'Alaska at its best'

Palmer council to register city's trademark slogan

By EOWYN LeMAY IVEY-Frontiersman reporter

PALMER -- The city of Palmer is on its way to officially becoming "Alaska at its Best!"

At last week's regular meeting, the Palmer City Council unanimously backed Councilman John Combs' plan to adopt "Alaska at its Best!" as a slogan for the city. For $50, the city's new slogan will become a registered trademark within the state of Alaska.

"This has been bandied about for some time," Combs said after presenting the resolutions. He said in recent years, groups such as the Palmer Chamber, the Palmer Pride organizing committee and the city council have discussed the need for a statement that sums up Palmer and can be used on signs, letterhead and even as part of the official city seal. Sayings such as "A Growing Frontier," and "The Heart of the Matanuska Valley," had been printed on various signs, but Combs said he felt some of these were outdated.

"There was no really unified slogan that was out there, that people said 'Yes, that's Palmer,'" Combs said.

However, he said he has come across "Alaska at its Best!" in various Palmer events, and it is even on a Palmer Lions Club pin he wears on his club vest.

"I can see signs that say, 'Welcome to Palmer -- Alaska at its Best!'" Combs said. "Having grown up here, I can't argue with that statement."

Once this motto is printed on signs, T-shirts, bumper stickers or any other items, it becomes a financial necessity to protect it, Combs argued. He said some other city in the state might decide it is such a good slogan that they want to adopt it as well.

Registering it as a trademark will help prevent this from happening. Combs said he went through a similar process with his own business and that while it does require some paperwork and $50, he felt it was well worth it. He even volunteered to pay to register the city's slogan out of his own pocket, but the council voted to fund it out of the city's budget.

As a part of the resolution it passed Tuesday night,the council stated that the trademark is a part of "its efforts to be economically responsible," and to "positively identify Palmer" in correspondence, informational material and signs.

"… when the trademarked unified slogan is viewed by the public, there will be an immediate recognition of the attributes of the community and the City of Palmer," the council's resolution states.

A second resolution, specifically identifying "Alaska at its Best!," says that the slogan should "effectively represent the spirit, character and quality of life enjoyed by the citizens …"