La Grange Brand

To the Editor:

As a new citizen of La Grange, I read with great interest of The City Council’s intention to re-brand our town. Part of this effort will be to find a new slogan.

My first serious thought after brainstorming a few total reject slogans … Not That Song… The Bottom of the Hill Country (that one is really bad) … Everything You Need except a place for Sunday brunch...was to advise the City Council NOT to use outside people to define the town. I’m sure the company they are considering is a wonderful company that knows all about their hometown, Fort Worth. But the people of La Grange should be the ones directing the future of La Grange. (sez the newcomer, noted. Yes I’m new, but I love this town.)

A city slogan should be more than a few clever marketing words. It also is a goal.

I once worked for a media company that had an incredible slogan. Honestly, I don’t remember if it came from in house or if we used a “consultant,” but it was perfect. You may actually be familiar with it, “The Spirit of Texas.”

We actually were not, in my opinion, “The Spirit of Texas” at the time we adopted that slogan. We had lost our way a bit. But that motto did bring us back to what we wanted to be and we became “The Spirit of Texas” once again.

We eventually had to change our slogan because of copycat dilution. A small company here, a distillery there, a bbq restaurant in California. But it was a great slogan while we had it and we acted accordingly.

So, I thought about why I moved here… the beautiful ancient trees, interesting terrain, trains, revered history, respectful kind people… that’s it. It was the PEOPLE of La Grange that really sealed the deal for me.

So here’s my serious suggestion for a new town slogan: La Grange, The Golden Rule City, because that is what it is now and I hope it always is.

L. J. Gonnell La Grange