THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE!                                                                                  Archive: June 2006 

JUNE 29 – MASON BRASS QUINTET AND ICE CREAM SOCIAL 

   Bring your lawn chairs and blankets to downtown Mason on Thursday evening, June 29, when Ruben Droscha will again bring the Mason Brass Quintet to the Ingham County Courthouse lawn for an hour of musical enjoyment from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., sponsored by LAFCU.   The Mason First United Methodist Church will be holding an ice cream social then as well.  In case of rain, both parts of the event may be moved to the church, just east of Courthouse square.

   Robin King of Independent Bank, chair of the Mason Area Chamber of Commerce committee hosting the concerts, says that “the Chamber is hosting “Thursday Night Live!”, a summer series of musical entertainment that is held the last Thursday of each month from May through September, on the Courthouse lawn weather permitting.”  She is especially happy that all of last years performers will return for encore performances this year.

 JULY 27 – THE BACKWOODS BAND AND POPCORN/CORN ROAST

   On Thursday, July 27, the Mason Optimist Club will roast and sell sweet corn (and their signature popcorn) and the Backwoods Band will play from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the Courthouse lawn, again sponsored by LAFCU.  A few program sponsorships are still available for all the concerts.  Call the Chamber office for details.

   The entertainment for Thursday, August 31 will be the Sweet Adelines West Michigan Chorus from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.  Then the musical entertainment series concludes with the Mason High School Band on Thursday, September 28 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., led by Beth Bousfield, MHS Band Director.  The Mason High School Cheer Squad will join the Band for the September program.  While LAFCU is sponsoring the June and July concerts, concert sponsorships are still available for August and September.

MEMBERS ACCESS NEW BC/BS HEALTH PROGRAM

   The Mason Area Chamber of Commerce has teamed with the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce to have Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan as its endorsed health insurance provider for our members. More than 500 Mason, Lansing and Grand Ledge Chamber members businesses are taking advantage of this exclusive program!

    Start getting more value for your Chamber membership today by calling the Lansing Chamber at 487-6340 for a referral to an agent. Tell them you are a Mason Area Chamber member when you call.

 CELEBRATE JULY 4^th IN MASON

    If our Independence Day celebration on the 4^th of July is any indication, you can see why we call Mason “Hometown USA.”  The holiday events with a down home flavor include an old car show on the Courthouse Square from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the big evening parade downtown at 7:30 p.m., and the fireworks show at the Ingham County Fairgrounds starting at dusk.

   The Mason Area Chamber of Commerce hosts the largest Fourth of July evening parade in the mid-Michigan area.  Since it has become so popular, the starting time this year has again been moved up to 7:30 PM.  From local bands to fancy floats to flashy cars to tractors of all colors -- the parade has enough variety to please just about anyone.  For the ninth year, the Chamber’s events are sponsored by the Ingham County Community News.

     Stepping off from the Mason High School south parking lot, the parade proceeds north on Barnes, west on South Street, north on Jefferson, and then around the Courthouse by turning east on Maple and north on Barnes to jog over on South and Holt to return to the school’s west parking lot. 

   Bill Potter and Jody Summerville, the parade marshals, remind people that “this is an open parade, so all parade units are to line up at the Mason High School south parking lot at 6 p.m.  Those with trailers and vehicles not in the parade are to park them in the north and west lots and bring only parade units to the south lot.”  By police order, there will be no throwing of candy or other items from the parade units or vehicles.

   Before the big parade, the County Seat Old Car Club’s “Cruise Back in Time” car show will take up a good part of downtown Mason.  The 150 to 200 entry show is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and draws crowds of people throughout the day.  The show features oldies DJ music, an engine blow-up contest, kids games, and food all day long provided by Mason A&W, Mason Jar Pub & Grub and other groups and restaurants.

   When it finally gets dark, a fireworks show at the Ingham County Fairgrounds just seven blocks east of downtown gets underway.  The fireworks are sponsored by the City of Mason Fire Department and the fire departments in Dansville and Leslie, along with the Mason Lions Club.

GOOD MORNING, MASON! IS THURSDAY, JUNE 29TH   

    Don’t miss Good Morning, Mason! this Thursday, June 29^th at the Community Building at the Ingham County Fairgrounds, 700 E. Ash Street, from 7:30-8:15 AM.  Admission is $3 and includes a continental breakfast catered by Darrell’s Market. Good Morning, Mason! is generously sponsored by Dart Bank and co-sponsored this month by the Mason Area Historical Society. 

   Be the first to hear the local news right from those who make it.  Discover what is going on in the various industries, professions, and workplaces in our area.  Meet and greet during our early networking session over a continental breakfast with coffee and juice. 

GET YOUR FREE COPY OF THE CHAMBERS’ 2006 REGIONAL BUSINESS DIRECTORY  

   The 2006 Regional Business Directory covers Chamber member businesses in Mason, Lansing, East Lansing, Okemos, Charlotte, Williamston, Grand Ledge, and more.  Pickup this and other free directories, local maps, and other information about our area at the Mason Area Chamber of Commerce office, open 9 AM to 3 PM Monday through Friday.

   The 2007 Regional Directory will be compiled very soon.  The Mason/Dansville CRG Phone Book will be compiled again this fall.  Your business is listed FREE in our directories and online if your membership is current with the Mason Area Chamber of Commerce at the time of compiling.  Please use these directories in your business and patronize the advertisers that make them possible.

