Catch the ‘Crane Craze’ is profitable for everyone

MONTE VISTA— The Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce and Monte Vista Crane Festival Committee are encouraging businesses to do something special to ramp up excitement for bird-lovers visiting the Valley this March---and bring in more profits. For example, restaurants can create special menu or drink items named after Sandhill Cranes, like the “crane’s nest” soup, “sunrise flyout” latte or “dancing crane” pizza. Retail stores can sell crane-adorned T-shirts, coffee mugs, mouse pads, caps and tote bags.
As an added incentive, the chamber and festival committee will include business names along with the business’s special crane plans on their websites and in festival press releases.
Businesses that have committed to doing something include Three Barrel Brewery in Del Norte and Mountain View Restaurant, Three Guys Farms Restaurant and Sunflour Cafe in Monte Visa (details to be revealed later). Monte Villa Inn Bar: Three Guys Farms has already been serving the “Crane-hattan”—a tasty twist on a Manhattan cocktail made with a Colorado-crafted Black Walnut Bourbon Liqueur.
Master Print & Web Design in Del Norte is offering free art design for T-shirts and other promotional products, and the crane festival committee is providing free Sandhill Crane images for custom-order items. There’s also an array of promotional items with Sandhill Crane art and images available on websites such as Café Press, Zazzle and Birdorable. Keep in mind that custom-order products typically take three to four weeks lead time.
Reading up on the natural history of Sandhill Cranes can help inspire unique titles for menu items and even event ideas. For cool crane facts, visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Sandhill Crane webpage at allaboutbirds.com. For information on free crane images for use, email Deb Callahan at [email protected].
For free design for T-shirts and other promotional products, contact Becky Dixon with Master Print at 719-657-9138 or 866-240-6728 or email [email protected].
Contact Jerry Apker with the Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce to let him know about your special crane-related plans at [email protected].