Mini-Mowing Contest winners declared

I did my best to put off the first lawn mowing at Gazette headquarters, but I started picking up vibes Easter Sunday from Mrs. B² that the time to git-er-done was at hand. My trusty Honda push mower started on the first pull Monday, April 13, and I toured the yard in record time. Prize winners for the Mini-Mowing Contest were revealed in a video and are listed below:

GRAND PRIZE WINNER: Beth Stewart, a reader from my hometown of Dillsburg, told me she used a complex set of algorithms and flow charts to come up with her guess of April 13. She will receive great prizes from three Linglestown merchants – $25 gift certificate for First Impressions Boutique, Gifts & Day Spa, 50-percent off any service at Shag hair salon, and a free studio sitting and photos at Kelli Wyland Photography.

2ND PLACE: Lisa Rundle, a Blue Meadows Farm resident, was a day off with her April 14 guess. Her near-miss guess earns her a $10 gift certificate at St. Thomas Roasters coffee house and a coupon for a free massage and discussion with a doctor at Homza Chiropractic Wellness and Rehab.

3RD PLACE: Rose Baker of Linglestown snagged third place, winning some loot in a tie-breaker with another entrant who more or less guessed April 11 (more on this in a second). Her prize package is the same as the one for second place.

CONSOLATION WINNER: Longtime Gazette reader and B² neighbor Scott Starr submitted the correct date, April 13, but indicated that the 13th was a Saturday. (Saturday was April 11.) Scott, Scott, Scott! The rules committee relegated him into a third-place tie with Rose, and he lost the tie-breaker drawing. Never fear, Scott, you're not going away empty-handed. You've earned a Roasters gift certificate and a free Homza massage.

Gazette thanks go out to the Linglestown merchants for filling up the prize bin, and to all readers who entered. It pays to visit the Gazette!
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By the way, B² gets called a "dork" by his camera operator in the contest wrap-up video. I'm now accepting applications for a new crew member.

UPDATE: Mini-Mowing Contest, 04.13.09

Is this the update when B² finally mows his yard for the first time this season, or will he try to procrastinate at least one more day? Watch the video to find out.

UPDATE: Mini-Mowing Contest, 04.09.09

Is Linglestown TV host B² going to mow his grass on the first day following the entry deadline for the 2009 Mini-Mowing Contest? Watch the video to find out.

Mow, mow, mowing contest

Guess the date I'll mow my yard the first time this spring - last day to enter. Prizes, fame await top finishers. CLICK HERE for details on entering – it's free and oh so exciting.

So far only eight readers have entered, so the field is wide open for more entrants. Everyone is eligible, including past Gazette contest winners. Also, I'm sorry to report that most of the guesses received so far likely are off the mark.

Come on, let's not make it easy for the early entrants ... although they do score points for not waiting until the last minute to take action. Deadline to enter is 11:59:59 pm tonight.

By the way, the prize bin includes gift certificates or coupons from
St. Thomas Roasters, First Impressions,
Kelli Wyland Photography, Shag hair salon and
Homza Chiropractic.

CLICK HERE and get in the game!

2009 Mini-Mowing Contest

– 13 contest entries received ... deadline has passed for entering –

- Post updated so watching video is NOT required -

Linglestown TV host B² announces the start of the world’s second-ever mowing contest. (The first mowing contest was sponsored by the Gazette last year. Linglestown resident Tony Evanoff was the winner.)

To enter, send e-mail to B² with “MOWING CONTEST” in the subject line. Please submit the following info:

1. Name
2. Mailing address
3. Most importantly, guess the date of B²'s first yard mowing this year. The earliest it could happen is Thursday, April 9. Watch the video for more details.

Deadline to enter is Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at 11:59:59 pm.

Check back for updates starting this Thursday.

Note to Lower Paxton businesses

I’m in need of a few percentage-off coupons or gift certificates to add to the Gazette prize bin for the Mini-Mowing Contest that kicked off Sunday. This is great opportunity to attract a few new people to visit your business and get low-cost publicity in your target market area.

If you want to participate, e-mail B² or call the newsroom at (717) 512-0722 and I'll stop by your shop or office to pick up prize-bin contributions. Prizes will be awarded sometime during the next week or so.

New contest in the works ...

Check back later today for info on the 2009 Mini-Mowing Contest.

