#pbsignwars2021 sweeps through town

The Sign Wars are creating smiles all across Poplar Bluff. Citizens are calling the creativity “awesome,” and area marketing personnel admit they wish they had generated the idea.

The “wars” started when a boss told a general manager to get creative with a marquee. He probably had not expected a friendly fight where the entire community got involved.

Rally’s General Manager Kristy Lee said, “I was standing out here with my assistant manager and I was like, ‘Hey, I gotta get my marquee changed.’ My boss told me to be creative.

“I was like, let’s get a sign war started. So we randomly picked KFC, because they’re the closest to us and our signs are facing. We picked them first to start and see if they were going to respond. I’m absolutely loving the fact the whole town is picking up and doing it.”

Lee’s assistant, Hannah Hendrix of Doniphan, is coming up with ideas to help.

“She’s been the one that’s been helping me change the board,” Lee said. “She’s been a big help.”

While Kentucky Fried Chicken was the first business challenged, Lee said, “I talked to their managers. They said corporate will not let them put anything on there. We said, we’re just trying to have a good time.”

To Lee’s amazement, the fun “grows every day; new places and more places. I’ve seen the hospital had one. We got an eye doctor down the road that’s put one out.”

At first, Lee thought fast food restaurants might participate.

“I noticed it’s not even fast food. Everybody’s doing it. It’s awesome,” she said.

There’s been so many responding, and Rally’s is changing its messages often.

What does Lee’s boss Tony Shelton say to her now?

“I’m not going to lie. I went out on a limb when he said, be creative and I put it up there,” Lee said. “As soon as I put it up there, I took a picture and I sent it to him. I was like, ‘is this creative enough?’ I’ve sent him a few pictures of other companies responding and putting stuff up. He even told me he was like, ‘Oh, I love it.’ He’s like, I’m glad you got the town in an uproar with smiles on their faces. You can see people just driving down the street to look at signs.”

How long does Lee see the sign wars lasting?

“I guess as long as I can keep it going, as long as everybody else keeps it going. I’m full of ideas,” she said

Dana Carnell, the general manager at Charlie’s Fast Lube and Oil Change, noticed when Rally’s put their sign up late last week.

“I came into work Saturday morning and noticed nobody did anything or KFC had done nothing,” Carnell said. “I got my guys together and told them we need to do something to help Rally’s out and we threw up our Rally’s sign, and after that, I posted it.

“Everybody else seemed to pick it up and roll on with it. Our guys got together, we came up with a little saying and threw it up there. On the other side of our sign, we put Sign Wars 2021, and after that, it just came out as crazy. We’re going to change it a couple times a week. We’re so busy around here, that’s probably about the only time we can do it. We’re going to try to hit the ones that really haven’t participated yet, like Sonic and McDonald’s.”

Carnell was “very much” surprised how the community got involved and is enjoying the sign wars.

“I mean, it kicked up real fast. I was really surprised,“ he said.

Dr. Troy Bell’s officer manager, Teresa Davis, said the sign wars are fun and Bell’s staff wasn’t going to be left out.

“There’s too much gloom and doom,” said Davis, adding, Bell and his staff are participating “to put a smile on people’s faces. It’s just happy thoughts, good people not just sitting around thinking about everything, but just make people smile.”

While the war started on Business Highway 67, the battle sites are moving all around town.

First United Methodist Church on Main Street has gotten involved. The church’s sign says “Hey BK! There is only room for 1 King in this town! #PBSignWars2021.”

New Home General Baptist Church’s sign says, “Forget the chicken we serve soul food.”

Second Baptist Church’s sign said, “Rally’s your Sundaes are tasty, but ours are more filling!”

The sign at Hayden’s BBQ said, “Hey Rally’s Being Old School has left us in a deep fried pickle! Think KFC will let us borrow their sign?”

Downtown Foxtrot Coffee challenged Starbucks: “Hey Starbucks trot on downtown. We’ve got a cup espresso LT for U!”

Missouri Highlands employees didn’t want to miss the fun and put up a sign saying, “Our sign may be small but we are still cooler than KFC.”

When the medical group’s marketing director, Alex Hathcoat, was asked about the group’s participation, she reached out to one of Missouri Highlands’ clinic managers. The local manager informed Hathcoat one of employees actually works part time for Rally’s.

One of the other employees at the Poplar Bluff clinic put the sign out, but Hathcoat said, “they all thought that I did it.”

The reason they wanted to participate is seeing the other signs made them smile and laugh.

“In these times, that’s what everybody needs,” Hathcoat said. It’s great to help put everyone back on the map. ‘Hey, we’re still here, don’t forget about us type thing.’ It’s a good time. It was nothing personal towards KFC. It’s joining in the fun everyone’s having and to make everyone laugh.”

Hathcoat said she wishes she had thought of the idea.

“It’s so cool to bring the community together in something like that. I think is awesome,” she said. “The pandemic’s really brought people down and I think this is really bringing people together and giving them a good laugh. I think it’s exactly what everybody needed.”

And by the way Bella Bee, who asked, “DAR can you release THE NEWS Bella Bee has entered the SIGN WARS and everyone waiting for the TEE we are bringing.”

At the Daily American Republic, “We’ve been spillin’ the tea since 1869! We’re black, white and read all over! The OG word on the street, from cover to cover!” #pbsignwars2021.