Threat doesn’t scare away festival-goers

RIVERSIDE, Ohio (WDTN) – The St. Helen’s Festival is one of the area’s largest and longest running festivals in the region, and this week it was the target of a terrorist threat. But a bomb scare didn’t scare away the crowds at the festival. Event coordinators said they had good crowds Saturday.

“I’ve seen quite a few security around and everyone looks like they’re having a good time,” said festival-goer Mary Gaddis.

The festival is the parish’s major fundraiser that cooks up fun for thousands of people each year.

Any threat could turn their finances upside down.

Earlier this week the event was threatened by a disgruntled Denver Vinson who posted on Facebook that he was going to bomb the beloved festival.

“I think it’s crazy,” said festival supporter Caleb Rudd. “Look where we’re at. This is a good time. There should be no drama.”

Security measures were taken this weekend to make sure there was no drama.

“I can’t give specifics, but throughout the weekend we’re using different measures with the bomb squad and other measures to make sure that nobody’s left anything and security measures such as that,” stated Sgt. Rett Close of the Riverside Police Department.

“I have 42 moonlight guards and then Riverside has their additional posted patrols as well,” said Scott Bistrek, St. Helen’s security.

“We have about the same crowd last year at this time as were having right now,” said festival volunteer Bill Fisher.

The festival runs from 1-9 p.m. Sunday.

Celebrities’ favourite club celebrates its 20th birthday

Faces is one of the best-known nightclubs in the country

by Jessica Earnshaw, Reporter
Friday, May 31, 2013
6:00 PM

A nightclub, synonymous with footballers and reality TV stars, has marked its 20th anniversary by opening a new bar and asking customers to share their memories.

Froml left, DJ Steve Hurrell, and joint directors John Clarke and Tony Bee.

Faces in Cranbrook Road, Gants Hill, Ilford, was opened in 1993 by owners John Clark, from Hornchurch, and Tony Bee. It has since become one of the most popular clubs in east London.

The pair first met more than 30 years ago when they were starting out in the industry and worked at Epping Forest County Club.

It was from there that they decided they had earned their “spurs” and were ready to set up on their own.

Mr Clark said: “I had created the success for other people and I thought ‘why can’t I do this for myself and reap the benefits?’”

Faces nightclub pictured a number of years ago.

The club, which hosted an anniversary party on May 18, is proud to be one of the few clubs to have maintained the same management team for such a long time.

When the Recorder asked our Facebook readers for opinions on the celeb haunt, Natalie Smith said: “I’ve had some of my best nights out at Faces Nightclub and met some of the best (and not so good!) people there. Not been for a few years now but hope to go again soon.”

Memories

Sue Cook added: “I practically used to live in Faces on Saturday nights from 1993 to 2000. I had gold membership and had some really fantastic nights in there. I even have a Faces dance mix CD from 1995.

“I’m too old to go in there now but it was a brilliant place. Some really good memories.”

As well as opening its new Masquerade Bar, the club also asked people to post photos and memories they had of the nightspot on Facebook to try to create an online archive which dates back to when the club first opened.

Both Mr Bee and Mr Clark believe the fact they “don’t court the press” and that the club is a safe environment, unlike some of the high-profile clubs in London, is the reason why so many famous faces regularly pass through the doors.

They now have several venues including the nearby 80s-themed bar Visage but it is the success of Faces that gets them recognised all over the world.

Mr Bee added: “John and I were having dinner in Majorca when a couple asked if we were the owners of Faces. They said they’d met each other there and were now on their honeymoon.”

The club has also helped Gants Hill achieve a Purple Flag award for a diverse night-time economy.

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Celebrities ‘ favourite club celebrates its 20th birthday

Faces is one of the best-known nightclubs in the country

by Jessica Earnshaw, Reporter
Friday, May 31, 2013
6:00 PM

A nightclub, synonymous with footballers and reality TV stars, has marked its 20th anniversary by opening a new bar and asking customers to share their memories.

Froml left, DJ Steve Hurrell, and joint directors John Clarke and Tony Bee.

Faces in Cranbrook Road, Gants Hill, Ilford, was opened in 1993 by owners John Clark, from Hornchurch, and Tony Bee. It has since become one of the most popular clubs in east London.

The pair first met more than 30 years ago when they were starting out in the industry and worked at Epping Forest County Club.

It was from there that they decided they had earned their “spurs” and were ready to set up on their own.

