On Sunday Dec, 11th, 2011, BTB Advertiser HiLine Lanes will host its 20th Annual Burien Merchants Christmas Belles Tournament, and they’re looking for Sponsors to donate goods and services.

Sponsors receive ads in the ‘Catalog of Sponsoring Merchants,’ along with announcement of the business name during the event, as well as FREE game coupons and more.

The deadline to donate is Nov. 19th.

If you’re interested in helping out, contact Leah Smith at (206) 244-2272.

Here’s HiLine’s lowdown from a flier:

Last year, 120 local women participated in this tournament. What attracts most of these women are the gifts they will receive and the opportunity to win cash and prizes simply by participating in the tournament. The entire tournament revolves around getting our bowlers to support local businesses like yours when doing their Christmas & holiday shopping.

For the past 19 years, local merchants like yourself have supported our efforts by donating a gift or gifts. In return for your generosity, we will provide each participant with a “Catalog of Sponsoring Merchants” featuring your ad. In addition, your business name will be announced when a lucky bowler receives your gift.

You may donate anything you like, Gift Certificates, Gifts, or Cash. Should you donate cash, we then use that cash to purchase gifts in your name. If you want to donate a Gift Certificate but don’t have one, we will make one for you in your name. Many merchants have told us that their gift certificate has procured new and repeat customers and referrals as well.

For your generous support of our tournament we would like to offer you a free gift from HiLine Lanes. For contributions with a retail value of:

• $25.00 to $39.00 – Your business will receive a quarter page ad in the “Catalog of Sponsoring Merchants” and 20 FREE game coupons valid anytime lanes are available (a retail value of $80.00). Use them as incentive for your employees or give them to your favorite customers as a way of saying thank you for your patronage.
• $40.00 to $74.00 – Your business will receive a half page ad in the “Catalog of Sponsoring Merchants”, the 20 FREE game coupons, and 6 FREE Colorama or Rock-n-Bowl passes, rental shoes included (a retail value of $200.00). Reservations are required for either event. Just call us and let us know when you’ll be in.
• $75.00 and up – Your business will receive a full page ad in our “Catalog of Sponsoring Merchants”, 30 FREE game coupons, and 10 FREE Colorama or Rock-n-Bowl passes, rental shoes included (a retail value of $300.00).

If you have any questions or would like to donate, feel free to contact us. We will come pick up your donation or you may mail us your gift certificate and we will contact you for your thank you gifts and ad copy. You can reach me, Leah Smith, by calling the center at (206) 244-2272. We would like to thank you in advance for your contribution and wish you a wonderful and prosperous Holiday Season. Let’s get everybody shopping in our local community!!

Intrepid B-Town Blog Photographer/Reporter Nicholas Johnson braved the packed house to capture these pics of ‘Gar as he did B-Town:

Eric Kline of Burien jumped at the opportunity to shake Edgar Martinez’s hand as the former-Mariner baseball player entered Burien’s The Mark on Thursday night.

(Left to right) Tyler Newton, Sally Newton, Tia Reed and her 4 ½-month-old Deoni pose with Edgar Martinez at The Mark on Thursday night.

Laura Gallez of Burien watches as Edgar Martinez signs his John Hancock on a Mariners team picture Thursday night at The Mark along Olde Burien’s SW 152nd Street.

A fan gets her photo taken with legendary former Seattle Mariner Edgar Martinez at The Mark on Thursday night.

Alaska Airlines and Olympic speed skater Apolo Ohno unveiled a specially-themed Boeing 737-800 Tuesday (Nov. 17th) at Sea-Tac Airport, painted with a larger-than-life image of the celeb athlete and telling people to “follow Apolo.”

Also, to celebrate Ohno’s race for gold, passengers boarding the “Follow Apolo” jet received Ohno trading cards, copies of Ohno’s signature bandana and press-on faux facial hair (faux facial hair??? dang…now we’re sorry we missed this photo op!).

