Yakima, WA – Since 1987, visitors driving along Interstate 82 in Yakima have been welcomed by the sign that says “Welcome to Yakima: The Palm Springs of Washington.” That’s all about to change.
“Yeah, I confess. Yakima really doesn’t look anything like Palm Springs. It never did,” admitted the sign’s owner Gary Lukehart. “We’re pretty sunny and hot in the summer and we have a McDonald’s like Palm Springs. But that’s about it I suppose. I get it.”
But the sign isn’t going away. This summer he will be changing the sign that has been a unique oddity for decades now. The new sign will say “Welcome to Yakima: The Core Delane [sic] of Washington.”
“I want the new sign to confirm how special Yakima is to everyone. We don’t need to compare ourselves to anyone else but ourselves and Core Delane,” Lukehart explained. “We are special to Washington just like Core Delane is special to Idaho. We want everyone to know it,” said Lukehart. “Does Palm Springs have a Miner’s Drive-In Restaurant or the Yakima River in their dumpy town? No! Well, Core Delane doesn’t either, I suppose. But we are the Core Delane of Washington, dang-it!”
When asked why he would want to compare Yakima with yet another town, if the point was to highlight Yakima’s uniqueness, and when told that Core Delane is actually spelled Coeur d’Alene, Lukehart merely threw his hands into the air and said “pssht.”
Yakima Mayor Kathy Coffey wasn’t too happy to hear about plans for the new sign. “I’m not a huge fan of the sign now. But changing it to ‘Yakima: The Core Delane of Washington’? That doesn’t even make sense. And Coeur d’Alene isn’t even spelled correctly. Please keep the sign as it is. I beg you. Please!”
When Lukehart was told of the Mayor’s disapproval he responded, “The Mayor doesn’t need to worry. When the sign goes up she’ll get it when she sees it. Plus, it’s going to be one of those bright new LED screens you’ll be able to see for miles and miles. The biggest in the state, actually. It’ll practically blind you. The citizens of Yakima will love it. And most importantly, the visitors to our great city will absolutely love it!”
[Photo credit (cropped/modified image): AirLiner – Wikipedia Commons]
