This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Cafe Risque Billboards Cluttering the Highway

Not too many families are looking to make a stop at the Cafe Risque on their way to Disney World, yet I-75 is littered with billboards touting these strip clubs ad nauseam.

I-75 is loaded with billboards for strip clubs and adult toy stores, especially on the way to Disney World.

How do parents explain what "adult toys" are to a child in the back seat wearing Mickey Mouse ears? How many children, just learning to sound out and read billboards have asked their parents what "We Bare All" means?

On I-75 from South Georgia all the way to Central Florida, countless billboards remind us that there are people out there who think disrespecting themselves is just a part of the daily routine. Maybe they are the only people who actually stop by these establishments or find employment there.

Find out what's happening in Cummingwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Whatever the case, it would be nice if the owners of these places or our state commissioners would do the rest of us a favor and remove the tacky billboard advertisements that blight the landscape.

I am embarrassed for our country as a whole that these billboards are featured more frequently than any other along I-75--the main highway choice available for families heading to Disney from the north.

Find out what's happening in Cummingwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

I doubt there are any parents who just can't wait until their kids are of age to stop in the Cafe Risque so junior can check out the help while his sister applies for a job. America is over-sexed as it is, and we are often the butt of many jokes from other countries for our dependence on the distractions of sex. (Certain politicians have intensified that reputation.)

America continues to play the fool when we allow billboards for places like the Cafe Risque to bombard our children with the idea that food and sex make for the ultimate one-stop destination for convenience in satisfying hunger in several areas.

According to a report in Scenic Georgia, progress is being made. In 2008, Lavonia, Georgia purchased an I-85 Cafe Risque along with it's nearby billboards and tore it all down just to get the place out of their town. 

For years, travelers on their way to Disney World have been passing those ugly billboards that tout, “WE BARE ALL!” If that’s the case, better step on the gas pedal because it’s a scary visual trying to get through lunch or dinner with a side of nasty in your face.

Cafe Risque makes me think of things like under-cooked food, salmonella and sexually transmitted diseases; you know--all the things we warn our children to stay away from.

There will always be people who work in or patronize establishments that demoralize society as a whole. The lame excuses run the gamut from, "I'm dancing to pay for college," to, "I eat there because the food is good."

But the next time I take that road trip to Florida, instead of looking the other way when we pass those cheesy billboards, I can at least feel better knowing I have done something about it. I contacted Commissioner Vance C. Smith Jr. with the Georgia Department of Transportation and asked if they could begin an effort to remove the billboards or greatly reduce their frequency on our highways. 

I hope to hear back from Mr. Vance C. Smith Jr. very soon. I hope Smith isn't overlooking those who pay the state for the existing Cafe Risque and "Adult Toy!" billboards to remain on our highways.

The money the state earns on those billboards isn't worth the message they are sending to impressionable children who deserve a trip to Disney World without this form of blatant advertising that relies on conditioning minors for future revenue. 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?