SELBYVILLE, De. -- The memorable sign from the Shore Drive-in Theater now sits in the Selbyville workshop of a local artist. After opening in 1954, the theater closed down in '76, leaving the sign to wither away along Route 50 in West Ocean City. 

Picture this: It's 1954 and you and your sweetheart are heading out to the Shore Drive-In to watch Hitchcocks Rear Window. When you get home, you turn on the news and John B. Greenburger is giving you the top stories on WBOC TV. 

You would be able to do both of those things because 70 years ago, the Shore Drive-In opened and WBOC TV came on the air. 

Fast forward to 2024, WBOC is going strong and the Shore Drive-In, nothing more than a relic. Well, local artist Rod Pond is trying his hand at bringing that relic back to life by reviving the sign to its former glory. 

"Ultimately, at the end of the day when I look at this mess, you know I don't see it for what it is, because if I did it wouldn't be here it would be in a scrapyard, I see it for what it could be," said Pond. 

For almost 50 years, the sign sat on the side of Route 50, taken over by vines and branches until it was nearly invisible to those passing by. That is, until Pond took the sign down in January of 2023, brought it to his workshop and is breathing new life into the piece of Eastern Shore history. 

The original oscillating light still works, and so do a few of the original neon tubes. But, reviving decades old equipment can be tricky work. 

"The flashers, the transformers, all the parts and pieces to the neon, that all uses high voltage electricity and that's dangerous stuff," said Pond. "So you know, I'm not going to sit there and go start slapping this together without knowing what I'm doing." 

Initially, Pond was planning to paint the sign up his own way, but feeling inspired by the already present artwork and the signs history... 

"All this information about the sign and the Drive-In Theater itself is just more than I ever thought I would know," said Pond. 

... he wants to restore the sign as accurately as he can. 

"I can't wait to see it, all finished when the arrow is flashing and the oscillating lights are moving and the light house beacon is doing its thing and it's just this big spectacle," said Pond. 

Encompassing 70 years of history in one piece of art.