A good first impression goes a long way.
On Saturday, Dec. 3, the Halethorpe Improvement Association unveiled a refurbished sign to welcome visitors to the community.
"Being that Halethorpe has always been hiding in this little nook of Baltimore County, (the sign) advertises that we are here," said Michael McAuliffe, the president of the association. "It just sets a tone about how people think about the neighborhood as a whole."
The 10-year-old sign at the intersection of Potomac and Arbutus avenues had been taken down about four months ago for repairs.
It took four months of work, totaling about 30 hours, by the Kokoski family to repair the damage caused by weather and vandals.
Charles Kokoski, the vice president of the Halethorpe Improvement Association, divided the work between himself, his two sons, Charles Jr. and John, and his daughter, Mary.
The restoration efforts included Charles Sr. painting the smoke coming from the locomotive, Charles Jr. painting the border with protective paint, John piecing the sign together and Mary restoring the artwork.
It was a labor of devotion for the eldest Kokoski, who moved to the area from Massachusetts in 1938 and has stayed ever since.
Fascinated by trains since he was a boy, Kokoski said he made a rough sketch for the design of the first sign 10 years ago that included a train,
Sign makers used that sketch to build to build the 2.5-by-3.5-foot oval that welcomes visitors to the community.
Halethorpe's history with the railroad dates back to the late 19th century, Kokoski said.
The Halethorpe Improvement Association first approached the Maryland State Highway Administration about installing a sign on the one-eighth acre grass plot in 2001, said McAuliffe, the association's president for the past two years.
The association, then headed by Joe Kinsey, needed consent from the SHA because the state owned the land.
Kokoski said he has pride in the sign, but did not want to take much credit for the work in restoring it.
"It's for the aesthetics of the community and it shows pride in the community," Kokoski said of the sign. "It's beautification and recognition that this is a historic town based mainly on the railroad."
Kokoski was quick to note that each year Sandy Cullen, a former president of the Halethorpe Improvement Association, decorates the sign for the holidays.
He pointed out that David Dare has maintained the grass in the little plot.
"I'm just one of the instruments of the community to keep things nice," said Kokoski, whose sons and daughter also live in Halethorpe.
For McAuliffe, the sign is a work of art.
"The colors have come alive again after 10 years of being out in the weather," McAuliffe said. "(The Kokoskis) are known throughout the neighborhood to be creative and worthy of putting on the project.
"We knew we'd come out with a good project," McAuliffe said. "They are fine craftsmen. The whole family is. They're very meticulous."
That same year, the SHA ceded control of the maintenance of the overgrown land to the Halethorpe Improvement Association, McAuliffe said.