Unlike last year's contest that stretched over the entire mowing season, this year's format has been changed to determine a winner in only a few days. This is why I dubbed the competition a "mini" contest.

CLICK HERE for info on last year's contest.

Backyard News, 02.26.09

Important meeting tonight ... The Lower Paxton Twp. Zoning Hearing Board will review Triple Crown Corporation's request for a special exemption to operate a car wash at the former gas station on N. Mountain Road next to the First National Bank of Marysville branch (pictured), 7 pm at the Municipal Center.

Township supervisors somewhat reluctantly changed local land-use rules earlier this year to allow a car wash at this location if the developer can jump through a few regulatory hoops. If the proposed facility were OK'd by the zoning board, Triple Crown still would need to get a plan approved by the supervisors.

Supervisors Bill Seeds and Bill Hornung were skeptical that a car wash could be crammed into the half-acre lot.

Lower Paxton news ... Police are trying to track down crooks who ripped off residents at Pennswood Apartment Complex. ... LP Republicans will hold a meet-and-greet and nomination petition-signing event for local candidates Saturday morning at St. Thomas Roasters, 10 am–noon., and Democratic county judicial candidate Lori Serratelli will be gathering petition signatures Sunday at the coffee house, 5–6:30 pm.

Life with B² ... Thanks go out today to the residents association at Blue Meadows Farm for plugging the Gazette in their January newsletter. ... St. Thomas Roasters coffee house is a satellite office for the Gazette. Geez, I sure hope Java Geof doesn't see this AP video report. ... Need a B² fix between blog posts? Gazette junkies should seriously consider following me on Twitter. ... I'll be a face in the crowd Friday night at Giant Center when the CD Lady Rams compete for the District 3 Quad-A championship against Wilson, a Berks County school. Tip off is slated for 8:30 pm. Hope to see you there. Go Rams!

Contests ... The give-away announced Monday on this post ended with no winner. The St. Thomas Roasters gift certificate will be returned to the prize bin. ... I still have $40 of Bon Ton coupons to give away for the department store's Community Day this Saturday, and I'll try to deliver coupons to last-minute winners. To win you have to send some friendly spam to at least three people in your address book. According to one reader, no one should fear spamming friends to help get more eyes on the Gazette.

The Gazette provides a service,
and it's safe for your computer!!!

Karen Cattabiani, a Gazette reader and willing spammer

Gazette give-away contest

I have bunch of coupons to give away for
Bon Ton's Community Day this Saturday, Feb. 28, at Colonial Park Mall. To receive $20 in coupons, follow the two-step process below to enter the contest:

1. Send an e-mail to at least three of your friends and/or family members who live in Lower Paxton Twp. that encourages them to check out Linglestown Gazette. (Be sure to include the blog's Web address – linglestowngazette.com – in your message.)

2. To enter the contest, forward a copy of the e-mail to B² that shows the e-mail addresses of the people you contacted, and most importantly, includes your name, address and telephone number.

The first five readers who successfully complete this challenge will win $20 in recession-busting coupons. Holy cow!

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Backyard News, 02.23.09

This is the debut webcast of Backyard News. Be sure to check out the "Question of the Day" segment – one lucky viewer will win a prize package!



Webcast links: Piccola butts heads with Rendell – again; Watchdog group SWAN to meet Monday, 7 pm (meeting location); CD School Board meeting agenda, Monday, 7 pm; St. Thomas Roasters sells cinnamon sticky bun coffee beans; Geo's Country Oven closing?; Welcome to new Gazette sponsor Homza Chriopractic Wellness & Rehab; Former CD Ram Walter Peppelman adjusts well to college wrestling; CD Lady Rams head to district basketball semifinal; CD Lady Ram forward Alyssa Thomas comes up big in quarterfinal; CD East boy's basketball team to play district semifinal Tuesday against Redland at Giant Center, 6:30 pm tip off; CD Rams grapplers win district championship.

Question of the Day: Submit answers and complete mailing address via e-mail to Linglestown Gazette. Fifth correct answer wins.

Another Gazette winner

Jen Feinberg snagged the FREE exam and massage at Homza Chiropractic Wellness & Rehab located on Linglestown Road about a quarter-mile west of the historic village. (If you missed the giveaway announcement, check out the last item of this post.)

Hey, it pays to get a daily dose of Linglestown Gazette.

