A fun way to aid local recovery

Written by Joel Klaassen Tuesday, 01 November 2011 15:36

We thought it was time for our company to do everything possible to lead in the economic recovery in a way that doesn’t raise taxes and would be a good thing for everyone in our county.

We’re going to call it the “Holiday Local Rewards Program” and it works this way:

For every $100 you spend in the local economy (Marion County), from Nov. 2 through Dec. 16, you will be eligible to receive a ticket that will go into a drawing that makes you eligible to win a portion of $1,000 in prizes ($500 first, $300 second, $200 third) in the form of “Free Press Bucks” that can be spent with local merchants who advertise in our newspaper—which will be an additional boost to the local economy and our local businesses.

You don’t have to purchase anything other than what you already are buying, except that the more you buy, the better are your chances of winning.

It seems to me that in about seven weeks everyone would probably accumulate enough receipts, at the very least and probably a whole lot more, to yield at least one ticket for the drawing.

We are limiting the maximum number of tickets one may get for one receipt at 10, which won’t sway the odds much in the favor of a big-ticket-item purchaser, which not everyone will be doing in the next seven weeks.

The Chambers of Commerce in Marion and Hillsboro are helping with collecting the receipts and doling out the tickets. We want to thank Marion’s Margo Yates and Hillsboro’s Izzie Klassen for helping in this way.

A full-page ad in this week’s edition on Page 8A explains the “Holiday Local Rewards Program” in full detail, along with the rules of the contest.

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I am looking for a 1947 Hillsboro High School annual to scan for the Web for the All School Reunion Committee. The high school library does not have one for the 1947 graduating school year. If anyone can help me put my mitts on one, I would be grateful.

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It was a great weekend for Hillsboro High and Tabor College sports fans.

No so good for KSU and KU fans. I wonder what they have to feed the Sooner band members to keep playing that song over and over and over. If it makes me crazy, I wonder what it does to the band.

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I didn’t even place at the Great Pumpkin Race this year even though I came in third from last this time. Too many entrants in my age group to place by default.

I decided to run for about half a block way out there on Third Street when no one was looking, but I still couldn’t catch the group ahead of me.

Although I didn’t win anything, it didn’t matter. The whole purpose was to raise money for Main Street Ministries. As long as they benefitted, everyone won.

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If you are looking to eat chicken, then turkey and then chicken again later this week, you might try the dinners put on by the Tabor Church Mennonite Men, the Hillsboro United Methodist Church and the Alexanderfeld Church youth group, which changed the date of their event.

See ads on pages 2A and 3A.

If you wish to share your comments or ideas, my e-mail address is joel@hillsborofreepress.com.