Mr Clark said: “I had created the success for other people and I thought ‘why can’t I do this for myself and reap the benefits?’”

Faces nightclub pictured a number of years ago.

The club, which hosted an anniversary party on May 18, is proud to be one of the few clubs to have maintained the same management team for such a long time.

When the Recorder asked our Facebook readers for opinions on the celeb haunt, Natalie Smith said: “I’ve had some of my best nights out at Faces Nightclub and met some of the best (and not so good!) people there. Not been for a few years now but hope to go again soon.”

Memories

Sue Cook added: “I practically used to live in Faces on Saturday nights from 1993 to 2000. I had gold membership and had some really fantastic nights in there. I even have a Faces dance mix CD from 1995.

“I’m too old to go in there now but it was a brilliant place. Some really good memories.”

As well as opening its new Masquerade Bar, the club also asked people to post photos and memories they had of the nightspot on Facebook to try to create an online archive which dates back to when the club first opened.

Both Mr Bee and Mr Clark believe the fact they “don’t court the press” and that the club is a safe environment, unlike some of the high-profile clubs in London, is the reason why so many famous faces regularly pass through the doors.

They now have several venues including the nearby 80s-themed bar Visage but it is the success of Faces that gets them recognised all over the world.

Mr Bee added: “John and I were having dinner in Majorca when a couple asked if we were the owners of Faces. They said they’d met each other there and were now on their honeymoon.”

The club has also helped Gants Hill achieve a Purple Flag award for a diverse night-time economy.

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No, but I need to get one in place

A unique event, the Milk Fund Run, will be held for the first time in Fillmore County on June 8 beginning at the Root River State Trailhead in Fountain, Minn. Registration begins at 8am in Fountain’s City Park. The Milk Fund Run will begin at approximately 9am after the completion of the registration process.

The event is a 2.5 mile run (or walk) that is being held to help fund the Fillmore Central School’s Milk Fund. At registration there is a suggested donation of $15 per individual or $40 per family. The course runs downhill on the scenic bike trail and will conclude at the Trail Side Holsteins Dairy Farm.

After the race refreshments, dairy snacks, and tours of a modern dairy farm will be given. Participants and the public will have the opportunity to learn how today’s dairy farms operate and learn about where their dairy products originate.

Tours run from 9:30am to 11:30am. As a convenience runners will also be provided a shuttle back to Fountain. In addition, at 10am there will be an awards ceremony for top male and top female runners.

One hundred percent of the proceeds will benefit the Fillmore Central School’s Milk Fund, helping to provide school age children with the calcium and protein they need to build strong bones, provide adequate growth, and maintain a healthy bone density.

At a recent Fountain Trail Days Committee meeting, Johnson, one of the event’s coordinators, stated, “I have been getting good responses for participation for this new fundraiser.” Many people are excited for this new event that will benefit the local youth. Several Fillmore County businesses have donated to the event as well.

The event takes place on June 8, the same day Fountain Trail Days also kicks off. For more information on the Milk Fund Run, contact Michael Johnson at trailsideholsteins@gmail.com, 507-421-3967, or visit the event’s Facebook page.

RISE IN SOCIAL MEDIA USE AMONGST EVENT PLANNERS

Brisbane based event management company, j2 ideas events is predicting an increase in social media use by professional event planners over forthcoming months.

The company, who has worked with a number of notable brands including Stockland, Australia Post, Peet and Economic Development Queensland, believes the role of event managers is changing with a large emphasis now falling upon effective communication and planning through social media platforms.

J2’s Managing Director, Joanna Jordan, advised that when used correctly, social media was a standout tool for coordinating, promoting and enhancing events.

She said, “From conferences and webinars to public, sporting and special events, social media is an invaluable and affordable solution for connecting with target audiences, sharing information with stakeholders and promotion.”

Joanna has outlined a number of useful ways that event managers can use social media to enhance their next event.

She suggests:

♣    Live streaming events
♣    Collecting RSVPs online
♣    Coordinating events and information while onsite using cloud technology
♣    Promoting an event and encouraging audience buy in using Twitter hash tags
♣    Marketing via Facebook using both viral and PPC programs
♣    Creating event listings on social networks
♣    Creating promotional videos and podcasts
♣    Uploading event highlights to YouTube
♣    Sharing presentations and blog posts
♣    Collecting photos and showcasing events on Pinterest and other social sites
♣    Using social polling and monitoring to collect feedback

For further information regarding j2 ideas events or to read their event management blog, visit www.j2events.com.au.