Backyard news, 01.28.09

Controversy rolls on ... Nick Cantone's restaurant is the subject of another letter-to-the-editor in today's Patriot-News. In this one, Timothy J. Marsico says Cantone seems to be the state's "whipping boy" for many issues.

Eddie, Eddie, Eddie ... State Sen. Jeff Piccola has accused Gov. Ed Rendell of "unnecessarily ratcheting up the fear" about looming job cuts for state workers. Piccola's comments are on page 2 of an article in today's Patriot-News.

Aiding crime fighters ... State Rep. Marsico announced Tuesday that a committee he chairs approved legislation that will help state authorities fight against drug trafficking.

_________________________________________________________

This post is sponsored by ...

FIRST IMPRESSIONS’
BOUTIQUE, GIFTS, & DAY SPA

Beat the WINTER BLUES and visit FIRST IMPRESSIONS! Our friendly staff will show you our unique merchandise, or you may tour our Day Spa featuring faux painted wall treatments. You can also make an appointment for a “Complimentary” BARE MINERALS Make-Up Kit Application! CLICK HERE for more details.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS is located at 5943 Linglestown Road
in “The Village of Linglestown”

_________________________________________________________

Proposed housing community ... The Lower Paxton Twp. Zoning Hearing Board is scheduled to hear a request from the Parmer Family Foundation on a proposed 150-unit housing community on a tract located near the vo-tech school on Locust Lane. The hearing will be held tomorrow night, Jan. 29, 7 pm at the Municipal Center, 425 Prince Street.

Gazette giveaway ... I injured my neck at a prayer breakfast back in early November. (This should attract some interesting comments!) Instead of turning my chair to face the featured speaker, I opted to turn my neck to look at him. Twenty-four hours later ... bingo, big-time neck pain and stiffness. The injury eventually developed into a chronic problem.

Last week I said enough is enough and called the folks at Homza Chiropractic Wellness & Rehab in search of some relief and healing. Long story short, I'm on the road to recovery thanks to Dr. Josee Homza and her staff that work out of a remodeled stone building located just west of the historic village of Linglestown on Linglestown Road.

If you have a nagging injury that needs attention, be the second person to e-mail me and I'll send you a certificate good for a FREE massage and discussion with a doctor at Homza Chiropractic, a $75 value. Be sure to include your name and mailing address in the e-mail.

Deadline to enter is Friday, January 30 at noon.

We've got a winner ...

Megan deManincor has been declared the winner of $5 gift certificate give-away to Doggie Delights on Linglestown Road. Congrats, Megan!

She was the third person to respond to the Backyard News post published yesterday (see last item).

As always, a daily does of Linglestown Gazette is good your mind and pocketbook.

2008 Look-Back: It pays to read the Gazette

To say the least, 2008 has been a transition year for Linglestown Gazette, with this blog going from a barely perceptible blip on the local Internet scene to a daily must-read destination for a steadily growing following.

One thing that has spiced things up a bit this year was a series of contests. Things kicked off in March with a Name-That-Street Contest and ended with the awarding of a huge pile of loot to the winner of the world’s first-ever Mowing Contest.

The year also included a pair of Trivia Contests (click HERE and HERE), a gift certificate giveaway to St. Thomas Restaurant, and a raffle sponsored by Linglestown Fire Company that netted a $1,000 Visa gift card for a Gazette reader.

For those of you who missed out on the fun this year, don't fret – more contests are on the way for 2009.

Fabulous and over 40!

News from Gazette sponsors ...

PAT … AGE 55 … AND LOOKING FABULOUS!

Believe it or not, this amazing transformation recently took place in Linglestown.

CLICK HERE for the rest of the story.
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Click on photo to view a larger version.

Contest: St. Thomas Restaurant drawing

In this edition of Linglestown TV (LTV), the winner of a $10 gift certificate to St. Thomas Restaurant is revealed.



Click the tiny photo to view a 1 minute, 19 second video about St. Thomas Restaurant. The eatery is located near the flagpole on the square in the historic village of Linglestown.

CLICK HERE to read a Patriot-News article about St. Thomas Restaurant.

St. Thomas Restaurant menu (PDF file)

Restaurant hours: Monday–Saturday, 6:30 am–9:00 pm; Sunday, 6:30 am–3:00 pm

Backyard news, 12.10.08

● I received this Q-Tip today:

Word has it that Kokomo's on Linglestown Road will be no longer as of Friday or sooner. The sports bar will probably close for a short while and reopen as Arooga's. Who didn’t see this coming?

