Ummm. This bugs the heck out of me. From a newsletter to which I subscribe:
[i]Hot Springs to Create 5,000 ‘Rolling Billboards’ With Free License Plates for Residents’ Cars
License Plates The Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau plans to convert the cars of 5,000 Hot Springs and Garland County residents into rolling billboards for Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, this summer.
It will install 5,000 free license plates bearing the city’s name and logo onto residents’ cars and let those plates spread notice about the city as the residents travel on vacations.
“The plates will let people know where the drivers are from as they travel inside Arkansas and outside the state this summer,” said Steve Arrison, CEO of the Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau. “All the drivers have to do is come to the Convention Center and we’ll install the plates for them if their front bumpers have pre-drilled holes for placement of a license plate. They won’t even have to get out of the car. First come, first served.”
Arrison said the installation day will be Tuesday, June 23.
“We’ll have installers ready at 7:30 a.m.,” he said. “We’ll install the plates until we run out or until 6 p.m., whichever comes first. All you have to do is drive up and we’ll put them on in a jiffy.
“This will be a great, inexpensive way for Hot Springs and Garland County residents to let the rest of the country know about their hometown. It will let drivers advertise Hot Springs instead of being a free billboard for some auto dealership.”
Arrison said the plates are metal, black-teal-and-white custom license plates with raised letters.
“They’re really nice,” he said.
“We ordered 5,000 plates,” he said. “They cost us $1.54 per plate.” [/i]
So the already crunched citizens of Arkansas are now going to foot the bill for advertising for the city of Hot Springs? Or is this freaking state bailout money at work?
Is it any wonder our economy is a nightmare?
