HUNTER DWORACZYK [email protected]
An annual city event is set to receive a brand makeover, under the assumption it gets Taylor City Council approval.
During the Council’s meeting Thursday, Feb. 22, city leaders will consider changing the name of Blackland Prairie Days to Taylor Fest, effective this year.
Although the name switch needs to be formally approved by the City Council to officially move forward, the event’s website is already branded as Taylor Fest days before the vote.
“Staff wanted to make sure it was on the calendar, along with other Main Street events scheduled for the year,” said Stacey Osborne, Taylor communications director and public information officer. “If Council does not approve the name change (Thursday) evening, the name will remain Blackland Prairie Days and the page will be updated accordingly.”
\\The Main Street Advisory Board voted to recommend the name change during its Jan. 12 meeting. Osborne said the Festival committee also approved the
name change. According to the upcoming meeting’s agenda packet, changing the name to Taylor Fest is an opportunity for rebranding and refreshing the event’s image.
The new name has the potential to attract new attendees who may have been previously disinterested and gives the ability to align the festival name with its evolving values or themes, the packet reads.
Another positive reason listed for the name change is that it has the “opportunity to garner media attention and generate buzz around the renamed event.”
The sole con listed in staff analysis is that changing the name of an event requires rebuilding public awareness.
The annual festival has operated under many names, including The Cotton-Picking Festival, Zest Fest and The Blooming Festival. The festival has been called Blackland Prairie Days since 2018.
Regardless of what the festival’s name ultimately becomes, it will be held Saturday, May 4 in Historic Downtown Taylor.
