Posted by purpleheart1 (anonymous) on July 3, 2009 at 3:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Here we go again!
The article says Austin's Freedom Fest...
Blah-blah-blah!
What is the picture depicting?
SPAMTOWN USA in big bold font.
What is found about three lines down?
Austin, Minnesota in real little font!
And some of you bloggers get upset because I continue to say that the HORMEL Company is bound and determined to glorify spam over promoting the city of Austin. You talk about self-serving? Funny they haven't tried to legally change the name of Austin to spamtown!!
SICKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!

Posted by Ronny_Soak (anonymous) on July 3, 2009 at 6:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The article may say 'Austin's Freedom Fest' but the chamber has everything labeled as 'Spamtown USA Freedom Fest' - and not a single mention of the real holiday being celebrated - INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Spam-this and hog-that - it's obvious the chamber is just a whore selling themselves and this holiday for a dollar. It's a damn shame that the only time in the last decade that Independence Day was celebrated as such in Austin was in 2002 - the first July 4th after September 11th when the country was bandwagon patriotic.

This disgrace of a national holiday by Austin and the Chamber is the reason I and many others will go elsewhere where they celebrate the holiday for what it is and not some excuse to 'advertise' and shill some product.

Posted by Norman (anonymous) on July 3, 2009 at 8:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Detroit..."Motor City"
Pittsburgh..."Steel City"

Is it so horrible Austin is nicknamed "Spamtown" and the Chamber wants to capitalize on its heritage?

Posted by Littletoad (anonymous) on July 3, 2009 at 8:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Norman.....posters are just tired of companies that seem to take over events with marketing campaigns that put themselves so "front and center" while the meaning of the actual event seems to gets lost! We all know that the Hormel Company does many good deeds for the community, but like any kindly benefactor who does so quietly, they will be thought of as ever so humble, whereas if one toots their horn so to speak, it comes off as somewhat crass!

Posted by formerresident (anonymous) on July 3, 2009 at 9:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Perhaps everyone who is so confident Hormel Foods wants Austin to be known as Spamtown should double check with company officials. Look at what organization promotes the town as Spamtown...the last time I checked, it wasn't Hormel.

Posted by niknlsn (anonymous) on July 4, 2009 at 8:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I think this is going to be a great and fun filled day in the
city of Austin. Today's parade and festivities at the Bandshell are going to be awsesome and exciting.
The fireworks are going to be spectacular and cool.
Food is going to taste excellent.

Posted by Ronny_Soak (anonymous) on July 4, 2009 at 8:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Norman - neither of your other examples identifies with a specific trademarked product name.

formerresident - Spam(TM) is trademarked and it doesn't appear that the company has any problem with their product being put front and center here. Do you know what a surrogate is? Have you looked at the track record of this other 'organization'? Do you see the pattern?

Frankly, I wouldn't mind a "Spam(TM)Head Spam(TM)Tastic Spam(TM)Daze Spam(TM)Jam" celebration - just don't hijack a national holiday to do it. Something between the Independence Day Holiday and the County Fair could work, and I would even support it. If Hormel wants to give back to the community that help build them that would be great! As it is, this is about as tasteless as hijacking Easter, Christmas, or Veterans Day and slapping a product name on it.

Posted by cooper (anonymous) on July 4, 2009 at 9 a.m. (Suggest removal)

If Hormel ever left this city it would dry up and die! Im not a big supporter of Hormel but that is the truth and everyone on this site knows it. Ronny I do agree with your last paragraph It would break up the summer a little bit.

Posted by purpleheart1 (anonymous) on July 4, 2009 at 9:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The 4th of July should be about our freedoms we enjoy. It should be a time of reflection about all the millions of men and women who formerly and currently serve in the armed forces of the United States of America to protect and defend our freedoms we enjoy (and some miss or take for granted). If you spam lovin-spam-supportin-spam-promotin folks want to celebrate spam - GO FOR IT!! Just do it as another poster said at another time. To promote spam over our great country and our freedoms is ANTI-American and ANTI-patriotic any way you label it. It's shameful ,and it's just not right!!Another point, to call it Austin's Freedom fest
and amplify spam over Austin is pretty sorry as well.
JULY 4th is about AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by austinnative (anonymous) on July 4, 2009 at 2:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The Spam Jam is all about the 4th and the freedom to celebrate how we want to. Anyone who doesn't see that is a moron. Like it or not our city would not be what it is without Hormel.

No one is promoting Spam over our country, if anything the Spam Jam is just a side event to the celebration of our country. Like if you were to go to a concert of a big band, they have an opening act. Our country is the headliner, Spam Jam is just something to do waiting for the main act.

And it's not as if we are the only city who does something like this, there are many.