–  ENDS –

ABOUT J2

j2 ideas events is a creative team of event management professionals specialising in creative direction, event planning and event design.

The company has delivered many of the State’s iconic events including the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, MS Brissie to the Bay bike ride, 20th Anniversary World Expo 88 Charity Dinner and Riverfire, Queensland’s biggest annual public celebration.

j2’s skill and unprecedented reputation has been formally acknowledged with the company winning the Cause Related Event of the Year and Corporate Social Responsibility Award (QLD) at the 2010 Meeting Events Industry Awards and the 2008 National BT Publishing e-awards for Excellence in Events for Charity Event of the Year (20th Anniversary World Expo 88 Charity Dinner 2008).  j2 ideas events is also a past Telstra Business Awards Winner, having been named as Micro Business of the Year (QLD) in 2007.

Sportlobster, the website that spans arenas

Novak Djokovic has a lot to answer for.

It was a blog about the Serbian tennis star that propelled Andy Meikle towards setting up Sportlobster, an online social network dedicated to sports.

“This is good,” Mr Meikle recalls thinking as he read the blog. “But how are fans to know it exists? And how is the blogger supposed to attract readers?” He also realised that dedicated sports fans must switch between a number of sites to engage in various activities: checking scores, reading news articles, predicting outcomes. And to interact with each other they mainly rely on Facebook or Twitter.

“I realised … how disjointed following sports online is – especially if you are a fan of multiple sports,” Mr Meikle explains. “I wanted to bring it into one place and make it a one-stop shop. It was thanks to a Novak Djokovic blog that the penny dropped.”

At the time, December 2011, Mr Meikle was running The Question Company, a tech company he had founded in Dubai. He had been seeking funding to grow that business for two years and had finally found an investor.

But after a meeting with Arron Shepherd, who became Mr Meikle’s co-founder and who in turn introduced him to a potential investor, they raised US$750,000 in two days to get the sports site up and running.

“That’s a substantial amount for a PowerPoint presentation,” Mr Meikle jokes.

He decided to shut down The Question Company because that investor would put up the money only if Mr Meikle remained in the role of chief executive.

“There were two offers on the table, both subject to my 100 per cent involvement,” he recalls. “I love sport. And the experience I [could] take from that two-and-a-half years running the tech company and with the prospect of Sportlobster to be a global social network, it was a no-brainer for me. I had to go for it.”

Scottish by birth, Mr Meikle grew up in Dubai and played rugby for the Arabian Gulf under-18 team.

He attended West Virginia Wesleyan College in the US on a soccer scholarship. After graduating in business management, he tried out for football clubs in London but a snapped anterior cruciate ligament forced him to rethink his career path.

Sportlobster launched at the start of April with with discussion forums for 32 sports. The name was suggested by the investor and proved to be the most memorable of the names they bandied about: lobsters also stay partners for life in the same way people support particular sports teams for life. The site currently provides content for seven sports: football, rugby, tennis, cricket, golf, basketball and Formula One. The number of sports covered is to expand to 94 in coming weeks.

The response has been “amazing,” according to Mr Meikle. It has attracted 7,500 users from 126 countries.

The number of users and the time they spend online have exceeded expectations. The founders expect to have 1 million users by the end of this year, 4 million users in 12 months and 10 million by the end of 2014.

There are two aspects of the site that have proved particularly popular: first, the prediction function that allows people to collect points by forecasting who will win a match.

Also popular is the news and articles section. Fans can write their own blogs and again win points if other site users “like,” “favourite,” share or comment on the piece. Writers with the most points make it on to a leader board.

“From that you get recognition and more followers,” Mr Meikle explains. “So, if you are writing quality content it’s an easy way to be found.”

Realising its popularity, the founders are also eager to expand into North America before any copycats beat them to it. This requires $1 million in funding.

Mr Meikle was last week in Luxembourg where he secured the $1m from an investor.

“This will allow us to create mobile apps, penetrate the North American market and add to the list of sports we cover,” he says, adding that a trip to scout for offices in the US is hopefully on the cards next month.

Also in the pipeline is a Sportlobster mobile app for iPhones and Android.

Sportlobster has been boosted by users talking it up on Twitter. Mr Meikle is also working on getting celebrity endorsers with one in particular especially keen.