While we certainly don’t know any humans who’ve actually sprouted wings and can fly on their own, the unique design features a huge painting of the Seattle native on the aircraft’s fuselage and also promotes his new Alaska Airlines-sponsored website www.followapolo.com as he pursues winter gold in Vancouver, BC during the upcoming Winter Olympics.

“It’s an honor to be featured alongside Alaska’s trademark Eskimo and have the support of my hometown airline for the most important race of my life,” said Ohno, after seeing the plane for the first time.

A team of Seattle-area youth speed skaters aspiring to follow in Ohno’s path accompanied the athlete onboard the aircraft as it was unveiled at Sea-Tac Airport Tuesday. The skaters are members of Pattison’s Team Extreme and train at Pattison’s West Skating Center in Federal Way, where Ohno trained as a teen:

Apolo Ohno and members of Federal Way's Pattison's Team Extreme.

A native of the Seattle area, Ohno began his speed-skating career at age 14 in Seattle and Vancouver. He went on to become the youngest skater to win a World Cup event title in December 1999. Ohno has since won 11 national champion, 18 world champion and five Olympic medals.

If you’d like to “Follow Apolo,” you can either grow wings and attempt to fly behind (or alongside) his cool new airplane, or you can just click here and check out his website.

(Photos courtesy Alaska Airlines)

OMG! On Thursday, Nov. 12th, some cast members from “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” will be appearing at Tukwila’s Westfield Southcenter Mall!

And get this kids – not only can you meet and listen to “some” of the cast members, but there will also be a live performance from one of the bands on the soundtrack. Any guesses as to which one? Perhaps one from this area?

OMFG!!!

To get in though, you’re going to have to spend $75 at Nordstrom this Saturday, Oct. 31st beginning at 8am; this will entitle you to a “VIP pass” (just 75 are available on a first-come, first-serve basis).

Also, don’t expect the big stars to be there, since they’ll apparently be otherwise occupied.

WTF??? BUT OMFG!!!

Nordstrom is currently selling a special line of clothing based entirely on The Twilight Saga, so ‘rents, it’s time get the plastic out for the kids. Once the $75 is spent, your TwiFan will be given access to return to Southcenter on Nov. 12th to meet the cast and participate in the event.

According to Entertainment Tonight:

Fans can acquire limited-amount V.I.P. credentials on a first come, first-served basis at 8 a.m. this Saturday, October 31 at Hot Topic and select Nordstrom stores, given to those who make qualified purchases. They will be given access to return and meet select cast members at that same mall on the assigned scheduled date and time.

V.I.P. credentials are non-transferable.

If you own or drive a Chevy Camaro, Papa John’s Pizza will give you a FREE pizza today (Wed., Aug. 25th) if you drive it in.

There are two Papa John’s locations nearby, with the nearest in Normandy Park (see map below):

• 19893 1st Ave S # 207, Normandy Park, WA‎ – (206) 248-3333‎
• 1421 S 192nd St, Seatac, WA‎ – (206) 824-3700‎

According to the New York Daily News, Papa John’s owner John Schnatter loves Camaros so much that he paid $250,000 to buy his original 1971 Z28 back, which he sold for $2,800 in 1983 to fund his pizza chain, which he started in a broom closet at his Dad’s bar.

Apparently the dude still really digs his car:

“The Camaro represents what I gave up to start Papa John’s,” said Schnatter. “Words cannot capture the emotions I am feeling….I never gave up hope that someday I would get that car back.”

[EDITOR'S NOTES: Special tip of the anchovies to BTB Reader David Feist, who emailed us that his wife got a free pizza this morning with her 1970 Camaro. Also, while this may appear to be a paid Ad, it isn't - we just appreciate clever marketing and our Readers love FREE food! (and we also know how to brown-nose national PR agencies monitoring blog feeds...)]

THANK YOU READERS!

As you can see in the statistics chart below, our April traffic continued to grow to record numbers, at a steady clip of +24% for Unique Visitors (19,108) and +18% for Pageviews (over 33,000!):

Since January of this year, the number of Unique Visitors for The B-Town Blog is up by nearly +49% and +55% for Pageviews.

