Yes, it is a fun and friendly contest and promotion but I was also schooled in popcorn machines. Who knew there was a difference?

As someone who enjoys vintage Americana and old movies I was delighted to learn about the Manley Popcorn Company and their machines. Click here for a history on the company that brought you movie theater popcorn!

Dennis Company in Raymond boasts a vintage Manley Popcorn Machine with Joe as the head popcorn chef. I have yet to taste corn popped in a Manly but I am excited for tomorrows challenge when I get to sample the corn popped in a iconic piece of American made history!

The Manley Popcorn Machine at the Raymond Dennis Company.

A Manley with great style looks to be early 1950′s my guess is it served  many bags of popcorn to movie patrons during the golden age of movies.

Not sure if this is a Manley but these wagons would park out in front of the theater selling popcorn to people heading into the theater. Eventually theater owners realized they could be reaping these popcorn profits themselves and movie theater popcorn was born.

Taste the difference yourself at the Popcorn Challenge noon tomorrow at the Lost Roo. The winner will be determined in a blind taste test by the esteemed judging panel consisting of Michael Lalewicz from the The Depot Restaurant, Mike Littawa from the Breakers Long Beach, Blane Walker from the 42nd Street Cafe, Betsy Millard from the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum, Brady Turner from Adrift Hotel & Spa, Andi Day from Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau, and Jan Grambo from the Lighthouse Oceanfront Resort. The real winner of the challenge will be ether Cowlitz County CASA or the Boys & Girls Club of the Long Beach Peninsula with the loser of the challenge donating $250 to the others charity of choice.

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The Great Popcorn Challenge 2012 More Than Just Great Marketing.

While we’re very committed to shopping locally, Astoria/Warrenton may be the closest place to buy office paper by the ream.  So, fellow merchants, here’s a great coupon offer (pdf) on 20# office paper, good at the new Staples in Warrenton.  $20 for a case of Hammermill that works in inkjet or laser copier/printers, good through the end of April.

We also have it on good authority that it’s a great paper for drawing and coloring (source: Avary & Royce Murry, ages 5 & 11).

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GREAT price on 20# bond paper

Brad Worthley is a acclaimed customer service trainer whose client list includes Macys, Nordstrom, McDonalds, Alaska Airlines and Western Union, as well as small and medium organizations from a variety of industries. His mission? To help organizations create service cultures: A place where employees love to work and customers love to do business.

Brad equips companies with dynamic customer service and leadership essentials. Brad’s research shows that it is easy to change people, but unless the leadership has undergone specialized training on how to manage a service culture, the employees will revert back to their old ways within 90 days.

• Eliminate office politics
• Increase employee retention
• Increase employee performance
• Increase customer retention
• Increase sales
• Increase profits

Renowned for captivating his audiences, many have referred to his lively presentations as “shows”.

• Brad keeps seminar participants entertained while helping them retain the information they learn.
• He is a master storyteller and delivers his powerful message from the customer’s perspective.

Thanks to the Willapa Harbor Chamber of Commerce and the Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau, you can attend a Brad Worthley seminar in  your own back yard on April 11th.  In fact, you can even afford to bring–or send–your front line employees!  These two organizations are subsidizing the cost of the workshop, making it only $10 each – INCLUDING LUNCH!  If you’re a member of the Willapa Harbor Chamber (details), it’s only $5!  You can’t beat that.

You want a sweeter deal still? Okay, how’s this?  Pacific Transit will take care of transportation to South Bend if only 15 Peninsulans register to take them up on the deal by April 1st.  Free transportation, free lunch, and only $5-10 for a speaker one would typically pay $50 to see?  Come on!

Register: Contact the Willapa Harbor Chamber at 360-942-5419 or info@willapaharbor.org

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Brad Worthley Coming To South Bend Apr 11

Click for a closer look

We’re participating in For Japan With Love, which generates funds for Shelter Box, an outstanding program Keith and Keleigh first became acquainted with through Rotary several years ago.  Shelter Box made a significant difference to survivors of Haiti’s earthquake and are now doing the same in Japan.

ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity that delivers emergency shelter, warmth and dignity to people affected by disaster worldwide.  Each box supplies an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and essential equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless.  There is a great breakdown of what’s in the box at http://www.shelterboxusa.org/about.php?page=9.

If you prefer, you can donate directly to Shelter Box via their online form, and even track your box as it makes its way to Japan.

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An Immediate, Tried And True Way To Help Our Japanese Neighbors

They all believe in protecting their customers’ personal information and are sponsoring a community “Shred-It” event:

Saturday, April 16th

10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Outside the Astoria Branch of Clatsop Community Bank

10th & Commercial Streets – Astoria

Suggested Donation of $5 per ‘banker’s box’ or large bag

Click the image for a closer look.

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Shred-A-Thon!

Is there anything we can do to retain the state tourism office?
No. The governor, Department of Commerce leadership and the legislature have agreed on closure of the office. The only question that remains is the closure date, which is currently May 1st in the Senate version of the supplemental budget, but could choose to keep the program running through June 30th.

What did the industry do to keep the tourism office funded?
Industry stakeholders fought quickly and aggressively through strategic lobbying in Olympia, direct meetings with the governor and legislators, and broad-based pleas to constituents across the state to voice their concerns in Olympia. While advocacy efforts of the past five years have been highly visible and inclusive, the unexpected and urgent nature of the proposed tourism office closure required fast behind-the-scenes work by industry leaders.

