The powers that be, in all of their infinite wisdom, have decided to spend more than $100,000 to affect a new catch phrase for the city of Sparks. In addition, the process has included a change in the Victorian Avenue name as well as the name of the Sparks Marina.

Maybe I’ve lived here too long, but Victorian Avenue was B Street originally. Then the median was bermed up, then torn down and the Victorian motif was adopted. Who cares what the cost was; it’s only money anyway. The current $100,000-plus is coming from a fund in the room tax revenue that is dedicated to promoting marketing and tourism items. I don’t care where it is coming from; it’s still money. The committee has as a member Stephen Ascuaga, representing John Ascuaga’s Nugget, and if that isn’t a lot like letting the fox in the chicken coop I don’t know what is. I wonder if any of the other contributors to the room tax fund from Sparks has members on the committee as well.

The idea that Sparks should no longer be thought of as a railroad town, which is why it even exists today, because the railroad theme is too provincial for 21st century tourism economists to promote is ludicrous. Let’s not even mention the fact that the V&T Railroad will soon be linking up all the way to Carson City from Virginia City. Will that be a tourism draw?

The “expert” who was paid the $100,000-plus, has developed the idea that Sparks should be known as the Festival City. Now, you can’t tell me that with all the high-paid experts we have as mover and shakers on the city council and in city government, that, with a few dozen donuts and a few pots of coffee, they couldn’t have dreamed that idea up themselves. Unless we have some real numbskulls running our city, why should we have an outsider come to town and tell us we’re doing it all wrong and for a mere $100,000, he’ll fix it for us? What’s next? The Tooth Fairy or the Emperor’s new clothes? Speaking of clothes, I think we just got fleeced.

Successful tourism needs location (and, Boy do we have that, in spades) and a reason to come and enjoy the place. That means entertain the folks, folks. That might mean we have to spend some money on entertaining things we could bring to town for the tourists to enjoy besides the location and gambling. If we entertain our tourists, they’ll spend their gambling money as well. What’s the old adage, you have to spend money to make money, or is that a 20th century notion? Branson, Mo.: Who has ever heard of that place? It’s going gang busters. Why? Because they entertain people, that’s why!

Reno casinos have been trying to entertain tourists on the cheap for years. They rent Lawlor Events Center, bring in the likes of Elton John for a one-nighter, bus the tourists to the event and back and they spend their money afterward on the tables. Casinos don’t have to maintain a Vegas-style showroom but they still get the crowd by comping them the tickets (high rollers, of course) and all is bliss. On the cheap. What a hustle. Locals paid for the building and the casinos reap the profit.

Most of the current “festivals” we have are not only manned by locals but most of the attendees are locals as well. Any outsiders that attend stay at the hotels and they are the benefactors of any profits from the gambling activity, not the locals. Why don’t the casinos spend their money to make their profit? I know, you’ll argue that with the increased number of outsiders that will bring jobs for locals. Yeah, at $5 an hour. And then more $5-an-hour employees move in with no benefits medically, so we all pay for that one. Plus the added numbers of students in our schools and it goes on and on, but the casinos get their profits.

I think if Tony Armstrong knew about this whole “festival” boondoggle he’d turn over in his grave. Tony, where are you when we need you?

Larry Wilson is a 50-year resident of Sparks and a retired elementary school teacher. You can contact him at lawilson16@aol.com.