OAK GROVE, La. — For years she welcomed visitors and helped the local residents keep up with the time as the official time piece of Downtown Oak Grove, La. from her perch at the corner for Briggs and Main before moving down one block to the New, Neo Classical Designed, West Carroll National Bank building for short time from the 1970’s-1990’s before the Late Harold Russell saved her from the scrap yard and put her back on her rightful perch after Regions bought out the bank.

Friday afternoon with the help of Northeast Power Cooperative and Inmates from the West Carroll Parish Sheriffs Office she came down again, but not for long as the West Carroll Chamber of Commerce is sending her off to be completely restored.

“This has been a goal of ours for several years,” W.C. Chamber Special Projects Coordinator Adam Holland said. “With the success of the recent North Louisiana Sweet Potato Festival, we had a little surplus money and the Chamber Board agreed to have the clock and all of its neon tubing restored so she will once again welcome visitors and locals to down town.”

Being over 60 years old much of the neon tubing and the motors that kept the time on the clock have worn out and quit working requiring basically the sign to be completely rebuilt. In March, Carter Sign Company, was called in to do some work on the Fiske Sign and while there Adam Holland had them take a look at the clock and give the chamber an estimate and the repair cost were not as bad as expected.

When completed the Grand Ole Clock with have a new paint job, staying as close to the original colors as possible, courtesy of Ken Mobley at Ken’s Kustoms in Oak Grove; and all of the mechanical parts and neon will be replaced when she returns to her perch this summer.

“It is our goal to have the clock back up and running in time to welcome all of the visitors and former residents who return each year to celebrate Independence Day with their families,” Holland said. “The WCNB Building, The Fiske Theatre and the Parish Courthouse are the three most recognizable buildings in our town, bringing the clock back to her prime is just one more step along the way to our ultimate goal of bringing Downtown Oak Grove back to its rightful place as the Entertainment, Retail and Dining Hub of our region.”