This is a fine art photo of the neon sign at Mearle's Drive-In in Visalia, California. This much loved Visalia landmark opened in the early 1940s as 'Tad's Drive-in'. It was known for fantastic food and happy roller skating car hops. But most of all that memorable neon sign flashing in the night sky was the drawing card to eat. In 1961 the business was sold to Mearle Heitzman, hence forth the name 'Mearle's Drive-In'. Mr. Heitzman was very aware that the food quality and friendly service must continue to preserve what had become legend in that region of California. It has been quoted that "The Taj Mahal of classic Drive-Ins is Mearle's Neon sign, it is flat out lovely to behold, especially at sunset." This iconic Drive-In even had a role in the famous movie "American Graffiti." The Mearles drive-in location had been in operation for sixty six years when on August 15, 2006 the landlord had an eviction notice placed upon the front door for back rent of $5,500. Unfortunately, financial problems plagued this family owned business and they were never able to reopen. In 2008 the building was sold at auction and lay in disrepair for many years. Since it is registered with Historical Registry of California, the building could not be torn down. A new owner stepped forward and decided to up date the building and open a new drive-in called 'THE HABIT BURGER GRILL'. The building design team began immediately by removing the large iconic neon sign and hauling it to the dump. Then a fresh coat of paint was applied to the outside in a subtle mud brown with vanilla shake accent color. The building's personality has been 'dulled down' to make it appear more modern. 'The Habit Burger Grill' was do to open on September 7, 2011. So the drive-in tradition continues at in the same location, but any visual memories of the past have been permanently removed. A nice image of Mearle's, when it was still in business, is featured in the book "Roadside America" by Lucinda Lewis.