New 76 Ball, and Red

New 76 Ball, and Red, originally uploaded by Atwater Village Newbie.

PREVIOUSLY: Changing of the Balls

Changing of the Balls

A FREQUENT NEIGHBORHOOD visitor caught some mid-morning excitement from her vantage point at Starbucks on Glendale Blvd. She reports the old orange rotating 76 ball at the gas station across the street is gone. It has been replaced not, luckily, with one of those new-fangled blister-pack two-dimensional ConocoPhillips signs. But with a new red rotating 76 ball. PREVIOUSLY: Score One for the 76 Ball

Score One for the 76 Balls

Jacob Soboroff, LA Observed contributor and this generation's answer to run-and-gun Los Angeles photojournalist Huell Howser, captures that rare phenomenon of consumer activism: a victory. Says Jacob: "In my video report, I take you inside the struggle to save the 76 ball - from Atwater Village to Ontario ... Take a look." Thanks to Jacob for generously allowing me to post the five-minute video. See his original LA Observed post here. Save Our Balls [AV Newbie] How the 76 ball was saved [LA Observed] Plan to dump 76 icon spurs public outcry [Wall Street Journal] We Won! [savethe76ball.com]

Save Our Balls

One of the last remaining iconic "76" gas station ball signs posts proudly at the corner of Glendale Blvd. and Glenhurst Ave. in Atwater Village. Little did I know the thing spins. From savethe76ball.com: "Earlier today, Nathan and I were interviewed for a new automotive-themed television series called Black Top, with the 76 Ball on Glendale Boulevard in Atwater Village as the backdrop. The number 76 was not quite in the shot, and Nathan suggested he might go ask the station manager to set the ball spinning. Much to our shock and delight, the manager agreed, and by throwing just one switch gave the sign a much needed jolt of kinetic energy." UPDATE: They won! Read more at Score One for the 76 Balls.