Fort Wayne now a title town

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - The Fort Wayne/Allen County Convention and Visitors Bureau hopes to boost pride in the town and its sports by calling Fort Wayne a 'Title Town.'

"A Title Town is sort of a name that is given to communities when they reach certain national championships," explains Visitors Bureau President Dan O'Connell. "It's a great sense of civic pride in our sports teams. And we're up there with those other championship communities."

The title comes after the Komets hockey team brought home the Turner Cup, the TinCaps won the Midwest League Championship, and Fort Wayne became an 'All-America' city.

O'Connell says the title isn't necessarily an attempt to bring in more tourism or future investments. Instead, it's meant to boost pride in the town.

"We really got things going here in Fort Wayne," said O'Connell. "Our attractions, our quality of life. And this year our sports teams are reaching the pinnacle of their individual league championships."

Billboards announcing the title around town have gathered some attention.

"We deserve it," said Fort Wayne resident Bob Rickman. "The Fort Wayne Komets are one of the best hockey teams around."

These billboards are only up for the rest of the year, but the Visitors Bureau is asking residents to lend a hand in promoting the title by putting up their own signs outside businesses and homes.

You can find samples at the Fort Wayne/Allen County Convention and Visitors Bureau's web site here .