Sweet: State gets new ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ tags
AP Photo/Office of Gov. Bob Riley
This image provided by the office of Gov. Bob Riley shows the state’s new design option for its licence plate. Riley unveiled the design for the new “Sweet Home Alabama” license plates Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008. It features a colorful beach scene and will replace the “Stars Fell on Alabama” plates that have been in use since January 2002.
Published: October 8, 2008
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabamians will have a sweet new option for their car tags starting in January.
Gov. Bob Riley unveiled the design for the new “Sweet Home Alabama” license plates Tuesday. It features a colorful beach scene and will replace the “Stars Fell on Alabama” plates that have been in use since January 2002.
Riley assigned the tourism department to design the new plate and chose it to reflect the Gulf Coast’s importance to Alabama’s tourism industry. Baldwin and Mobile counties combine to generate more than 30 percent of the state’s $9.8 billion tourism revenue.
Alabama tourism director Lee Sentell said the state paid $25,000 to use the Lynyrd Skynyrd song title in a marketing campaign that started last year and will soon include merchandise with the phrase.
Motorists can still choose the “God Bless America” license plate that features the American flag. The “Sweet Home Alabama” tags will be issued for five years.
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Reader Reactions
I knew that would go over someone’s head. The point is the tourism department is grasping at straws. Have you even looked at how much beach area Alabama has??? Anyone that realizes Alabama has no lottery, cannot even get a simple charity electronic bingo built without having to fight off the bible thumpers, and cannot even get 98 of the top 100 beers in our state, doesn’t have much to offer in the way of tourism anyway. If there were nude beaches, then yeah, let’s put that tag on our cars maybe that’ll attract some folks, but come on…no one is going to be behind your car on a crowded highway, see your tag and say “Hey, wow! Cool tag man…I think I’m gonna go visit Alabama’s beaches now…“ Needless to say it doesn’t promote very much to drive around your own state with these tags. I mean, the majority that see’s it is going to be from Alabama already. No, what people that drive up behind you on a busy highway and see that tag are gonna say is “ Hey…I didn’t know Alabama had gay beaches”. All in all that money could have been better spent in our schools. At least they could have put Lynard Skynard’s pics on it. You want to promote tourism in Alabama? Get some good beer in the state. Nuff said for now.
John, nonsense. It’s a beach scene; the state is trying to encourage tourism, plain and simple. And you do realize this is a done deal, not something yet to be decided?
The slogan is great, but I think the “colorful beach scene” is leaning a bit to the “rainbow” groups a little more than it should. I may be offended…I tried to say that as unobtrusively as possible…anyone get it???
Looks like the front of a church service bulletin. I’ll keep my wildlife tag.
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