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JANUARY 2002

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Gator Trails

Chicago had cows. Orlando had lizards. Cincinnati had pigs. Toledo had frogs. Richmond had fish. Tampa had turtles. Rockport had lobsters. Lexington and Ocala have horses.

These are all art-in-public-places projects that blend civic pride with whimsical art, using a familiar icon in a new way. All have been hugely successful in their communities. Citizens and visitors alike have embraced them and enjoyed them.

“Gators” are the easy choice for Gainesville’s art-in-public-places object. There will be 50 art-gators distributed throughout the county in key areas called “Gator Trails.” Each of the fiberglass gators on a Gator Trail will be decorated and artistically enhanced by professional artists.

The trails on which to cluster small groups of Trail Gators include the UF campus, Downtown, the Oaks Mall area, the Butler Plaza area, North Main Street, and the Millhopper area. In Alachua County, organizers hope to include Alachua, Newberry, High Springs, Micanopy or any of the communities who want to participate.

The purpose of a trail is to encourage people to travel around our beautiful county and be tourists at home, seeing and enjoying all our sights.

Sponsorship of a Trail Gator offers a unique marketing opportunity. A sponsor may collaborate with the artist for that gator, to customize the artistic treatment to represent that sponsor’s business or service. And a sponsor may pick the site for his or her Gator, depending on the locations available.

Sponsorship of a Trail Gator is one of the best advertising opportunities available, due to the length of the sponsorship (10 months) and the extensive publicity that each Trail Gator and its sponsor will receive. Sponsors’ names are to be prominently displayed on each Trail Gator’s base as well as in all promotional materials, such as the trail maps, posters, brochures, newspaper inserts, television promotion and news media coverage. Media partners will promote individual Trail Gators as well as the collection.

Next fall, at the end of the Gator Trails project, there will be a combined live and on-line auction and we hope to attract bidders from throughout the Gator Nation to purchase these Gators!

All proceeds from the auction will first reimburse both the City of Gainesville and Alachua County for their initial investments in the Gator Trails project. Any funds received beyond that will go to the Destination Enhancement Program, designated for new projects in tourism development for Alachua County.

Gator Trails will be a fun project that brings this community together in 2002 and keeps people talking about it for years to come. By following the Gator Trails, residents and visitors alike will have a new reason to travel throughout our community and enjoy its natural beauty, its restaurants, its businesses and its landmarks.

To find out more about sponsorship opportunities or just getting involved with the project, just call 334-5064 for more information.