or so stores owned by the chain out of about 1,700 nationwide, the rest of which are owned by franchisees, said District Manager Jim Fink of Spartanburg, South Carolina. But the windmill and its lights are unique to the Arcadia eatery. And Fink said cost and maintenance is not inexpensive, with the bulbs being custom size and having a short lifespan — one already burned out after just a few days. The energy draw is also significant, so they are set on a timer off at 1 a.m. each night — a new timer specifically for the windmill lights.
Other noticeable changes made during the two weeks the restaurant was closed earlier this month include all new flooring, table booths and some wall decorations. There are also new video monitors in the kitchen and behind-the-scenes, and other technology upgrades.
Historical photographs of Arcadia are hung dynamically in the lobby, properly credited to the courtesy of Arcadia Public Library.
Fink and new local general manager Maria Flores and popular local manager Ema Shuton literally rolled out the red carpet this morning (Thursday, Aug. 29, 2013) for a “Grand Slam Re-Opening” with presentations and attendance by three City Councilman — Mayor Pro Tem John Wuo, Bob Harbicht and Gary Kovacic.
Dozens of patrons lined up for a free breakfast to the first lucky ones, a scenario likley to be repeated at lunch and dinner today.
Following are additional photos from this morning’s event (click on photos to enlarge).
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