Ready or not C.R., it’s time to GO

GO Cedar Rapids!

That, in case you missed it, is the new name of what was once the Cedar Rapids Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. After months of research into why people visit Cedar Rapids, and surveying numerous organizations and local leaders, the winding path toward greater enlightenment led to a two-letter conclusion.

GO! Um, why are you still sitting there?

So it's 'GO Cedar Rapids” from now on. Or 'GO CR” in case you're going so fast you must abbreviate. The old moniker, according to the research, was too stuffy and governmental. Along those same lines, the Cedar Rapids City Council will be known as 'Beyonce.”

Research also discovered many visitors to the area are here visiting locals, their friends, relatives, etc. So 'GO Cedar Rapids” is not just a non-stuffy, non-governmental name, it's also intended as an ultimate cheer of civic pride, as well as a gentle, but firm, directive to go out and do things in the area.

You can sit around and stare at your relatives, or you can GO. The choice is clear.

But where to start? According to a helpful, fast-paced, hard-driving video accompanying the launch, we are implored to go outside, drink up, chow down, splurge, rock out, play, celebrate, explore and make memories. Food, beer, sports. I'm listening.

That's a lot of going. And I suppose that's entirely appropriate for a high-fiber cereal-producing town such as Cedar Rapids.

See, now why can't I get into the spirit of things? Always with the snarky jokes. Maybe I should GO.

Well, to be honest, having heard about all of the exhaustive researching and surveying that went into this effort, I was not blown away by GO. Perhaps these were the same consultants who gave us 'SCRAM Scranton” 'BEAT IT Beaumont” and 'Greeley NOW GIT?” OK, I made those up. Now I'm a consultant.

But, please, cut me some slack. After nearly nine years around these parts, I'm suffering from some branding and rebranding fatigue. I've lived in two corridors, technology and creative. My home is in Marion, where we now are implored to 'Reach Higher!” as if someone put growth and prosperity on an extra high shelf, next to that jelly someone gave us for Christmas in 2010.

On my way to work, I drive through the Medical District, which became the MedQuarter, and now just the 'Q” according to its promotional banners. One banner depicts a warm, inviting latte, while another features a big steamed lobster platter. I had a hernia procedure in the 'Q,” but, admittedly, that's tough to depict on a banner.

Once I drive inside the Downtown District, more banners direct me to Dine. Dwell. Do. A better message for me might be Look. Road. Dummy.

Lord knows how many other quarters, districts and quadrants I pass through without realizing it. The fifth season is for keeping up with all the brands.

Still, I think GO CEO Aaron McCreight and his team have their hearts in the right place, their eyes on the right prize. They're simply trying to tap into a vein of civic pride and remind folks that a lot is happening around here. Many have tried. Few have succeeded. I wish them luck.

These are cranky times, so any message encouraging people to think positive, shake off the gloom and look on the bright side is welcome. It beats clicking through Canadian real estate listings, stocking up on dehydrated food and buying stock in tear gas manufacturers.

GO. Party like its Jan. 19, 2017.

And tourism branding is hard. It's tough to live up to 'I (heart) NY” or 'What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas.” You don't need a consultant to figure out Nashville is 'Music City.”

But it could have been worse. Consider the tourism themes of some other Midwestern cities, according to their respective websites.

Des Moines: 'Catch Des Moines.”

Omaha: 'Visit Omaha.”

Sioux City 'Visit Sioux City.” I'm sensing a theme along the Missouri.

Rochester, Minnesota: 'Rah Rah Rochester. More than You Know.”

Waterloo: 'Dig Deeper in Waterloo.”

Mason City: 'Experience the Heart of Hospitality.”

Clinton: 'Things to Do with a River View.” OK, kind of catchy.

Paducah, Kentucky: 'City of Crafts and Folk Art.”

Springfield, Illinois: 'Always Legendary.”

Rockford, Illinois: 'Real. Original. Rockford.”

Sioux Falls: Simply change the 'I” in Sioux to an exclamation point. Paging Hiawatha.

Madison: 'Going Beyond Visit.” There are some odd arrows between each word. Conjunction junction, could have used your function.

So GO Cedar Rapids is looking pretty good, huh?

And there's some truth in advertising. There are lots of great places here to go outside, an explosion of great new local breweries where you can drink up, and a growing list if local joints where you can chow down. I'll leave the splurging and rocking out to other experts, but eight years after you-know-what, there is a lot to celebrate.

So by all means GO. But not too fast. Mind the speed cameras. SLOW Speder Trapids, perhaps.

l Comments: (319) 398-8452; todd.dorman@thegazette.com