Flashback: A Neon Symbol of Edmonton’s Queer History
In June 2021, the museum started the journey of collecting the important stories of Flashback, one of Edmonton’s first and most iconic gay bars. This journey built up to an exciting moment in 2025 when we officially acquired the neon Flashback sign that once hung inside the entrance to the club. Adding this piece to RAM’s collection not only spotlights our goal of collecting Edmonton and Alberta’s queer history but also highlights years of community collaboration and relationship-building.
Flashback welcomed Albertans through its doors from 1974-1991 and was widely known as “the Studio 54 of the Prairies.” As one of the earliest gay bars in Edmonton, Flashback held an important place in the lives of those who frequently visited and offered a welcoming and safe space for the local 2SLGBTQIA+ community and their friends. The glowing neon sign hanging at the club's entrance became a symbol of safety, community, and belonging.
The museum's journey with the Flashback story began in 2021 when we received key objects and memorabilia from 2SLGBTQIA+ community members related to the history of Flashback. Items donated included: a Flashback membership card, paper ephemera, a Flashback glass with the iconic logo, and some clothing worn by one of Flashback's early members.
Then, in early 2023, museum staff learned about a new documentary, Flashback, being made by a local Calgary filmmaker, Peter Hays. The documentary tells the story of the club and its significance to Edmonton’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community. The film’s release in 2024 helped grow wider awareness and interest in the history of Flashback, and we were fortunate enough to host a screening of the film during Queer History Month in October of 2024, showcasing some of the objects we’d recently collected from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Throughout this period, we met many community members with connections to Flashback, who shared their stories and helped us preserve the club’s history. They also helped us eventually acquire the original sign from Flashback, which has become iconic on account of the club’s history.
The Flashback sign’s journey to RAM
The original building that housed the Flashback club was turned into condos in the early 1990s. But fortunately, a former bartender of the club, Darcy Greenough, rescued the neon sign that was made by Blanchett Neon in Edmonton.
Greenough then put the neon sign up in his downtown apartment and would plug it in when his friends came over on weekends, recalling memories of the fun times they had there. The sign spent decades on display in his home.
Darrin Hagen, former patron of Flashback, and author of The Edmonton Queen (2007)*, a non-fiction novel that tells the true story of the Flashback world from a survivor point of view, encouraged Greenough and former club owner, John Reid, to donate the sign to the Edmonton Neon Sign Museum. The Museum, operated by the City of Edmonton, is an outdoor collection of historic neon signs, and is located on 104 Street in downtown Edmonton. The installation of the sign in the Neon Sign Museum in June of 2023 was documented in the new Flashback film. Since the original sign was created for indoor use only, and one of its glass tubes was broken, it was not suitable for outdoor use. So, City Neon in Edmonton created a reproduction for the outdoor museum and repaired the broken glass tube on the original sign, keeping it safe at their shop.
RAM is grateful to community members for sharing this information with us, and for helping us bring the original sign to the museum--becoming the anchor in our growing Flashback collection. We are especially grateful to community members for caring for the sign for 30 years, and for coming together to help with this donation: club owner, John Reid, and community member Darcy Greenough, for saving the sign; David Johnston, Principal Heritage Planner with the City of Edmonton, and Darrin Hagen, for making the donation official, and staff of City Neon, including owner Mark Scheuer, for restoring the sign and loading it into the RAM vehicle at their Edmonton shop. Thank you.
As we continue to collect and share the stories of Alberta and its people, the Flashback sign stands as a testament to the power of community, memory, and the importance of preserving the histories that shape our province’s identity.
Growing Alberta’s Queer Collection at RAM
Do you have an object that holds queer stories or memories that you think should be added to the museum's collection? We’d love to hear from you. Check out our Call for Donations of Alberta’s Queer History. (link to webpage) We treat all inquiries with care and confidentiality. Not sure if your item is what we’re looking for? Reach out! We’re happy to talk.
To start the conversation, please email or call Julia Rudko with your contact details, information about your objects and stories, and where you are located (in Alberta or elsewhere). If you’re reaching out by email, please include photos of your objects.
Julia Rudko
Assistant Curator, Daily Life and Leisure
julia.rudko@gov.ab.ca
(825) 468-6213
Please note that only objects related to our mandate of stories about Alberta and Albertans can be considered for donation. We may not be able to accept all items offered based on their condition and our space limitations.
For more information on the Flashback documentary, you can visit: https://www.flashbackdocumentary.ca/
To learn more about the City of Edmonton’s Neon Sign Museum, visit:
Neon Sign Museum | City of Edmonton
*Darrin Hagen’s book The Edmonton Queen is a non-fiction memoir that tells the true story of the Flashback world from a survivor point of view. It was an award-winning play in 1996, and the book adaptation was published in 1997. It remains the very first book written about the Queer history of Edmonton and was the first step in cementing the Flashback legacy.