Oh, and to those who said it should be held at a different time than the 4th, it used to be held in June up until a few years ago. And people demanded it be changed to coincide with the 4th.

Posted by purpleheart1 (anonymous) on July 4, 2009 at 3:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

austinnative
Thanks for the moron compliment. I consider it a small thing to be judged by you. Have a nice 4th. It's all about WHY we celebrate our freedoms. If you have gotten that figured out by now??????????? You never will!!
PS. You may not agree with me, but I won't get into name calling - that's for grade schoolers! :O)

Posted by jimbennett (anonymous) on July 4, 2009 at 4:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I spent the entire evening at the bandshell last night. Good music, nice fireworks. The evening had a patriotic theme. Very well done. I expect more of the same tonight.

I don't really remember seeing any overt SPAM promotion, if any.

Just FYI... SPAM JAM was always a separate function from the city/chambers celebration. It was a function of Hormel. The first few years it was near East Side Lake, the last couple in the Hormel office parking lot on North Main. Never on the 4th of July, and I think the last time was 2 or 3 years ago.

Posted by Aletheia_Kratos (anonymous) on July 4, 2009 at 4:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

What is clear is that the angry and bitter Hormel haters club members have not participated in any of the events. The parade, the music, the community coming together with all kinds of patriotism and Independence Day history and culture. Not a mention in any of it of Spam Town or even Hormel.

But the name is what bothers them. You cannot talk to people of such dark hearts and bitter souls. Their world is their world - not reality. Never let things like facts get in the way of a good anti-corporation rant.

For the rest of civilization, I do hope you and your families have had as much fun as I have had listening to the patriotic music, watching the kids play on the inflatables, eating the great foods, checking out the great crafts, watching one of the best parades around, chearing on some athletes competing, and most of all just socializing with the community for one day out of the year.

Not once was my experience interrupted by a Hormel reference until I came here.

Posted by Aletheia_Kratos (anonymous) on July 4, 2009 at 5:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Plan B's members are doing a fantastic unplugged set right now. This festival rocks.

Posted by Aletheia_Kratos (anonymous) on July 4, 2009 at 9:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The community band just did all the songs for the branches of the miltary and are in the middle of a string of patriotic songs. I would say that the meaning for the season is alive and well here.

Posted by cooper (anonymous) on July 4, 2009 at 11:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Ak I did enjoy the parade and the bands but I also did see a Hormel sign in the parade which is ok. As for Mr. Bennit you should see the little pink pig that my son won. The main point here is that we had a good time. Thanks to everyone who put in the effort to put it togather.

Posted by Rhino (anonymous) on July 4, 2009 at 11:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)

hey if you dont like the way Austin runs the 4th of July.... LEAVE. We did, and we have more fun outside of "commercialization" of a national holiday by big companies and the city officials and chamber kissing A** to them. Oh, and i had my flag raised on my camper just like i do at home every day. And thats all the national holiday needs and means to me. "Old Glory" waving in the wind, there is nothing is more free then that.

Posted by cooper (anonymous) on July 4, 2009 at 11:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Nothing like "Old Glory" waving in the wind. Can't think of anything better than that.

Posted by curiousobserver (anonymous) on July 5, 2009 at 11:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Yeah..... and stay away from Times Square on New Year's Eve too, because that is just NYC trying to commercialize that Holiday for the benefit of the Big Apple ,too. Much better for you to hybernate and find things to complain about all the time. Leave the fun and entertainment to the rest of us.

Posted by scottb (anonymous) on July 6, 2009 at 6:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Let me get this right. The largest employer in town spends money to fund a celebration that the city can't even come close to affording and in exchange they want thier signature product name displayed? I wonder how many kids who enjoyed the parade/fireworks/etc even paid any attention to all of that. Look at the pictures of kids smiling/playing/running/waving and just having fun and then you'll see why our country is great. Can't the adults just look past a logo....

Posted by patrickh2001 (anonymous) on July 6, 2009 at 8:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Apparently the true nature of Austin's official logo has long since worn off. An oak tree, symbolic of so many things in Austin but more symbolic of strength and endurance, deep roots, providing shade and shelter. Together with the words, 'Austin, Growing Together'. That logo was introduced in 1991 to mark the beginning of the end of hostilities from the strike. That good feeling only lasted a few years I guess. The Austin I remember was one that could find a way to band together and overcome adversity to accomplish better things. As previous posters correctly stated, it would be nice if (SPAM Days) broke up the summer more (more reasons to draw people to town might actually help revenues) but also, can the city foot the bill for a Independence Day celebration of their own? My point is, let's not waste a lot of breath and energy debating this; instead, find ways to keep 'Growing Together'. I designed that logo almost 20 years ago and am still proud of doing so. However, reading some of these comments makes me wonder if it isn't time for a new logo: Austin, Still Moving Apart.