The Arrow Neon Sign was built in 1961 by the Neonette Sign Company of New Westminster when this property was opened as the Tomahawk Drive-in Restaurant. The restaurant was later known as Lindy's Burger and in 1990, the business was renamed Lost in the 50's Drive-in. It stands 20-foot tall and is composed of a large double-sided hollow steel panel serpentine arrow mounted on a pole supporting a lexan sign panel measuring approximately 8 feet wide by 4 feet tall. The sign was designed with three illuminated features: a round lamp at the top of the pole, a double-sided rectangular fluorescent sign panel box, and two double-sided rows of orange neon arrows that follow the large serpentine arrow.
The Arrow Neon Sign remains as a rare surviving example of neon sign art in the city and is the only historic neon sign in South Burnaby. The sign has gained prominence over the years as it has been associated with this small iconic drive-in which has also been utilized as a set for film production. Additionally, the drive-in has played a prominent role in the Edmonds community as a popular setting for recent "Show and Shine" participants to park their classic cars.
9 paintings : colour print, 2 photographs : b&w, and 1 folder of textual records
Scope and Content
File consists of application for a driver's license, Kingsway Driving School report card, driver's examination receipt and a letter addressed to Hazel Simnett from the Victorian Order of Nurses for Canada. Also included is an immigration inspection card of Fred Simnett aboard the S.S. Lake Champlai…
9 paintings : colour print, 2 photographs : b&w, and 1 folder of textual records
Description Level
File
Record No.
MSS167-008
Accession Number
2013-22
Scope and Content
File consists of application for a driver's license, Kingsway Driving School report card, driver's examination receipt and a letter addressed to Hazel Simnett from the Victorian Order of Nurses for Canada. Also included is an immigration inspection card of Fred Simnett aboard the S.S. Lake Champlain from Liverpool and a letter from the Office of the Mayor addressed to Mary Ann Simnett for her ninetieth birthday. Also included is a photograph (see item 559-001). Also included are newsclippings regarding Robert Burnaby and the "Bygones of Burnaby" book, a programme of the Robert Burnaby Commemorative Dinner, a photocopy of "The Argus" (Burnaby South High School's newspaper) from 1938, a programme from Madys Pridmore Brown's Variety Programme, "The Buzzer" Volume 40 Issue 16 advertising Vancouver street cars, New Vista Society certificate addressed to Hazel Simnett, an envelope of Fenwick Lansdowne bird prints from 1957 and a print of the Royal Family found in a cardboard envelope postmarked 1972.
Postcard cosisting of four photographs of Brentwood Shopping Centre. The description printed on the back of the postcard reads, "Brentwood Shopping Centre / Lougheed and Willingdon, Burnaby, B.C. Free parking for 2500 cars. Eaton's of Canada - three floors of air-conditioned shopping comfort. Fo…
Postcard cosisting of four photographs of Brentwood Shopping Centre. The description printed on the back of the postcard reads, "Brentwood Shopping Centre / Lougheed and Willingdon, Burnaby, B.C. Free parking for 2500 cars. Eaton's of Canada - three floors of air-conditioned shopping comfort. Fountain Square. Loblaw's ... B.C.'s Largest Supermarket." The cost to mail the postcard is listed as four cents. Some of the stores visible are: Bank of Montreal, Heywood Floors, The Doll House Restaurant, Eaton's of Canada, Loblaws, Fields, and Zeller's.
Photographic postcard of Burnaby Hotel located at 1385 Kingsway (old street numbering system). Printed at the bottom of the postcard is the following: Hotel Burnaby Ltd. / 1385 Kingsway at 14th Avenue / Burnaby 3, New Westminster, B.C., Telephone LA 1-8891. On the reverse is written: "Hotel Burna…
Photographic postcard of Burnaby Hotel located at 1385 Kingsway (old street numbering system). Printed at the bottom of the postcard is the following: Hotel Burnaby Ltd. / 1385 Kingsway at 14th Avenue / Burnaby 3, New Westminster, B.C., Telephone LA 1-8891. On the reverse is written: "Hotel Burnaby: Located between new Simpson-Sears and new Woodwards shopping centres. You will remember Hotel Burnaby for the rest of your life."
Photographic postcard of the exterior and parking lot of Sambo's Pancake House, Kingsway. Printed on the top of the front of the postcard is "Sambo's Pancake House," and a sign on the building read's "Sambo's." Written on the back of the postcard: "Please surrender this card for 10% discount on you…
Photographic postcard of the exterior and parking lot of Sambo's Pancake House, Kingsway. Printed on the top of the front of the postcard is "Sambo's Pancake House," and a sign on the building read's "Sambo's." Written on the back of the postcard: "Please surrender this card for 10% discount on your next visit to Sambo's, 5550 Kingsway, Burnaby. Offer good until Feb. 28th, 1969. Your host Sambo's."