● The Patriot-News reports today that Comcast and Verizon are selling new channel plans. For what it’s worth, the charts for service package offerings make my head spin.


● State Rep. Ron Marsico has turned the staffers at the Greater Philadelphia Film Office into a bunch of nervous Nellies. CLICK HERE to find out why.



● On the frozen pond, Central Dauphin goalie Kevin Consevage posted a shutout Monday in the Ram’s 2–0 win over Hempfield at Twin Ponds. Check out the video from WGAL TV-8. (Rams Ice Hockey website)



● You gotta play to WIN ... Please take a few minutes to enter the latest Gazette contest that is a linked to a video ad for St. Thomas Restaurant in Linglestown. Entry deadline is this Friday, Dec. 12, at noon.

Ad: B² takes care of the hungries

UPATE – 5 entries received as of Wednesday, 3:03 pm. Deadline to enter is Friday, Dec. 12, 2008, at noon.



I have a favor to ask all loyal Gazette readers …

First, please check out the video. Next, let’s spread the word about St. Thomas Restaurant, a Linglestown eatery located in the village square, that’s featured in the video – it’s definitely worth a try.

I have $10 gift certificate for St. Thomas Restaurant to give away to the winner of a drawing that will take place this Friday, Dec. 12. Follow the two-step process described below to enter the contest:

1. Send an e-mail to at least five of your friends and/or family members who live on the East Shore and ask them to watch the video. (Be sure to include the ad’s YouTube page address – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXfK-U9IWAM – in your message.)

2. To enter the contest, forward a copy of the e-mail to B² that shows the e-mail addresses of the people you contacted, and most importantly, includes your name, address and telephone number.

I’ll post a video Friday to announce the winner. Good luck!
____
A jumbo-sized B² thank you goes out to Danielle Bostic, Jay and Kim Mumper, Dave Marple and my lovely bride, Barb, for agreeing to appear in the video!

Backyard news, 11.25.08

* The fine folks at Linglestown Life church, located just north of the square on N. Mountain Road, hope to expand their facility in the near future. Church officials are scheduled to appear before the Lower Paxton Twp. Zoning Hearing Board on Thursday, Dec. 4, to present their development plans and seek approval for the project.

* You can buy a Christmas tree and help Koons Pool raise funds for next swimming season this Friday through Sunday, Nov. 28–30, from 10 am to 5 pm at the Gander Mountain store on Route 22. And check this out – Gander Mountain is giving away $10 in Gander Bucks to spend in the store for anyone who buys a tree.

If you live in the Linglestown area, Koons Pool will also be selling trees at Walters Tractor Service, 6690 Linglestown Road, starting this Friday, Nov. 28, 9 am to 8 pm.

Finally, supporters of the pool who volunteer to help sell trees will get a FREE guest pool pass for next swimming season.

Send an e-mail to the pool for more info.

* I received word from HarrisburgatHome.com publisher Rob Nease that he started a companion blog to his Web site.

* Thanks to everyone who completed the challenge to tell friends and family about the great stuff that shows up on Linglestown Gazette. The following readers have been declared winners and are now entered in the fabulous SUPER TRAVEL RAFFLE sponsored by Linglestown Fire Company: Rose Baker, Donna Leinbach, Diana Sawdargs, Carla Miller, Heather Webb and Laura de Mackiewicz.

Also, a shout-out goes to Brian Carl (ineligible due to being a recent Gazette prize winner) and Diane Boyer (just missed a prize by a few minutes) for entering.

If you haven’t entered the raffle, CLICK HERE for details. The drawing will take place Dec. 24.

Contest: Win SUPER TRAVEL RAFFLE tickets

All tickets have been claimed as of Tuesday, 8:08 am ...

I have six raffle tickets to give away for Linglestown Fire Company's fantastic travel raffle. If you have not won something from the Gazette in the last 30 days, follow the two-step process described below to enter the contest:

1. Send an e-mail to at least three of your friends and/or family members who live in Lower Paxton Twp. that encourages them to check out Linglestown Gazette. (Be sure to include the blog's Web address – linglestowngazette.com – in your message.)

2. To enter the contest, forward a copy of the e-mail to B² that shows the e-mail addresses of the people you contacted, and most importantly, includes your name, address and telephone number.

The first six readers who successfully complete this challenge will win a raffle ticket. Good luck!