After a short hiatus, the famed “Tucumari Tonite!” billboards that once graced Route 66 will be returning to Interstate 40 and U.S. 54 to publicize that eastern New Mexico town, reports the Quay County Sun.
For more than a year, billboards advertising the city have featured a silhouette of cowboys on horseback and the slogan “Gateway to the West.”
“We want to go back to ‘Tucumcari Tonite’ which is nationally recognized,” said Bill Kinder, owner of the Blue Swallow Motel and a member of the city’s Lodgers Tax Advisory Board. […]
In outlining board members emphasis for the new billboards, board chairman Diane Morency said the billboards will focus on the old slogan and Route 66 to draw in tourists.
As other billboard contracts expire, the board plans to reintroduce the old slogan, ‘Tucumcari Tonite.’
The “Gateway to the West” slogan was amazingly ill-advised, considering that a certain town by the name of St. Louis had dibs on it.
“Tucumcari Tonite” was used for decades, is instantly recognizable and conjures up a lot of memories for older travelers. Let’s keep it, OK?