Look before you leap

There’s an old adage which says “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

We believe this applies to the unofficial slogan for Saratoga, “Where the trout leap in main street,” which has been in use for nearly a century. Borrowed from a 1927 article of the same name by Outdoor Living Magazine writer Billy O’Neil, it’s been a fitting slogan for our town, which is bisected by the North Platte River.

For nearly a century, this slogan has been a source of community pride for Saratoga and for good reason. The North Platte River is a blue ribbon fishery and it runs right through town, meaning an angler can drop a line just a stone's throw away from downtown and catch a trout. In fact, it was once common for people to catch hundreds—hundreds—of trout in a day.

It’s also great branding.

All over town one is bound to see trout—specifically the rainbow trout—incorporated into all sorts of branding for businesses and organizations. Valley Foods, Saratoga Sandwich Company, Riviera Motor Lodge, the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Platte Valley Community Center feature a trout in their logos. It’s even part of the Town of Saratoga’s logo. When entering Saratoga, visitors are greeted by signs which feature a trout.

In the world of branding and search engine optimization, a slogan like “Where the trout leap in main street” is unique. A simple Google search of the phrase brings up websites of various Saratoga businesses and organizations.

If this slogan has served our community for so long, why would we ever consider changing it? That’s the question we have following the most recent meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. The governing body’s newest appointee to the Carbon County Visitors’ Council asked the town council if they wanted to update the “brand” of Saratoga when talking about signage for the community.

We will note, following an email to Carbon County Visitors’ Council Director Leslie Jefferson, that the tourism board is not actively looking to rebrand Saratoga. Rather, they are looking to use Destination Development grant funds to help all 11 communities in the county to develop a tourism master plan.

To be fair, there is a lot more which happens in and around Saratoga than just fishing. We’ve got great restaurants for such a small community. We’re also home to some exciting and unique events like Bullfest, the Steinley Cup Microbrew Competition, the Saratoga Skijoring Races, the Saratoga Lake Ice Fishing Derby and the Frozen Fore. Just to name a few.

As much as we enjoy and support these events, we believe none of them would even be possible if it weren’t for the foundation upon which Saratoga was built.

That being said, we’re not opposed to change. We’ve run editorials in this newspaper advocating for changes ranging from workforce housing to increased pedestrian safety at the intersection of 1st Street and Bridge Avenue. While change is the only constant—and sometimes feels like it must be forced—there shouldn’t be change just for the sake of change.

If there were to be any rebranding of Saratoga, it should be strictly for Saratoga. Just as any rebranding of Encampment should be for Encampment and the same for Riverside as our three communities in the Platte Valley—the Good Times Valley—are each unique from each other.

It appears obvious to us many of the residents of Saratoga, lifetime or otherwise, take a lot of pride in Saratoga’s unofficial slogan. In the future, should there ever be any discussion about rebranding, it seems it should be something which Saratoga residents would be just as passionate about. Like another old adage goes, “Look before you leap.”