Wednesday, March 20, 2013

It may not feel like spring outside, but ...


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
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Karen Herr
Manager, Downtown Marion, Inc.
205 West Center Street, Suite 130
Marion, OH   43302