Price Is Right

“Clearly, the people of Altoona have a sense of humor—and an asking price.”

Bill Schirf, Mayor of [former] Altoona, Pennsylvania

What’s your name worth to you? Kind of a hard question to answer. Maybe not for women—it’s still common for ladies to give up their surname on their wedding day. And not a hard question for the town formerly know as Altoona, Pennsylvania (population 46,287). For the princely sum of $25,000 they traded in their old name for “POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Pennsylvania.” Doesn’t really trip off the tongue, does it? The town agreed to adopt the moniker for the next 60 days as promotion for the tongue-in-cheek product placement movie, POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, by filmmaker Michael Spurlock (of Super Size Me fame). The mayor says the town could use the exposure, and the $25,000 will be put toward enhancing the police department. What’s next? Naming rights for potholes?

Read the Article ® The price was right: Pennsylvania town will rename itself after movie

Tourism Tactics

“There’s more to Mount Airy than Mayberry.”

Ed Shelton, Resident of Surry County, North Carolina

A Mayberry image update?

Smart Money’s on Mayberry

Trouble’s brewing in Mount Airy, North Carolina (population 8,583), and it all comes down to tourism dollars. Why’s that a big deal? Mount Airy is better known as Mayberry. Yep, Mayberry—America’s favorite hometown. But the tourism slogan for the county where Mount Airy is located, Surry County, is “Very Surry.” The folks from Mount Airy want to change it to “From Mayberry to Merlot” to capitalize on the county’s most famous small town and the local wine industry. But other towns in the area say the county is known for a whole lot more than Mayberry—such as the largest open face granite pit and the Museum of Regional History. Hmm. As for Pilot Mountain (aka Mount Pilot), they like the Mayberry theme—they’re even talking about putting up a statue of Barney Fife. Sounds like something the folks’ll have to hash out down at the courthouse over lemonade and Aunt Bee’s preserves.

Read the Article ® A Mayberry image update?

A River Runs by It
The borough of Shickshinny, Pennsylvania (population 896) is tucked along the banks of the Susquehanna River but it took six years to receive designation as a “River Town.” Building on the designation, the town plans to put in a boat launch and campsite to go along with the biking and hiking Warrior Trail that currently runs along the river. They’ve already raised $350,000 in state and federal grants and plan to start construction next year. Town leaders say the boat launch and campsite are in the perfect spot, and who can argue? Considering the nearest boat launch four miles up river flanks the SCI Retreat, a Pennsylvania state prison.
Read the article ® Shickshinny hails new designation