PHOTO PROVIDED/DAVE DOWLING Mail Pouch Tobacco, Renovo, Pa.

Dave Dowling

Wellsboro

This is a huge shout out to “everyone” involved in the ongoing fight to help keep Renovo looking beautiful. The latest project is the new Renovo signs stationed at the west end of town and at East Renovo. These new signs will greet visitors, tourists and future business owners with a welcome feeling and should make Renovo residents proud of their hometown.

Every organization associated with this latest project plus the two large murals mounted on the walls of local businesses and the town clock deserve a pat on the back for not giving up on this small town in western Clinton County.

There is one other potential project that I wish to add to the ongoing list of town improvements: The MAIL POUCH TOBACCO sign on the side of the building on 11th Street. This iconic advertisement is a part of Renovo and if it is not repainted soon it will be lost forever.

As a youth living in Farwell my mom would drive me to Little League baseball practice and games at the field when it was located at the upper end of town, just west of where the Pennsylvania Railroad station was located. Each trip when we would pass the Mail Pouch Tobacco sign I would know we were only five minutes from the sport I grew to love.

A year ago, I approached a friend who has extensive knowledge of Renovo history and is instrumental in securing grant money for historical projects. I told them about my story and my idea to have the sign repainted. I was told, at that time, that the owner of the building was already approached with the repainting idea and was not interested. For over a year now I have tried to understand why anyone could or would turn down an offer to have their building wall freshly painted at no cost to them. The only valid reason I can come up with is that the owner must not be originally from Renovo and doesn’t understand or feel the same pride the residents feel simply by seeing a project come to light even if it is just a freshly repainted advertisement landmark.

Note: A colored picture of this building and advertisement in Renovo taken in 2003 is included in a book titled “The Barn Painter” by Harley E. Warrick, on page 18.

(I’m) not sure when this Mail Pouch Tobacco advertisement was originally painted, but the first ads were painted before the early roadside billboards, so brick buildings, warehouses and barns were used. Many small towns were lucky to have a Mail Pouch Tobacco ad painted but Renovo was blessed with two billboard sized ads…one on Huron Avenue and 11th Street and one high up on a building on the corner of Erie Avenue and 5th Street.

If some way, somehow, the owner of this building on 11th Street would change their mind and a professional painter would take on the project it would be a win for everyone in Western Clinton County and the tourists alike.

Try to picture the number of people during a Flaming Foliage weekend stopping to take a “selfie” while standing in front of a freshly painted, colorful, historical advertisement….. (Seven months yet until FFF.)

Also, a colorful picture of this newly repainted advertisement would make a great addition to the popular fundraising Clinton County puzzle project.

I am confident that through fundraisers, donations, grant money, etc., this project could come to life. My company would be the first to make a donation.

Just as an added suggestion: Along the top of this advertisement there is room to add RENOVO, PA (top left) and the colorful, round PENNSYLVANIA WILDS logo could go at the top right.

Now if only someone would take the time to reach out to the owner again and help them realize what this project would mean to the town of Renovo, and get their OK to move forward with this project, it could happen in 2025.

Note to the Mayor of Renovo: Gene, I played youth sports with you and I watched many of your Bucks basketball games. Having said that, I never remember you backing away from a challenge… (just saying!)

I’m proud to say Renovo is my home town.

Editor’s note: We generally do not publish photos with Letter to the Editor submissions, but in case this we are making an exception as we feel the photo provides important context to the submission.