This portion of the interview is about how Al Nixon began collecting and saving photographs, records and stories about the history of the Burnaby Fire Department in the mid 1980's. Finding the first scrapbook of photographs lead to other discoveries that placed the beginning of the Burnaby Fire Dep…
This portion of the interview is about how Al Nixon began collecting and saving photographs, records and stories about the history of the Burnaby Fire Department in the mid 1980's. Finding the first scrapbook of photographs lead to other discoveries that placed the beginning of the Burnaby Fire Department in 1911.
Recording is of an interview with Al Nixon, conducted by Rod Fowler. Al Nixon was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about the history and operations of the Burnaby Fire Department from its beginning in 1911 to 1990, and Al Nixon’s stories about the various ways photographs, records and artifacts about the department were collected and saved. The interview takes place while looking at photographs, but the information is clear nonetheless (His photographs have been deposited in the Burnaby Archives). Al Nixon also talks about his father's career as a firefighter, and about his Douglas grandparents and their home “The Gables” [Seven Gables] and neighbourhood in Burquitlam. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Al Nixon was born in New Westminster Feb. 8, 1936, the son of Provincial Fire Marshal Basil Nixon (1904-1975) and Agnes Douglas (1909-?). His mother’s family immigrated to Canada from Scotland in 1922 and lived in a large ca. 1900 home in Burquitlam at 9957 Sullivan Road called “Seven Gables” (recently demolished). His grandfather Thomas Douglas, a Coquitlam Councillor and Socialist, was murdered in 1934 in his North Road service station. Al Nixon began his career as a firefighter with the Burnaby Fire Department in 1957, eventually becoming Deputy Fire Chief Operations in 1987 and Fire Chief in 1991, before retiring in 1993. In the mid 1980's Al Nixon became interested in the department’s history after finding a photograph scrapbook at one of the firehalls. It was in very bad condition but he recognized its value and began a project to collect and save photographs, artifacts and stories about the Burnaby Fire Department, a 6 month project that turned into years. The photographs and information gathered by Al Nixon became part of Douglas Penn’s book “Follow that Fire: the history of the Burnaby Fire Department”.
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Photograph of an unidentified intersection in a residential neighbourhood in North Burnaby. A two-storey apartment building is visible in the background.
Photograph of an unidentified intersection in a residential neighbourhood in North Burnaby. A two-storey apartment building is visible in the background.
Photograph of the Tinkerbell Kindergarten class sitting in their classroom in small wooden chairs, with the front row sitting on the carpet, for "story time". One child stands up and points to the book as the adult reading leans in and listens to his comment as she holds the book up for everyone to…
Photograph of the Tinkerbell Kindergarten class sitting in their classroom in small wooden chairs, with the front row sitting on the carpet, for "story time". One child stands up and points to the book as the adult reading leans in and listens to his comment as she holds the book up for everyone to see.
Photograph of the Tinkerbell Cooperative Kindergarten class listening to Mrs. Brown read to them for story time. The kindergartners are sitting in chairs in a half circle and on the floor in front.
Photograph of the Tinkerbell Cooperative Kindergarten class listening to Mrs. Brown read to them for story time. The kindergartners are sitting in chairs in a half circle and on the floor in front.
1 photograph : b&w ; 7.5 x 11.5 cm, mounted on heavy-weight paper 17.5 x 27.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of the Tinkerbell Kindergarten classroom that was housed in the Ellesmere United Church. The kindergarten students are sitting in three rows on a large throw rug in front of a series of bulletin boards. Each of the children in the front row has either a book or else some sort of toy in t…
1 photograph : b&w ; 7.5 x 11.5 cm, mounted on heavy-weight paper 17.5 x 27.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
246-020
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
BHS1990-12
Scope and Content
Photograph of the Tinkerbell Kindergarten classroom that was housed in the Ellesmere United Church. The kindergarten students are sitting in three rows on a large throw rug in front of a series of bulletin boards. Each of the children in the front row has either a book or else some sort of toy in their hands.
Photograph of the Tinkerbell Kindergarten classroom that was housed in the Ellesmere United Church. The kindergarten students are sitting in three rows on a large throw rug in front of a series of bulletin boards. Each of the children in the front row has either a book or else some sort of toy in t…
Photograph of the Tinkerbell Kindergarten classroom that was housed in the Ellesmere United Church. The kindergarten students are sitting in three rows on a large throw rug in front of a series of bulletin boards. Each of the children in the front row has either a book or else some sort of toy in their hands. Their teacher is standing behind the last row of children and ducking her head into the photograph.
Stamp on verso of photograph reads: "SHOT BY / Larry Supové"
According to an advertisement dated June 14, 1957 for Paneloc Manufacturing in the Vancouver Province newspaper, a paneloc display model was available for viewing at 6635 East Hastings Street in Burnaby. The model in this photograph may be at this location.