What Happens next?

Although this can be considered a crisis, it can also be seen as an opportunity. The industry leaders and  partners have been working hard on a transition plan for the immediate future. We need your to help set the course for long range plan. Please attend the upcoming summit on March 31st to learn about what is happening and how you can provide input and direction into the future of our state’s fourth largest industry. Tourism Matters and so does your opinion. Please join us.   

The Washington State Tourism Industry invites you
Join us for a half-day tourism industry summit to talk about what happens next as we work toward a unified, statewide tourism plan.  

This summit is sponsored by the newly formed Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA), a 501[c]6 established by industry stakeholders with the sole mission of sustaining destination tourism marketing for Washington State. Our plan is to procure and administer funds for statewide destination tourism marketing activities and create and implement a strategic statewide destination marketing plan.  WTA is governed and overseen by the tourism industy and is not a state government organization.

Please come prepared to join us as we initiate the Washington Tourism Alliance!

WHEN:
March 31, 2011
8:00 am – 9:00 am Registration, Breakfast & Networking
9:00 am – 12:00pm Program

WHERE:
Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center
17620 International Blvd.
Seattle, WA  98188   

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
Anyone with a vested interest in a successful statewide tourism program.  

COST:
Complimentary but pre-registration is required.  Click here for information and to register.

SUPPORT:

• Washington Lodging Association (WLA)
• Washington Destination Marketing Organizations Association (WSDMO)
• Puget Sound Attractions Council (PSAC)
• Washington Restaurant Association (WRA)
• Port of Seattle
• National Tour Association (NTA)
• Washington Economic Development Association (WEDA)
• Association of Washington Business (AWB)
• Many more organizations, association and supporters join as we grow

QUESTIONS? Visit, www.watourismalliance.com

If you need overnight accommodations, please call Debbie at the Hilton Seattle Airport at 206 248-7150 and ask for the WTA rate.

Thanks to Mary Kay Nelson & the Visit Rainier Board of Directors for this information.

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Washington State Tourism Industry In the Midst of Change

Yep, that's me being the first home computer

It’s been a looong time since I’ve gone trick-or-treating myself, and I sometimes am sad that today’s kids don’t get to know and enjoy the Halloween of my youth.  I’m talking homemade costumes, family decorated yards (some to invite and others to scare the bejesus out of you), brown paper sacks filled with candy, and caramel apples and popcorn balls that your mother would actually let you eat.

My brothers and I, along with our friends, would spend weeks divining our homemade costumes and plotting our attack on the “good neighborhood” where you might get a full-size candy bar or a roll of pennies.  The boys would map out the scary houses they had to ‘hit’ while I tried to convince Dad that the dog really DID need a costume and to go with us.

We live in times with more real things to fear and today’s kids don’t have the luxury of the safety we, and our parents, felt as we roamed town long after the sun went down and largely unsupervised.  So long as we made it to certain houses in a reasonable time, so moms could keep track of their kids general whereabouts, we didn’t have much to worry about.

This year I saw the Halloween of my childhood reborn in Ilwaco.  It’s been growing for several years now; I first learned about it as the number of trick-or-treaters declined in my neighborhood and I wondered aloud where they were going.  The era of the “good neighborhood” has returned!  In fact, it’s even better – the grown ups are just as into dressing up as the kids!

Take a click over to Jake the Alligator Man’s blog, where you’ll find an array of photos that capture the spirit of Ilwaco this All Hallow’s Eve.  And don’t miss the headless horseman in Chinook.  Who WAS that, anyway?

Here are a few from the Facebook friends of Kara Funbeach, including David Poulshock, Discover Ilwaco, Diana Williams, Flora Gardener & Jenna Nisbett:

~Keleigh

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Halloweentown?

We do our best to meet people where they want to be met in the marketing process.  Take the two brochures, below.

The one on the left, Willapa Harbor Scenic Highway 101 Willapa Heritage Corridor, was a project of Raymond High School senior Mitchell Hatfield.  He did a great job designing the brochure.  Keleigh helped him get the work from Publisher into a format an offset printer could use, then offered subsidized pricing to get them printed by the Willapa Harbor Chamber of Commerce and Dennis Company.  Pick up a copy at either the Willapa Harbor Chamber office or the Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau and see if you can find all of the 400+ steel sculptures in the area!

The Astoria-Warrenton Chamber designed a brochure or their upcoming Ambassadors & Greeters Convention and just needed someone to take their art and quickly turn it into a short run of tri-fold brochures at a good price.  Done and done!

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Are you a DIY brochure designer?

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Most infamous?

It was a surprise to most of America, but not to kite enthusiasts, who enjoy the World Kite Museum‘s Windless Kite Festival each Presidents’ Day weekend.

TONIGHT, AUGUST 17th, CONNOR IS BACK ON AMERICA’S GOT TALENT!

He’s got a second chance to show America the magic of kite flying tonight at 9PM (all time zones).  A vote for Connor is a vote for kiting.  How appropriate that today is the 2nd day of the Washington State International Kite Festival!

Watch Doran’s audition:

And be sure to tune in to watch tonight!

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TONIGHT: Vote For Connor & Windless Kiting on AGT!