382 replies to this topic

[Andrea V]

my thoughts...just opinions..
1. Folsom Lake - Does not bridge the lake.... and its a mediocre boring name..
2. Johnny Cash - Pop star who drove through 40 years ago, not affiliated with Folsom besides guessing on our prison name....he didn't guess the name ya dork, but he did make Folsom famous with his song and millions of people all over the world know of the town of Folsom primarily because of Johnny Cash and that song
3. Granite City - Too much like Granite Bay, but this is my second choice from a Historical nod perspective. but it's still too much like granite bay and hardly anyone would equate that name to Folsom's history.

I agree 100% with the above!

[ngilbert]

Hi All,

Here is Kerri's opinion on the name for the bridge.

Folsom is a familiar town across the US and in Europe. Why? Because of Folsom Prison. Why do people know about Folsom Prison? Because of Johnny Cash's concert at the prison in 1964, because of "Folsom Prison Blues" and the movie "Walk the Line". When the movie was shown at the prison shortly after its release, Joaquin Phoenix was in attendance at the prison. A city employee was in Barcelona and Venice recently, wearing his City of Folsom rain coat. He was stopped by people all day long, in both cities, who read his jacket and then said "Folsom? Johnny Cash" giving the thumbs up sign.


Kerri Howell

Thanks Kerri

I don't think a lot of people *in* Folsom realize how well-known the whole Johnny Cash/Folsom Prison connection is, or at least how dedicated a following he has worldwide. You need to actually leave Folsom, and sometimes the country too as you point out, to get a better perspective on how people see Folsom. And it's not a negative connotation at all - quite the contrary.

Last year I found myself in the Nashville airport (not by choice) and they had a whole shop with Johnny Cash, and more specifically Folsom Prison, souvenirs - T shirts, sweat shirts, guitar straps, CDs - the whole magilla. And they were doing brisk business. It was quite odd to me to find myself 2,000 miles from home only to see souvenirs of my home town. Yeah - I bought some, figuring it was my only chance since I can't get them from stores at home.

Also odd was the fact that Johnny Cash had a very public break from the Nashville Opry music scene, but I guess it's like Monterey and Steinbeck. After he's dead all is forgiven, apparently.

Anyway, I was thinking at the time that Sacramento Interstellar Airport would probably do well to sell Folsom Prison merchandise right next to the Governator bobbleheads and such, and it saddened me that the only real Folsom Prison-related merchandise in Folsom *itself* are the scary prisoner-made tattoo art and popsicle stick sculptures at the prison giftshop, and even they're gone.

I don't know if naming a bridge after the man in black is going overboard as a nod to putting us on the map (at least the pop culture musical map) or not, but this town and its merchants really could be capitalizing on the *international* Johnny Cash/Folsom Prison fame, but they aren't doing so.

[awood]

Folsom = Prison = Johny Cash

Plain and simple. We moved from a couple thousand miles away and for the last 2 years every single person I have told that I moved to Folsom has made reference to 2 things....the prison and Johny Cash (because they know about the prison from the Johny Cash song!)

Speak all you would like about local history, but until they start making that part of the local history only a handful of people will ever know what you are talking about. Prior to this thread, I knew nothing about "Granite City" or "Orange Blossom Circle" or even the explination of the name "Rainbow Bridge".

[Dave Burrell]

Folsom = Prison = Johny Cash

Plain and simple. We moved from a couple thousand miles away and for the last 2 years every single person I have told that I moved to Folsom has made reference to 2 things....the prison and Johny Cash (because they know about the prison from the Johny Cash song!)

Speak all you would like about local history, but until they start making that part of the local history only a handful of people will ever know what you are talking about. Prior to this thread, I knew nothing about "Granite City" or "Orange Blossom Circle" or even the explanation of the name "Rainbow Bridge".

ditto here on everything you just noted.

It's a solid fact that song is what people relate to when they hear of Folsom for the first time - I really don't think I've ever met any outsiders who've heard of Folsom by any other means or historical significance (sure we who live here know about our town's history, but not most tourists/travelers).

and on ngilbert's note about souvenir's - they even have something for the kiddies...

