Long before the Iowa DOT began bombarding our senses with messaging tortured enough to ensure that drivers’ eyes stay on the road, travelers along I-380 had just one source of entertainment to liven up their route: the Nesper sign. Cedar Rapids mainstay Nesper Sign Advertising sits just past the Highway 30 interchange, offering northbound drivers an added incentive to abide by the lowered speed limit as 380 crosses into the city limits.
The source of the best daily groans in Iowa is gearing up to mark its centennial in 2025. Founded by Walter Nesper in 1925, the company has remained a small endeavor with an outsized impact. It was purchased by the Sovern family in the mid 20th century, and it was under them the regular jokes began. The Soverns co-owned Nesper Sign with the Garland family from 1990 until the Garlands took sole ownership in 2000, ushering it into the 21st century.
Pun pundits, finger-gun deployers and dad-joke connoisseurs have been yukking it up now for 45 years of Nesper’s history. Some classic knee-slappers have included: “How could you get hit on the head with a book? You would only have your shelf to blame!” and “A few puns make me numb but math puns make me number!”…