Michigan Gas Prices Week of 6/12/06

Well, gas prices are holding steady at $2.88 which is about where they were last week. A year ago at this time gas prices had crept up to $2.159. To think that we were concerned about those prices. Hah! If we only knew. Matt Helms has an interesting Question and Answer column today in the Detroit Free Press. One of the questions is about the necessity of the third digit in gas prices (i.e. $2.887 per gallon). Apparently, back in the days when a penny was worth something (besides the penny pony at Meijer) gas stations used that third digit to be "cheaper" than other stations around them to earn your business.

Gas prices courtesy of AAA's Fuel Gauge Report.

Constantine Art Festival is This Weekend

This weekend, June 9-11, the Constantine Community Arts Association is once again trying to bring culture to Constantine with their annual art festival. Hopefully they bring in more artists and visitors than they did last year. I drove through town during the art festival last year and it didn't look any different than any other weekend. Empty. Empty streets and empty storefronts save for a few works of art scattered here or there.

A week or so ago some local joker vandalized the banner advertising the upcoming art festival. They painted an "F" in front of the "A" in Art. So the banner read "Constantine FArt Festival." I'll tell you what, if the crowds don't show up again this year maybe they should switch it to a Fart Festival.

You know Constantine would gain regional and possibly national notoriety just for the thought of having a flatulence festival. There is no such thing as bad publicity. They could even have an advertising sponsorship from Bush's Baked Beans. Again, if this art festival flops again this year I say put the "F" back in art and watch the curious crowds roll in to town.

Just remember where you got the idea and give credit where credit is due :).

Oh yeah, the Constantine Art Festival details -

• Friday from 6-8 pm
• Saturday 9 am to 9 pm
• Sunday 10 am to 4 pm

Call (269) 435-6610 for more information.

Have a great weekend!

We Have Updated Our Shipping Rates

We have recently made some changes in our shipping rates. You can still ship your gift basket for a flat rate that is as low as $6.95. Due to the steadily increasing gas prices and the increase in the USPS rates back in January we have been facing increased shipping charges while still only charging $6.95 to you, our customer. We still wanted our customers to be able to ship for a flat rate because it makes it easier for you to calculate the total cost of your gifts. So, to keep the simplicity and at the same time keep providing a fast shipping option we have instituted graduated shipping rates as follows:

Flat-Rate Shipping

Order Total	Shipping Rate
Under $30.00	$6.95
$30.00 - $50.00	$7.95
$50.00 - $75.00	$9.95
$75.00 - $100.00	$11.95
Over $100.00	$14.95
Express/Overnight	Please call

TV Ads Invite Visitors to "Pure Michigan"

A $2.8 million advertising campaign for Michigan tourism uses the catch phrase "Pure Michigan." Scenes of our many waterways with a voiceover by actor Tim Allen (from Home Improvement fame) will soon be playing to potential tourists in Milwaukee, Cincinnati and Southern Ontario. These are areas we already receive tourists from and the hope is to greatly increase that number with a series of ads. Will idyllic pictures of Michigan's coastlines, sunrises over Detroit, and hiking trails be enough to entice out-of-state visitors to Michigan? I just don't know. Living in southwest Michigan I see ads for Indiana (Indianapolis) and Illinois (Chicago) and I have yet to hop in the car to visit or vacation there because of a commercial. But, that is just me. Not exactly a full-fledged marketing study of the target demographic, but my opinion nonetheless. :)

Via The Detroit News

Huge Auction of Old Farm Equipment and Tools in Buckley

Elmer Pavlis was a farmer who embraced any and all equipment that helped him do his job better and easier. He hated to see any tools or equipment go to waste and over the years collected around 6,000 different pieces. The tools and equipment became a museum, This Ole Farm Museum, in Buckley. Elmer passed away last fall at the age of 86 and his only living child, Jeanie English, decided the best route would be an "auction to end all auctions." The auction will being run by Humphrey's Auction Service June 15-17. There will be an open house to preview items June 10 from 4-7 pm and on June 11 from 1-4 pm with a $10 charge.

Check out the items on the web at www.humphreysauctionservice.com.

Via the Detroit Free Press