The town of Berthoud replaced its 20-year-old, worn-out welcome signs with three new ones with a retro flair, a move that the town’s administrators said celebrated Berthoud’s small town, agricultural roots.

Hand-painted by Brian Oliver, of Fort Collins-based Paxton Signs and designed by his wife, Peggy Kielian Oliver, the three signs will be located at three locations entering town, both on north and southbound U.S. 287 and westbound Colorado 56. The design evokes an older kind of Americana, a ’50s style that would seem at home along Route 66.

“They mentioned that they liked something that looked like a travel postcard, like from Las Vegas or whatever,” Oliver said Monday. “We’ve all seen them.”

Oliver said that while he paints signs professionally, they’re not often highway signs, and aren’t often as detailed as this one, presenting a challenge.

“The thing about doing signs that are seen from a distance is that you can’t get bogged down in the details because they just flat get lost,” he said. “You have to be careful as a printer not to be too nuanced, too detailed. Things have to be exaggerated so when you see them at the intended viewing distance, in this case about 300 feet, it all hangs together and projects the image that you’re hoping is perceived.”

The previous signs, according to Berthoud Mayor Will Karspeck, were showing signs of wear and tear, and the time had come to replace them.

“I think the impetus was just age,” he said. “Watching our old signs deteriorate, peel, really fade. It wasn’t an overnight thing, so I’m really glad we got on it.”

Karspeck also said that the unique design was what sold him and the rest of the Berthoud Board of Trustees on the new signs.

“It reminded us of a vintage postcard, or a PanAm Clipper flight, something like that,” he said. “Once we saw that, we went ‘that’s it.’ It’s awesome when the whole board and staff agree on something.”