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Sign down. Searcy AR historic Yarnell billboard. Hwy 67 S near airport.

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Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Advantage

airport sign Yarnell's old

So sad to see historic marker gone. 

Here's a picture of how it has looked in the past to welcome folks to Searcy and perhaps brag a little.  It dates back to at least the mid 1960s and held a Yarnell's Ice Cream sign and was probably put up by Yarnell's. I have tried to find an older picture of it but have not been successful. Don Thompson, Searcy native and blog super-sleuth, provided this one.  It is (or was) located near the airport at the corner of Booth Road and Main Street.

I hope the city will let me try to repair it!

sign at airport old example 

 

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Don Thompson
Donthomp Associates - Sunnyvale, CA

One of the features of Google Maps is to be able to see sceens in years past. I had to go back to 2007 to find the Yarnell's sign. I'm glad I did. Yarnell's ice cream was a favorite of all Searciens! Yarnell's was founded in 1932 so add 75 years and you have 2007!

 

I would be remiss in not showing a second sign just beyond the Yarnell's sign.

 

This sign has been AI enhanced.

 

I did find the sign from 2007 and it looks like this just as Google Maps shows it.

 

Thank you Google Maps for the great historic images and thank you Barbara for the opportunity to show them.

Aug 25, 2026 09:52 AM
Barbara S. Duncan

Don, I can't believe how you do such wonderful searches.  You found a Yarnell's version!!  And you improved my sign with AI!  Thank you, thank you!!!

Aug 25, 2026 10:03 AM
Lise Howe
RLAH RE LLC - Washington, DC
Assoc. Broker in DC, MD, VA and attorney in DC

That sign sounds like it was part of the welcome to Searcy for decades. It would be wonderful to see this historic marker repaired and standing again.

Aug 25, 2026 12:31 PM
Barbara S. Duncan

I wish they would but I think it is part of the past.

Aug 25, 2026 12:59 PM
Kat Palmiotti
Kalispell, MT
Retired from real estate; active in life!

It would be great if you were able to help get the historic sign back up!

Aug 26, 2026 05:34 AM
Barbara S. Duncan

It was an asset to the city and will be missed.

Aug 26, 2026 08:44 AM
Don Thompson
Donthomp Associates - Sunnyvale, CA

I came across some more interesting information about Yarnell's Ice Cream.

Yarnell’s Ice Cream included "Angel Food" in its history because founder Ray Yarnell got his start working for an early local producer of Grisham's Angel Food Ice Cream, and the company later officially bought the regional Angel Food brand name

Early Beginnings

    Ray Yarnell worked as a salesman and manager for the Grisham Ice Cream Company in Searcy, Arkansas, during the 1920s Grisham produced a popular local product known as Grisham's Angel Food Ice Cream.

    When Ray Yarnell started his own company in 1932, he took over those early operations and roots associated with the Angel Food name. 

The 2006 Brand Acquisition

    In 2006, the Yarnell Ice Cream Co. purchased the licensing rights to the famous Angel Food brand from the Klinke Brothers Ice Cream Company in Memphis, Tennessee.

    Klinke Brothers wanted to focus on expanding their Baskin-Robbins franchise operations. 

    Yarnell's took over manufacturing the smoother-textured, non-slushy Angel Food product and added the recognizable label to their regional distribution across several southern states. 

So it's likely the sign said 

Yarnell's 

Angel Food Ice Cream

 

Aug 26, 2026 12:46 PM
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

A lady has told me that her dad painted the sign.  Imagine!  That was a big paint job.  I'd like for her to go out there with me and see if the old paint remains on any of the boards. Mine was painted by a Searcy paint company several years ago.

Aug 27, 2026 08:03 AM
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