It was around the beginning of July when Ruth Kindrew first noticed that the time and temperature clock in front of Palmerton’s BB&T bank was covered up.

“I’m on the Facebook group ‘I Love My Hometown, Palmerton,’ with old pictures of the town. I noticed a lot of people saying ‘I miss the clock, I miss the clock!’ But they weren’t doing anything. I just get annoyed when everyone complains and no one does anything,” Kindrew said.She tried contacting the bank itself, to no avail. She was informed that while the bank employees also missed the clock, there was nothing that could be done on their level. Kindrew was inspired to take action, creating a petition last week on Change.org to save the clock.The corporate offices of BB&T suggested that parts and upkeep are the main issue behind the choice to remove old signs.“National Penn and BB&T made a joint decision to remove the time and temperature signs at the beginning of conversion which occurred in mid-July,” David R. White, BB&T vice president of corporate communications said. “The signs have become increasingly difficult to maintain, and incandescent bulbs for many of the models are no longer manufactured. We did not feel that partially illuminated or frequently inaccurate signs would be the right image to display in our communities.”“It seems to me that it was working fine for all of those years,” Kindrew said. “I think they should just uncover it, let it run until it can’t be fixed. Then we can find something to replace it.”Petition signers like Bruce Maysmith commented that the sign has been part of the community for nearly half a century, while making mention of the very issue that has played a part in the decision to get rid of it.“I think that the original time and temp was installed around the time my dad was hired at Palmerton Savings and Loan in 1968. It was updated when Keystone Savings bought them out in 1973 or so. The original must have been somewhat expensive to maintain — before LED lights. They had to replace mini light bulbs when one burned out,” Maysmith’s comment on the petition said.Many signers echoed Kindrew’s sentiments, emphasizing that the clock is part of the town’s story. A number of people on the petition commented that checking the clock was part of their daily routine.“There isn’t a person in town that hasn’t looked at that clock for either the time or temperature,” Palmerton resident Walter Johnson’s comment said.Kindrew’s campaign has nearly reached her goal of 200 supporters.“I’m not sure how many signatures it will take. Of course, everyone would like to have a thousand,” Kindrew said.While BB&T may not plan to keep the relic, Kindrew and other Palmerton residents are hopeful that its legacy can be preserved.“If they don’t uncover it, maybe someone else can take it,” she said. “The thing is, it’s a landmark in Palmerton. It’s been there as long as I can remember. It’s always been part of my life,” Kindrew said.Residents can still check the time and temperature through a service provided by First Northern Bank and Trust at 610 -826-7777 . This service takes the time from the U.S. Naval Observatory’s master clock, and provides the current temperature as well as a daily forecast.