[Chad Vander Veen]

Whenever I travel for work and people ask me where I'm from, I say Folsom and they know it because of the prison. So, we can either name it Prison Bridge or Johnny Cash Bridge - or perhaps, the Man in Black Bridge.

[old soldier]

Going to the music on the bridge, I like Ring of Fire on days whe have lots of fires. heck the news reporters could stage their stories in the bridge, like they do the snow stories in the winter from blue canyon.

it we get the johnny cash bridge I would sure like to be a kid living on orange blossem. I would have a boom box playing orange blossem special. I would have a lemonaide stand and put a sign on the bridge inviting cash fans to visit orange blossem

who knows there might even be some johnny cash products developed for mrs teaz as we get into the spirit.

I always looked at Cash as a guy who evercame temptation as well as a love story with June Carter. Saw them live once and you couldn't help from seeing the affection they shared. Loved it when they sang "daddy played base and mommy played fiddle"

[mylo]

Loved it when they sang "daddy played base and mommy played fiddle"

[ngilbert]

I always looked at Cash as a guy who evercame temptation as well as a love story with June Carter. Saw them live once and you couldn't help from seeing the affection they shared. Loved it when they sang "daddy played base and mommy played fiddle"

Me and little brother would join right in

Yeah, I first saw him and June live at the Fillmore right after the first American Recording album came out (the first of the Rick Rubin collaborations), so he did all of the classics plus all the songs from that album ("The Beast in Me", "Delia", etc.). I don't know if you have it (you must) but it's a really spare album - just him and his guitar. I think no one was more surprised than him how popular that album would be with the "hipster" kids who had rediscovered his music and were suddenly showing up at his shows.

Anyway - you reminded me - he did the whole harmonica part on "Orange Blossom Special" and then tossed the harmonica into the crowd. Someone got a bunch of Johnny Cash spit that night.

I've seen a lot of concerts in my time where performers just go through the motions - performers half his age- but he was such a real showman. He just gave and gave (and so did June). He was a real pro, and they both just seemed like there was nowhere they'd rather be than there entertaining people.

As you can tell, I'm biased about the bridge name. And I do like the idea of some kind of promontory by the bridge where people can pull over and take in scenery and where there's a plaque or statue that thanks Johnny Cash for putting Folsom's name out there.

Will it attract tourists to Folsom? I dunno - only the hardcore fans would plan their whole pilgrimage around it, but there's a lot of them. But there are also the casual fans who may otherwise just pass through the area without seeing Folsom at all who would stop by. As someone who's just had two waves of out-of-state visitors who, as long as they were here, wanted to see where "Johnny Cash sang that song about" I know for sure they would have wanted to see a statue, buy a T-shirt or three from our friendly local merchants, and tell all their friends back home about how cool Folsom is.

Sorry, you're not going to generate that kind of warm fuzziness with "Dam Bridge", even though that's what us locals will call it anyway.

[ngilbert]

Whenever I travel for work and people ask me where I'm from, I say Folsom and they know it because of the prison. So, we can either name it Prison Bridge or Johnny Cash Bridge - or perhaps, the Man in Black Bridge.

"MIB Bridge"? I like it, but then we'll get all the UFO people visiting (and the Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones fans too I guess). Do we really want that kind of business?

Seriously though, since there's probably not going to be a lot visually or architecturally distinctive about this bridge, it'll probably be very utilitarian-looking, then I propose that they paint it completely black if they go with the Johnny Cash idea.

That would actually be very striking I'd think (though it would make it a tagger's dream too, sadly) and unique, like how the Golden Gate's orangey-red and, closer to home, the Tower Bridge's "supposed to look like gold but really it looks more like urine in the wrong light" colors are distinctive parts of those bridges.

[Robert Giacometti]

it we get the johnny cash bridge I would sure like to be a kid living on orange blossem. I would have a boom box playing orange blossem special. I would have a lemonaide stand and put a sign on the bridge inviting cash fans to visit orange blossem.

