It may not feel like spring outside, but you'll always get a
warm reception at all of our Downtown Marion stores and restaurants. We have
some wonderful news we'll be sharing in early April ... Downtown Marion is
really on the edge of some thrilling growth. I'm so excited!
Some things going on in the coming days include (be sure to
read all the way to the end to find out how to win a free
mower!) ...
Well first, I wanted to clear up some confusion
regarding what's happening with Great Impressions and the
Greenwood Floor Center. They are NOT merging ... each
will continue to be found in their current locations. They have simply formed a
strategic alliance that will benefit both businesses -- smart business, if you
ask me, that will help both businesses to continue keeping costs to their
customers affordable. Let's say you're remodeling and need new carpet ... well,
you probably need new window treatments, as well. So Great Impressions will
have a display at Greenwood Floor & Design. Both companies share certain
vendors ... well, if they are able to share shipping costs, that's an expense
that doesn't have to be passed along to a customer. Greenwood Floor Center will
now be known as Greenwood Floor & Design as they will also be carrying
kitchen & bath components. Greenwood Floor & Design will also be having
a grand re-opening on April 12 ... stop by & check it out. And if you
haven't been in Great Impressions in a while, you've missed some spectacular
jewelry, purses, and the really cool things they are doing repurposing old
dressers, bookcases and the like.
Heritage Hall has some fun things coming up, and most of their events include a discount
for members. Not a Marion County Historical Society member? Call 740.387.4255
for more information ... individual memberships are only $25 and the entire
family can join for just $35.
Night at Heritage
Hall – an evening tour of Heritage Hall, by flashlight, with 30-50
interesting characters who bring history to life. March 22 & 23 from 7:00 to
9:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for non members and $4 for members. And if the
flashlight tour is not to your liking – join us Thursday evening, March
21st for a special VIP event with snacks and a wine tasting. The
lights will be on – but the excitement of learning about history will still be
the main course ... $15 individual tickets, $25 per couple. Hors d’ouevres
compliments of Primrose; sweets compliments of our sweetest volunteer Helen
Gatshall; and wine from Shamrock Vineyards.
A Rebellion to Remember, 5:30 p.m. on April 20th at the May Pavilion for a
dinner and panel discussion focusing on the Civil War. Guest reenactors
include Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Mother Bickerdyke and John Eggleston
Johnston among others. Historic style dinner compliments of Primrose and a
wine tasting also from Shamrock Vineyards. There will also be a silent auction
to help raise funds for the Historical Society.
There's always something going
on at the historic Marion Palace Theatre, including a
Show Choir Spectacular Thursday, March 21. Just go to
www.marionpalace.org for all of the
details.
Back by popular demand,
“Dueling Pianos” will take place at the Marion Palace Theatre
May Pavilion in downtown Marion on Friday, March 22 at 8 p.m.
“Dueling Pianos” showcases the talents of two singer/pianists performing
favorite music selections from the classics to today’s hits. The evening is
complete with a bit of comedy,
dancing and singing by audience members and
plenty of unforgettable and unique entertainment.
During the show, the
performers are seated at two pianos. They take turns singing and playing songs
that someone in the crowd requests. Once the music begins, the performers never
take a break. It becomes a non-stop event. The crowd is asked to sing along and
clap their hands in rhythm. Essentially, the audience IS the show, as opposed to
the usual “entertainment” dance club or sports bar scene. During the two hour
event, the piano players take requests and perform songs from virtually any
genre. The entertainers have an impressive repertoire of over 1,000 songs and
play everything from Barry Manilow to Metallica. If the audience loves the
music, they can sit back and enjoy it. If they don't, they can slap down a
written request for the piano players to play something else. People can ask
to have a song played and people can ask to stop a song. They can start a song
war if they keep going back and forth.
“This is a see it to believe it;
experience it to enjoy it event. The Palace first presented ‘Dueling Pianos’ in
2009. Those in attendance had so much fun we just had to bring these guys back,”
states Marion Palace Theatre Executive Director, Bev Ford. “It is an
interactive experience that appeals to all musical tastes. This show will get
you out of your seat doing the Macarena or even a creating a chorus
line.”