WIN A CAR OR CASH AT CORVETTE RAFFLE PARTY 

   Don’t miss this one!  Reserve your tickets today using the insert in this newsletter.  The biggest annual community party in Mason will be held in the Arena Building at the Ingham County Fairgrounds, Saturday, October 21.  The doors will open in the late afternoon the party will continue into the evening until a silver Collector’s Edition 1996 Corvette convertible or $10,000 cash is given away.  Proceeds fund the Chamber’s community identity programs (MLR85793).

   The cost of admission is one Corvette raffle ticket for $100 and only 500 raffle tickets are available. 485 tickets are available for purchase before the party begins as 10 tickets are being withheld for 10 Bonus Raffles during the party and 5 tickets are being withheld to be auctioned during the party.  Corvette raffle tickets are available in the Chamber office or select Chamber volunteers. You must be at least 18 years old to buy a Corvette raffle ticket. Each ticket owner can bring one guest for an additional $20.  Winners of the cash prizes and of the Corvette do not need to be present to win.

WHAT BUSINESSES DOES MASON REALLY NEED?

    The Mason Area Chamber of Commerce maintains a listing of business sites and space available for sale or lease on a page found on the Mason Area Chamber website at the URL: http://www.masonchamber.org/Business%20Space.htm. The Chamber’s Economic Development Committee is now working on a companion list of businesses that Mason doesn’t have and may need, originally based on informal surveys of residents in 1998 and 2005.  Perhaps those businesses on this new list would be ideal to fill some of those vacant spots. 

   If you have nominations for either list, just call or e-mail them to us at the Chamber office.  Currently the “businesses desired” (at least by some in our community) prospect list includes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HELP US SELL CORVETTE TICKETS & BE RECOGNIZED

    Those Chamber volunteers who sell Corvette raffle tickets this year will be specially recognized.  Proceeds fund the Chamber’s community identity programs (MLR85793).  Later in July, all volunteers will receive a button and packet of information to accompany their tickets.  Those who sell five tickets or more will receive an attractive Corvette lapel pin and those selling ten or more will receive the special “Collector’s Edition pin created especially for our vehicle. Of course the volunteer selling the most will win a cash prize of the evening of the Raffle Party!

 

NEW MASON AREA DIRECTORY NOW IS AVAILABLE ONLINE

     Just two months have gone by since CRG Directories published the current issue of the Mason area phonebook and already they have news about the new directory.  The most interesting news is that the new 2006 issue which came out in April is now fully downloadable to your computer.  No, you don't have to go online each time you want to look up your favorite Chamber member business.  Instead, all you have to do is download the newest online book from CRG’s website www.crgdirectories.com and save it to your computer. 

   It is a simple .pdf file that is easily read by both Macs and PCs using the free Adobe Reader that is most likely already on your computer.  It may take a few seconds to several minutes, or even longer, to download depending on your internet speed, but once you have it on your computer you can save it and use it whenever you like.  You can choose to download and save the white pages, the yellow pages, the community pages, or the entire book.

   CRG started this program for their 2006 issue books and the Mason area book is up and running NOW!  If you would like to try it out just go to our website at www.crgdirectories.com and choose the "Mason" book.   The best news for everyone; advertisers and users alike; is that the service is absolutely FREE.  There are no charges of any kind... you don't even have to sign in.

   CRG invites your suggestions on how they can improve their product.   You may contact Ed Shotwell or your sales rep for more information.  Their numbers are right in the book!

THANKS TO ALL FOR OUR 33^rd MACC GOLF CLASSIC

    The 33^rd annual MACC Golf Classic took place at Branson Bay Golf Course on Friday, June 23, 2006.  Our thanks go to all the businesses and individuals who helped make the Chamber’s outing possible.  Our special thanks go to the individuals who volunteers on the day of the outing. Our golf committee (already making plans for the 34^th Annual MACC Classic at Eldorado Golf Course in 2007) included Aaron Fiedler, Carl Howard, Doug Dancer, Rich Reid, Nathan Clark, Kathy Smith, and Rick Archibold.  Let us know if you’d like to join them on the committee for next year!  They thank volunteers Mark Howe, Ron Tatro, Melinda Merindorf, Peter Klein, and Jamie Robinson for helping out.

   Please thank our sponsors for this year’s outing: CORPORATE - Shafer Redi-Mix; CASH PRIZE - Dart Bank; HOLE-IN-ONE - Kelly Automotive Group; BREAKFAST - Benedict Auto Body; LUNCH - A & W of Mason; DINNER - Merindorf Meats & More; BEVERAGES - Ware's Pharmacy; HOLE SPONSORS - Application Specialists Kompany, CRG Directories, Curves for Women, Davis Automotive, Doug Dancer, Fiedler Insurance Agency, Flood Reid Insurance Agency, David W. Golder DDS, Homant Quality Water, Joseph Young & Associates, Senator Valde Garcia, Mason Insurance Agency, Mason Mini Storage, Mason Rotary Club, Raymond James & Associates, RJF Marketing Group, ServiceMaster Clean; PRIZES/BAGS - Airbonne International Independent Consultant Janet Hucul, Beacon Travel, Comcast Spotlight/Millennium Digital, Dart Container Corporation, LAFCU, Sav-A-Lot Stores, Vision Real Estate, Wolverine Engineers & Surveyors, and our other sponsors who provided door prizes and goodie bag items.  Dinner was catered by Merindorf Meats, lunch by A&W and breakfast by Darrell’s Market.  A final thank you to Branson Bay Golf Course for all your hospitality!

Shafer Brothers, Inc.

29150 C Drive North
Albion, Michigan 49224