Tower’s souvenirs miss SA’s founding date by 63 years

[TexasTowelie]

While San Antonio’s Tricentennial Commission gathered at the Institute of Texan Cultures on Friday to hire a local firm for branding and marketing the city’s 300th anniversary in 2018, the nearby Tower of the Americas’ gift shop was already selling souvenir T-shirts and coffee mugs noting the year the city was established.

With a giant typo.

The tower’s souvenirs promoting San Antonio as the Alamo City and River City are decorated with a yellow rose and “Est 1781” in large type. What a difference a couple of transposed numbers make.

If you got your anniversary information from the front of T-shirts or coffee mugs, you might wonder why San Antonio was planning a big bash for its 237th birthday in 2018. It’s not, of course. The souvenir items should have said that the city was established in 1718, a year that has made numerous local news stories as Mayor Ivy Taylor established a big local commission and advisory board this summer to decide how the milestone will be celebrated.

Marketing for what is expected to be a yearlong calendar of events with the tricentennial brand is so important that the City Council approved $200,000 last week for fiscal year 2016 for marketing and branding, and the selection of a firm for that job was one of a few items of business on the tricentennial commission’s Friday agenda. About half of the commission’s hourlong meeting was in executive session, where the commission discussed a recommendation that KGB Texas get the initial $200,000 marketing and branding contract. Five other firms made proposals for the work. Other business included appointing and swearing in its executive director, secretary and treasurer, adding to the president and vice president appointed in August.

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Tower-s-souvenirs-miss-SA-s-founding-date-by-6589983.php