Tickets for “Dueling Pianos” at the Marion Palace Theatre May
Pavilion are only $15. Come as a group of 8 or more and the Palace will
reserve a table for you. Seating will be at tables on the main floor and
mezzanine levels creating the ideal place to meet friends for a drink, chat,
relax and enjoy the entertainment. A cash bar and concession items are
available for purchase.
This weekend's
movie: In 2004, a devastating tsunami hit Southeast Asia. “THE
IMPOSSIBLE” is the amazing true story of one family's journey of hope
and survival in the mayhem of one of the worst natural catastrophes of our time.
A regular family - Maria (Naomi Watts), Henry (Ewan McGregor) and their
three kids - travel to Thailand to spend Christmas. A perfect paradise vacation
until a terrifying roar rises up from the center of the earth and a huge wall of
black water races across the hotel grounds toward them; Maria and her eldest are
swept one way, Henry and the youngest are carried in another direction. The
true-life terror is moderated by the astonishing displays of compassion, courage
and simple kindness that Maria and her family come upon during the darkest hours
of their lives. Epic and intimate, devastating and uplifting, “THE IMPOSSIBLE”
is a journey to the core of the human heart.
The film received positive
reviews from critics for its direction and its acting, especially for Watts who
was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, a Golden Globe Award for
Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama and a Screen Actors Guild Award for
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.
The film is
rated PG-13 for intense realistic disaster sequences, including disturbing
injury images and brief nudity; it runs 114 minutes. “THE IMPOSSIBLE” will
play at the Marion Palace Theatre Friday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday,
March 23, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 24, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30
p.m.
Finally, E.E. Johnson at the
corner of West Center Street and Kenton Avenue has some spring promotions
..
.
1. They are holding our annual Spring Open House at the store on Friday,
April 5, from 8
a.m. until 6 p.m. and Saturday, April 6, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Refreshments, door prizes, discounts, manufacturer reps, demos, samples,
etc
2. They are giving away a Husqvarna LTH18538 (or LTH 2038) riding lawn
mower valued at $1,499.95!! Entries can be earned and bought as
follows:
"LIKE" E.E. Johnson on Facebook and stop by the store to complete
your registration(s).
No purchase is necessary to register as anyone can
enter once, but if you do buy some turf & landscape products while you're at
the store your odds of winning increase...
Customers that make purchases
up to $999 earn 2 entries
Customers that make purchases of $1,000 to
$4,999 earn 5 entries
Customers that make purchases of $5,000 to $9,999
earn 10 entries
Customers that make purchases of $10,000 and more earn 20
entries
Now, let's say you buy a
mower before the drawing and win ... EE Johnson will give you $1,499.95 BACK!!
(If the original mower purchase price was more than $1,499.95.) It's a WIN-WIN
because you have a chance of winning a mower or saving almost $1,500 on the
mower you bought at E.E. Johnson.
"Donate and Double Down"...you can buy
additional entries (up to twice the amount you qualified for) for $5 cash money
each. All of the money raised will be donated back to the community.
Wow!
Remember ... where you eat shop and play truly matters ...
please do it locally!
Karen
--
Karen Herr
Manager, Downtown Marion, Inc.
205 West Center Street, Suite 130
Marion, OH 43302
This car
show supports a cause that is near to my heart because my father was on
dialysis for three years. I know this group does good work. My
father was lucky in that his Medicare and insurance supplement took care of most
of the medical expenses, and I drove him there three times per week so he wasn't
in need of transportation. Many, however, are too young for Medicare, don't
qualify for Medicaid, and working a job when you are on dialysis is
tough, if not impossible ... the process of taking every drop of blood out and
running it through a machine to clean out the toxins is basically a 3 - 6 hour
process depending upon the patient ... and the exhaustion is incredible. If you
can't work, you most likely have no insurance. This group does the best it can
on the funds they receive from this show to help patients purchase medicine, pay
for transportation to and from dialysis, provide nutritional
supplements, and more.
And while you are on the www.visitmarionohio.com
site, be sure to check out Marion’s Amazing Treasures.
It’s a great way to have fun discovering the area you live in … and get
qualified for prizes!