And since launching, our daily traffic growth has been an almost-unfathomable +7,249%!

We credit our recent traffic surge to a few things:

• Our ridiculous Aprils Fool’s issue became a viral hit, tripling our traffic over two full days.
• After doing an online survey, we decided to re-focus on frequently-updated Local News and Event Listings, something we strongly believe our local media competition isn’t doing well.
• Our continued, focused online paid Advertising efforts using Google AdWords.
• Our ongoing focus on being involved in the community, from being an active member of Discover Burien and the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce to holding various fundraisers.
• Viral marketing efforts using Facebook and Twitter (we have some secrets too that we’re now offering on a Social Media Consultation Service, where we’ll help your business utilize these amazing tools).
• Our recent :30-second TV spot that aired locally on CNN via Comcast Spotlight.
• Sponsorship of the Highline Vintage Jazz Festival, which gave us eight radio mentions on KPLU.
• The hiring of freelance journalists who bring more unique, credible coverage exclusive to The B-Town Blog (you can help us continue this cause by donating to our “Freelance Fund” which goes directly to them).

Like last year, we have a booth at the Burien Farmer’s Market, where we will serve as the one and only “official blog.” Come on by every Thursday between 11am and 3pm – we’ll be on 10th Ave SW between SW 151st and SW 152nd (and at the new location when it moves to Burien Town Square), so come over and say hi!

We’d also like to extend a special shout-out to all our Advertisers, as they are the ones who have taken a chance on our product, and hopefully are seeing rewards.

If you’re a business considering Advertising, email us for our brand new Media Kit, which includes some amazing testimonials from happy Advertisers like the Highline Athletic Club and others.

Again, thanks for being a Reader of The B-Town Blog – keep in mind we’re still in our infancy and there are a lot of great new elements coming soon!

by Scott Schaefer
Publisher/Editor

Here at The B-Town Blog, we’re very proud and thankful for our 35+ Advertisers.

We’re also proud of how hard we work for them – from our unique, Google-icious, keyword-rich, highly-effective “Blogvertorial” feature stories on the first day an Ad runs, to listing events in our Weekly Newsletter (the only one of its kind in the area – sign up here, it’s 100% spam free!) to posting news blurbs, consulting on internet social marketing and more, we bend over backwards for Burien-area businesses that we do business with.

With that in mind, we humbly ask for your time to showcase a recent Testimonial we received from Dona Forrester, General Manager of Highline Athletic Club, which just happens to be holding a major “No Enrollment” promotion Saturday morning, April 18th, from 7:30am to 10:40am (all enrollment fees are waived – more info here):

We became a customer of The B-Town Blog in January 2009 after I had the opportunity to meet Scott and get reacquainted with Janet at a Discover Burien Business after Hours event.

We were looking for a new means of advertising to reach the masses of people who primarily use the internet for their information and news vs. newspapers and phone books.

I was impressed with how active they are in the community promoting the B-Town Blog.

We ran our first ad in January and had a great feature article written and published the day that our ad came out. In January, we had our 2nd best new member enrollment in our 21-year history of Highline Athletic Club.

The B-Town Blog was the only advertising that we did in January that was different from our regular marketing plan.

I like the community feel of the B-Town Blog and am impressed with the number of hits that their site gets per day – how many places can you advertise and be exposed to an average hit of 400-500 hits per day.

We have decided to continue our advertising with the B-Town Blog and I encourage other local businesses to consider giving it a try.

Dona Forrester, General Manager
Highline Athletic Club

As always, we also thank our Readers for their loyalty, and we welcome all our new Readers who are responding to our :30-second Ad that’s running on CNN.

Please subscribe to our Free RSS Feed, or sign up for our Weekly Event Newsletter, and thanks for your support!

If you’re thinking about jumping on The B-Town BlogOLution and Advertising with us, please read this page (chock full of info and other testimonials) then call us during business hours at (206) 248-2565 or email us!

Consider us your Burien Business Evangelists, and we look forward helping you during these tough times.

On Saturday, the HAC basketball court will be taken over for a FREE launch of GroupX (that’s Group Exercise), spring music and routines.

