Next Time, Mikhail, Try Michigan
A new billboard in downtown Detroit welcomes Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev’s return to power and suggests he vacation elsewhere than the Crimea.
“Welcome back, Gorby! Next Time Vacation in Michigan,” says the billboard, which appeared Thursday and has drawn considerable attention.
Roy Leinweber, president of Gannet Outdoor Co. of Michigan, said his company decided late Wednesday to paint the billboard after hearing reports that the plot by hard-liners to overthrow Gorbachev had failed.
“Things were not going well in (the) Crimea, so we said, ‘Why not vacation in Michigan?’ ” Leinweber said in an interview Friday.
He said his office has been flooded with calls asking who sponsored the billboard, which normally rents for $700 a month and cost $300 to paint.
“A little humor goes a long way,” Leinweber said, adding that he plans to send an invitation for Gorbachev to visit the Great Lakes state soon.
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