Strong winds topple New Philadelphia's 'Welcome to our City' sign

By Mitch Spinell

NEW PHILADELPHIA, Ohio - Strong wings late Thursday night knocked over the 'Welcome to our City' sign in New Philadelphia's Public Square.

The 200-lightbulb steel structure, which had been standing on top of Rodriguez's House of Stones building, fell backward onto the building's roof, with some of the lightbulbs shattering onto the ground below

The National Weather Service issued a High Wind Warning for Tuscarawas County that began at 2:00 am and lasts through 2:00 pm, with gusts as high as 60 miles per hour.

According to The Times-Reporter, the welcome sign, installed by the Heritage Home Association of Tuscarawas County in 2003 in preparation for the New Philadelphia's bicentennial in 2004, was based on an original that was erected on a wooden frame in 1912. The old sign, which included a lighted American flag, eventually fell down and was taken apart in 1946.The welcome sign, installed by the Heritage Home Association in 2003 in preparation for the city’s Bicentennial in 2004, was based on an original that was erected on a wooden frame in 1912. The old sign, which included a lighted American flag, eventually fell down and was taken apart in 1946.