Sign should show love for Lake Erie

HURON — Tourism officials hope a new sign will inspire everyone to show their love for Lake Erie.Lake Erie Shores & Islands, the area's tourism bureau, will soon put up a big "Lake Erie Love" sign at Huron's Nickel Plate Beach.The sign, about 13 feet long and five feet high, is supposed to be in place by Memorial Day and will cost about $14,000. It's being made locally by Brady Signs and is expected to last for 15 to 20 years, said Larry Fletcher, executive director of Lake Erie Shores & Islands.The idea is to provide a place for visitors to snap photos. They will then likely post the photos on social media sites, giving the region publicity, Fletcher said."People love finding unique places to have their pictures taken," Fletcher said.Fletcher discussed the planned new sign during last week's annual meeting of Lake Erie Shores and Islands, hosted at the convention center of Kalahari Resort. The sign will likely be seen by thousands of people, he said.The sign will be placed to show off the popular's beach's sand and to have the Huron Lighthouse in the background for people who are snapping photos, said Doug Steinwart, parks and recreation operations manager for the city.Nickel Plate is a popular destination beach, Steinwart said.When Lake Erie Shores & Islands put out the word that it was looking for a site for the sign, Huron was the first local city to step up, Fletcher said.He said he'd love to put up similar signs in other locations, including in Sandusky.Steinwart said the city is always happy to partner with other groups to promote Huron and the area."Partnerships are essential for small departments like we are," he said.Reach reporter Tom Jackson at jackson@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @jacksontom.An illustration released by Lake Erie Shores and Islands shows what a sign to be placed at a Huron beach will look like.