For businesses looking for some local marketing ideas, 2009 will be one of those opportunities that only come around once every 150 years. The only trick will be spelling sesquicentennial in your advertising.
Maybe you should just call it Boulder’s 150th anniversary.
The first gold discovery reported in the mountains of Colorado took place at Gold Run in the Gold Hill area in 1858, and on Feb. 10, 1859 the Boulder City Town Company was formed.
Although an initial Web site is up at www.boulder150.com, organizers are just starting to think about how the city will recognize those early pioneer days when prospectors arrived at the foot of Boulder Canyon.
Although fund-raising will be needed, the city of Boulder so far has only set aside $25,000 from its discretionary funds to get planning started. As one person pointed out, just to put up banners on the Pearl Street Mall would cost about $20,000, so the key right now is "volunteer labor" and "pro bono" services.
Former city councilman Dan Corson is leading the organizing, with Marilyn Haas the point person for pulling committees together.
A logo for the 150th was designed by Mona Lambrecht, and a call for a Boulder design firm to assist with building a robust Web site has gone out. The 150th slogan is "Celebrating Community Through History."
I took a look back 50 years ago when both Boulder and Colorado centennials took place to see what businesses did in 1959 for the celebration.
How long ago is 50 years? Well, Joyce’s Supermarket on 15th Street was selling rib steaks for 85 cents a pound; a dozen eggs went for 41 cents. You could buy a new 35mm Koni camera at Jones Camera on the hill for $24.95.
The fund-raising committee back then sold centennial souvenir plates for $1.50, with artwork showing local sites like Boulder High, the first public school in Colorado; Memorial Center; Arapahoe Glacier and the Flatirons.
Local merchants circulated souvenir wooden nickels and purchased peddler’s permits. For publicity, the wooden nickels were loaded into an armored car and delivered to Boulder stores. Organizers also sold shaver’s permit badges, centennial belle badges and derby hats.
Many businesses and individuals donated funds (the festival sold Debenture Bonds with the catch “something might happen so we can’t promise all of your dough back.”) A Boulder Centennial Directory recognized donors as Grub Stake Underwriters and included businesses still around today including Estey Printing Co., Jones Drug, Kinsley & Co., McCaddon Olds, Starr Clothing and Eads News. Businesses purchased small ads in the directory, listed by category such as Department Stores (Montgomery Ward and J.C. Penny), Gift Shops (The Pines and the Mountaineer Shop), Hotels & Motels (Boulderado, Harvest House, Lazy J Motel); Fritz Baehr and William Hofgard advertised under insurance; jewelers included Hurdle’s Jewelry and University Hill Jewelers, and the Fox-Boulder Theaters had the slogan “Get More Out of Life, Go Out to a Movie.” There was Fred’s Columbine Café – “Fred’s for Thick Steaks,” and Gamelines Sporting Goods, “Boulder’s Only Complete Sport Goods Store.”
The National State Bank of Boulder ran an ad offering the modern-day convenience of “Bank by Mail.” Boulder Industrial Bank had a contest with prizes including gold panning kits, a do-it-yourself settler’s kit and ceramic mustache cups.
One of my favorite promotions was the “Pink Poodle Posse,” the official greeters for dignitaries attending Colorado’s Centennial, with the theme of “Rush to the Rockies.” The posse was described as a “bevy of 20 beautiful teenagers” attired in pink Western costumes with pink-tinted poodles, and sponsored by the Mile High Kennel Club.
The official festival, with A.A. “Gov” Paddock as honorary chairman, ran July 25 to Aug. 5 and featured a horse show, downtown parade with floats and Pow Wow Rodeo. Merchants held an Old Fashioned Bargain Days with “now and then” window displays. Here’s one I hope comes back -- the beard growing contest.
Performances of “Boulderama,” described as a cast of 600 on an outdoor panoramic stage at the high school stadium, ran several nights. One day was an “Industrial Salute to the Future.”
So now it’s up to Boulder businesses to get creative. The Boulder Chamber of Commerce is looking at recognizing "pioneer" businesses, and Avery Brewing reportedly has said it will brew up a sesquicentennial beer (hope that fits on a label.)
Ideas started to surface at a public meeting at the Millennium Harvest House Hotel, including a souvenir DVD that would collect citizen photos and videos from celebration events.
The official kickoff for the 150th will probably be at Boulder's December Parade of Lights, with local businessman Stephen Tebo already volunteering to put a few of his collector cars in the parade.
Interested in getting involved in the sesquicentennial? First of all you have to prove you can spell it. Just joking. You can volunteer or send in ideas to info@boulder150.com, or if you’ve got a really great business idea, I’d be happy to pass it along.
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