That’s right, you can experience the music and routines at no charge whether you’re a member or not. Fact is if you’re not a member, Saturday would be a perfect time to join, because there will be ZERO, NADA, NOTHING charged to join the Highline Athletic Club this Saturday only.

Here’s what you have to do get this amazing special:

1. Show up Saturday, April 18th and take one of the free demo GroupX Classes (schedule below)
   
2. After class, just enroll and everything that HAC has to offer will become yours (in addition to GroupX classes, there’s basketball, pickle ball, swimming pool, tanning…you name it, and HAC has it).

The schedule is as follows. Get there early and enjoy several classes, swimming or Salsa. The fun starts at 7:30am and runs ‘til 10:40am:

7:30-8:30am: Everyone finishes first in Group Ride®! Pedal in groups, roll over hills, chase the pack, climb mountains and spin your way to burning calories and strengthening your lower body. This normally 60-minute cycling program is geared for anyone that can ride a bike. Motivating music, awesome instructors and an inspiring group environment lets you Ride On!

8:00-8:35am: Group Kick® brings it on! This electric 60 minute fusion class of martial arts and boxing movements will kick your cardio fitness to the next level while defining and shaping your body and self confidence! Energetic music, awesome instructors and a group environment will keep you punching, kicking and smiling! Group Kick will knock you out!

8:45-9:20am: Group Power® is your hour of power! This normally 60-minute barbell program strengthens all your major muscles in an inspiring, motivating group environment with fantastic music and awesome instructors. Group Power is for all ages and fitness levels. Discover results, discover Group Power!

9:30-10:00am: Discover new heights with Group Step®! Utilizing the step in many positions and heights, this compelling normally 60-minute cardio program strengthens and shapes the lower body one step at a time. Energetic music and motivating instructors create this spunky group experience. Step this way with Group Step.

10:10-10:40am: Redefine yourself with Group Centergy®. Grow longer and stronger as you explore this regularly 60-minute journey of yoga and Pilates movements. Positive uplifting music, group dynamics and supportive instructors will enable you to center your energy, reduce stress and even smile. Discover Group Centergy!

And for good measure Highline Athletic Club has included two additional, very popular group classes: Salsa and Aqua Lite:

7:30-8:00am: Salsa lets you boogie to a Latin beat, while providing a solid cardio workout with a Latin flavor. Steps are broken down for all fitness and coordination levels.

8:00-9:00am: Aqua Lite is a great way to get an aerobic workout and tone muscles in a non-impact environment. Foam dumbbells and other devices are used to add resistance and intensity. Please advise your instructor if you are not a swimmer. The pool is 4.5 feet deep.

To repeat, all you have to do to take advantage of this grand slam of a special is:

• This Saturday, April 18th, take one free GroupX class listed above
  
• March over to the reception area and enroll/signup for membership
  
• Say you’re there because you read about the Zero initiation fee on The B-Town Blog (not required but hey, why not give us a plug?)
  
• Enjoy your newfound savings and health club!

Highline Athletic Club is located at 125 South 156th in Burien, and their phone number is 206-246-9000:

Soon-to-be new BTB Advertiser Economy Wiring will be firing up their barbecues this Saturday and Sunday (March 21st & 22nd) from 10am to 4pm, and everyone is welcome – so bring your appetite!

It all takes place at their showroom at 633 SW 148th Street in Burien, next door to Han’s Deli and just west of the brand new Ace Hardware.

In addition to providing top-notch electrical services for your construction and remodel projects, both residential and commercial, Economy Wiring also offers well-built hot tubs and spas for the home.

You’ll be stunned by their affordability as you enjoy mouthwatering Beef Brisket, Pork Loin and Chicken that office manager Shawn Becker will skillfully prepare for you on the easy-to-use Traeger Pellet Barbecues.

While you’re there be sure to ask about Heat N Glo gas fireplaces, too.

Economy Wiring Company
633 SW 148th Street (map below)
Phone: 206-244-7542

www.economywiring.com

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