SUSAN JOY MCKINNEY/OUR COMMUNITY
Ross Darby, director of operation, Ethan Darby, marketing director and Patrick Ganley, graphic designer, hold signs made by Hall of
Fame Plaques & Signs. The signs were donated to the community for families to place in their yards to show appreciation for essential
and health care workers at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ross & Ethan Darby and Patrick Ganley
Yard signs bring smiles in tense times
BY MARY WICOFF
[email protected]
DANVILLE — If you’ve been cheered
by the colorful “thank you” signs around
town, thank workers at the Hall of Fame
Plaques & Signs.
“We wanted to show appreciation for
those who were putting their lives on
the line, and yard signs were something
that we knew we could produce quickly
and in large volume,” Ross Darby, director
of operations, said.
Ethan Darby, his brother and marketing
director, said, “The community has
been great to us, so we try to give back.”
The company at 3550 N. Vermilion
20 OUR COMMUNITY 2020
MORE INFORMATION
Learn more at the website,
halloffameplaques.com, or its Facebook
page, www.facebook.com/HOFSignShop/
You also may call 446-8313 or stop in at
3550 N. Vermilion St.
came up with a design thanking essential
workers, and printed those on
corrugated plastic, which is weather resistant,
along with metal prongs to place
in yards. A third brother, Jackson Darby,
designed the signs.
Through its Facebook page, it spread
the message that the signs were free to
those who wanted to thank people on
the front lines.
Hall of Fame gave away more than
750 signs — and the response was overwhelming.
Ethan said, “We did not have a
number in mind when we began this.
We thought we would put a few out and
see what sort of response we got. After
about three days, we had people waiting
on us to drop off the signs.”
Ross said, “Seeing people’s smiling
faces as we placed the signs in their
vehicles was the highlight of our day.
People would tell us stories about who
they were getting the signs for. We heard
about EMTs, nurses, and others.
“These people were so proud to show