Residents of the South Windsor neighbourhood got a surprise on Wednesday night, when the Yorktown Square sign shone brightly once again.

The neon icon, which dates back to 1954, appears on Windsor's heritage register. It was restored in 2011 but hasn't been regularly illuminated in years.

Michelle Soulliere was one of many who caught a glimpse of the sign lit up.

She owns South Windsor School of Music, a tenant of the plaza. When she was leaving work Wednesday evening, she noticed a lot of cars in the parking lot — people who had turned up to check out the display.

"It's exciting because it's not usually lit up and also because it's so beautiful and everyone loves it," she said.

The sign is owned by N&D Property Management.  The company says that the sign was lit up to test out how much of it remained operational. As the photos show, most of the sign still worked.

Soulliere, who called the sign a piece of art, said that keeping the sign illuminated could help the plaza become a more vibrant place during the evening.

"I just see a lot of potential here and I know that just because of the reaction that the sign gets after one day of being lit, I can only imagine how active this space would be with all of that energy ... continuously."