Win popcorn for a YEAR!

We just awarded our 10,000th Facebook fan a 6-month supply of popcorn but YOU could win a year’s worth of our delicious gourmet popcorn!

If, with your help, we reach 15,000 Facebook fans before the end of August, we will award one fan (not neccessarily a new fan) A WHOLE YEAR’S SUPPLY OF POPCORN!


All you need to do is spread the word and get your friends and family to “like” facebook.com/popcornpalace and YOU could walk away with 12 months of deliciousness!

Rules:

• No purchase necessary to enter
• The winner will receive a one-year subscription to the Popcorn Of The Month Club.
• Prize will be awarded to one Facebook fan (old or new) if we reach 15,000 Facebook fans before the end of August (August 31, 2010).
• Only residents of the U.S.A. are eligible
• We will contact the winner via Facebook message.
• The winner is responsible for responding with their postal address, email address and phone number (for our shipper).
• Postal address must be submitted within two weeks (fourteen days) of notification.
• This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook . You understand that you are providing your information to Popcorn Palace and not to Facebook.
• Employees, interns, contractors, vendors, as well as their immediate families, of Popcorn Palace, its affiliates, and any representatives or agencies of Popcorn Palace or other persons professionally connected to the Contest are not eligible to participate.
• Judges decision is final.

Celebrate your POP!

Happy Father's Day

This Sunday we celebrate those who held the hand of those that brought us into the world. This Sunday we celebrate Father's Day!

And while Mother's Day has a long and storied history, Father's day was simply introduced to compete with complement Mother's Day. The first recorded Father's Day was celebrated on July 5, 1908 in West Virginia and was actually done in remembrance  of the more than 200 fathers who were killed in a local mining disaster.

The holiday enjoyed mixed exposure as congress repeatedly shut down attempts by President Coolage and Senator Margaret Chase Smith to make the day a national holiday until President Nixon signed it into law in 1972.   

Today, the holiday is celebrated around the world, mostly on the third Sunday of May, and we at Popcorn Palace would like to wish all the Dad's out there a Happy Father's Day!

IndepenDANCE PARTY

Every year in America, we celebrate our independence with friends, food, fireworks and frolicking.

This year we want to help you throw the ultimate July 4th party by providing you with a free of popcorn to feed all of your friends and family!

All you need to do is tell us on our wall how you plan on celebrating your independence and tell all of your friends to "LIKE" your post. The post with the most "LIKES" by June 26, 2011 will win an old fashioned  tin, filled with gourmet popcorn and the two top runners up will each win a Smiley Bank full of delicious treats.

Good luck!

Rules:

• No purchase necessary to enter
• Prizes will be awarded to the first fan to identify their popcorn in each picture (four winners per picture)
• Only residents of the U.S.A. are eligible
• We will contact the winners via Facebook message.
• Winners are responsible for responding with their postal addresses, email addresses and phone numbers (for our shipper).
• Postal addresses must be submitted within two weeks (fourteen days) of notification.
• This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook . You understand that you are providing your information to Popcorn Palace and not to Facebook.
• Employees, interns, contractors, vendors, as well as their immediate families, of Popcorn Palace, its affiliates, and any representatives or agencies of Popcorn Palace or other persons professionally connected to the Contest are not eligible to participate.
• Judges decision is final.

Fundraising 101: Reducing Fundraising Fatigue

Though organizing a fundraiser is a large undertaking, it should also be an enjoyable experience! To reduce the stress and fatigue often associated with running a fundraiser, just keep a few simple strategies in mind before beginning your fundraiser and the rest will be smooth sailing!

First, start researching programs at least 1 month before you want to begin running your fundraiser. Check to make sure that your fundraiser doesn’t overlap with any fundraisers that may be running, especially if you plan on selling the same product. You don’t want to bombard your target audience with too many fundraisers at once, particularly because it can become expensive, so scheduling becomes important.

Also, have a set beginning and end date for your fundraiser so that your participants know when they need to turn in their orders, money, or any other information. To make the most of your fundraiser without exhausting everyone involved, try running for fundraiser for about 2 to 3 weeks. During this time, contact local businesses for donations or support, as they could be great sponsors. Just be sure to give them enough time!

Next, try to space out the fundraisers you’re involved with or that you organize. Trying to juggle too many fundraisers at once or trying to run one right after another is a guaranteed way to exhaust yourself, your participants and your customers. Quality over quantity is important in fundraising, and if you’re using the right product that will appeal to your audience, you can be successful without going overboard.

Finally, before beginning the fundraiser, determine how many volunteers you will need to assist you throughout the fundraiser and who will be helping. While family, friends and fellow parents are always a great place to start, you may find that you need more recruits or assistants with specific skills or knowledge. First, consider which jobs you need help with, such tallying orders, keeping track of money, delivering or sorting purchases, supervising participants, etc. Give people jobs based upon their interests and abilities. If you’re short on helpers or are looking to explore options, there are some simple resources that you could try, such as:

• Local high schools - students often need community service hours for programs, such as the National Honors Society

• Local newspapers – advertising locally is a great way to get the community involved

• Facebook and Twitter – posting an inquiry on your personal page may be a call to action for your acquaintances

• Organizations such as the Boy Scouts – many need to perform a service project in order to move to the next level

• Website resources – volunteermatch.org or boardnet.usa are just a few examples of websites that pair volunteers with causes

Marching Towards the Olympics

With credos such as “Leadership through Musicianship” and “A Role Model of Excellence”, the Rich South High School Band has set high standards of excellence for themselves. With focused determination, diligence and hard work, they live by these principals and embody their “We are The STARS” motto.

The Rich South Band, located in Richton Park, IL, is under the leadership of “Golden Apple Award Nominee” Mr. Y.L. Douglas, Jr. The program consists of a Marching Band, Jazz Band, Symphonic Band and Color Guard, which are all award winning ensembles.

For three of the last four years, Rich South has earned the distinction of “Best Band” in the Bud Billiken Parade, which is viewed by over 60 million people nationwide. In addition, the band has been featured on the ABC7 News segment, “Someone You Should Know” and in 2009 was even invited to participate in the Presidential Inaugural Heritage Festival. Just recently, the Rich South Band performed at the welcome ceremony for the president of China during his short stay in Chicago. With so many accomplishments to their name, the Rich South Band is a force to be reckoned with and their reputation has traveled far and wide.

So far, that the entertainment committee for the 2012 Olympic games in London, England, has invited the band to perform during the international games. They are scheduled to perform on three different days throughout the Olympic festivities.

Of the prestigious invitation, the band’s director, Yolandus Douglas said, “This is great, to be invited once is great, but to be invited twice, I’m so excited for the kids.”

With a total of 109 students in the band, 65 are expected to travel to London next summer. Though the goal is to include the entire band, funding the expensive trip makes that difficult. To raise the necessary funds to make this happen, the Rich South Band is currently on a nine month fundraising plan, which includes a popcorn fundraiser with Popcorn Palace. Having just completed their first fundraiser with Popcorn Palace, the band is working diligently to raise the funds they need. The trip is estimated to cost around $4,500 per student, so every donation or sponsorship helps the students achieve this once in a life time dream.

The band has plans to represent each sponsor on their uniforms during their performances and they welcome any support from businesses, churches, groups or individuals willing to donate.
If you would like to make a donation or sponsor a student, please visit the Rich South Band site at: http://www.richsouthband.org/donations/

These young adults, along with their band director, have proven that they truly are STARS, and we look forward to cheering them on during the 2012 Olympic Games!