Our noise ordinance restricts the playing of amplified sounds, you would have to get a special resale licesence and permit for the lemonaide stand and then get a county inspection rating for cleanliness before serving.

A better idea would be to charge people a quarter to look over the side of the bridge with these special glasses, with lines drawn down the center of the lenses. The kid could say that half the water they are looking is now going to Aerojet instead of Folsom and then to look up and close both eyes to see how much Folsom got for that.

For an extra dime they could give a map to the site next to HS and explain it was the second biggest land give away in the west since the War with Mexico. They could explain about the reward money offered if anybody can find the RFP that was done that allowed this land giveaway!

[mylo]

For an extra dime they could give a map to the site next to HS and explain it was the second biggest land give away in the west since the War with Mexico. They could explain about the reward money offered if anybody can find the RFP that was done that allowed this land giveaway!

You're still on about that? C'mon, it's on file at the city office. They said so.

[supermom]

Folsom = Prison = Johny Cash

Plain and simple. We moved from a couple thousand miles away and for the last 2 years every single person I have told that I moved to Folsom has made reference to 2 things....the prison and Johny Cash (because they know about the prison from the Johny Cash song!)

Speak all you would like about local history, but until they start making that part of the local history only a handful of people will ever know what you are talking about. Prior to this thread, I knew nothing about "Granite City" or "Orange Blossom Circle" or even the explination of the name "Rainbow Bridge".

See, that's exactly why I think the city is being brash and insensitive in even thinking of considering naming the bridge after a man who held a musical favor in their hearts within their own generation.

So what?

How about naming the bridge -which should hold up for several generations--after something that really is a deep part of our rich history? Re-remind people not just in our city but of other parts of the world--about the sacrafices, turmoil, bloodshed, breaking of predjudices and building of regional pride that is a rich part of the fabric of our history?

Gold, Native Americans, trains, the church vineyards and orchards that stretched out into this area. How about commemorating the struggle of the common man that built and dredged the ravine to sustain the dam and the mammoth generators? There are so many memories in the railroad museum right on Sutter Street. Why not just go ahead and choose one--from there?

What a joke though. If people from our city offices have already contacted the Cash family about permission to name the bridge--then we all know it's a done deal. Another council meeting going through the motions and not really considering the will of the people. pssht--glad to have 'em on board. What a gaff.

[Dave Burrell]

See, that's exactly why I think the city is being brash and insensitive in even thinking of considering naming the bridge after a man who held a musical favor in their hearts within their own generation.

So what?

How about naming the bridge -which should hold up for several generations--after something that really is a deep part of our rich history? Re-remind people not just in our city but of other parts of the world--about the sacrafices, turmoil, bloodshed, breaking of predjudices and building of regional pride that is a rich part of the fabric of our history?

Gold, Native Americans, trains, the church vineyards and orchards that stretched out into this area. How about commemorating the struggle of the common man that built and dredged the ravine to sustain the dam and the mammoth generators? There are so many memories in the railroad museum right on Sutter Street. Why not just go ahead and choose one--from there?

What a joke though. If people from our city offices have already contacted the Cash family about permission to name the bridge--then we all know it's a done deal. Another council meeting going through the motions and not really considering the will of the people. pssht--glad to have 'em on board. What a gaff.

It's not a joke to most of us - that's insulting

[supermom]

It's not a joke to most of us - that's insulting

Yes--your right. To most of us---but I don't think you know who most of us are--or really understand what I just said.
This is malarkey. Through and through.

[Bill Z]

Tess, you are correct, even most people in Folsom could not tell you where Orange Blossom Circle is - I bet there are people in Natoma Station who don't know where it is. I stand by my previous post. I guess you picked the wrong lyrics from the wrong song. Johnny Cash bridge/crossing will bring in tourists - bottom line - and may well bring in national news. As I said earlier, if you feel strongly, send an email or come to the Council meeting.

Hi Kerri,
Thanks for thinking Folsom people are too stupid to know where Orange Blossom Circle is!
It's right here, in case you didn't know.