The entrepreneur is for now keeping silent on who it is. But how fitting if it were Djokovic himself.

lgutcher@thenational.ae

Splash: Broadcast Event Photos from Attendees in Real-Time

Famous Gants Hill nightclub, Faces, celebrates twenty years

Faces Nightclub is celebrating its 20th Birthday. L to R Joint director, Tony Bee, Club secretary, Shelia Coates, Senior Partner, Tony Hurrell and Joint directorJohn Clarke.

Jessica Earnshaw, Reporter
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
6:02 PM

A Gants Hill nightclub, synonymous with footballers and reality TV stars, has marked its twentieth anniversary by opening a new bar and asking customers to share their memories.

Faces in Cranbrook Road, was first opened in 1993 by owners Tony Bee and John Clark, and has since become one of the most popular clubs in the area.

The hard-working pair first met more than 30 years ago when they were just starting out in the industry and working at the Epping Forest County Club.

It was from there that they decided they had earned their “spurs” and were ready to set up on their own.

Originally from East Ham, Mr Clark, who now lives in Hornchurch, said: “I had created the success for other people and I thought, why can’t I do this for myself and reap the benefits?”

The club, which hosted a special anniversary party on Saturday, is proud to be one of the few clubs to have maintained the same management team for such a long time.

As well as opening their new Masquerade Bar, the club also asked people to post photos and memories they had of the nightspot on Facebook to try and create an online archive which dated back to when the place first opened.

Both Mr Bee and Mr Clark believe the fact they “don’t court the press” and that the club is a “safe environment”, unlike some of the high-profile clubs in London, is the reason why so many famous faces regularly pass through the door.

The duo now have several venues including the nearby eighties-themed bar, Visage, but it is the success of Faces that gets them recognised all over the world.

Mr Bee added: “John and I were having dinner in Majorca when a couple asked if we were the owners of Faces. They said they’d met each other there and were now on their honeymoon.”

The club has also helped Gants Hill achieve a Purple Flag award for a diverse night-time economy.

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Social media helps connect cancer survivors

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Rena Sarigianopoulos

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GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Facebook and Twitter are well known for connecting people be it old high school classmates or even new friends. But, for some, social media has turned strangers into therapists and philanthropists.

“My friends who are really funny help me so much,” says Lynne Dablow.

The breast cancer survivor has used Facebook to connect with her friends, and even people she doesn’t know, since her diagnosis back in 2008.

“People who would step back or feel like they could not communicate in person, maybe those are friends really comfortable with a social media connection that they wouldn’t have done otherwise, so that’s a huge blessing to open up that circle to more people,” says Dablow.

Open the circle she has. Lynne started reaching out to friends of friends on Facebook. She met another survivor named Lisa. They would chat and help each other through bad days. Then, Lynne reach out to another friend of a friend who was planning a benefit for another woman with breast cancer.

The women starting working together but never met in person, but it didn’t matter, the power of social media took over.

“I thought we’d be doing phone calls and mailings and we didn’t have to. Word of mouth just kept going and going,” says Laurie Serie, one of the “Banding together for Jane” event planners.

The group of strangers became friends and philanthropists. They raised $10,000 for Jane. They also plan to continue their work and their friendship into the future thanks to several degrees of separation that, thanks to social media, have now shrunk.

(Copyright 2013 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)

Downtown Bryan hosting benefit for those affected by West fire – Bryan

One week after the deadly explosion in West, the magnitude of the devastation still lurks behind the shock that envelopes Barbara Peevey and her family.

Peevey, owner of Brazos Glassworks in Downtown Bryan, lost her cousin, Jimmy Matus, a 52-year-old volunteer firefighter who was killed while extinguishing the blaze.

Several more members of Peevey’s family, including her mother, are homeless or temporarily displaced.

“It took a while for it to sink in,” Peevey said. “After looking at the pictures and seeing everything it’s still kind of hard to take in.”

In an effort to assist Peevey’s family and the hundreds of others who are suffering in the aftermath of last Wednesday’s tragedy, the Downtown Bryan Association and Big Red Drum Entertainment have partnered to put on Fest for West, an all-day music festival set for May 5.

Kristy Petty, owner of The Village Cafe and a coordinator for the event, said all proceeds from Fest for West, including ticket, food and beverage sales, will benefit the affected individuals.

Petty said the fest was immediately in the works after she saw that Bucky Bachmeyer, the founder of Big Red Drum Entertainment, had suggested on Facebook that a benefit be held.

“In a matter of a day the Downtown Bryan Association was totally behind it — we all want to help,” Petty said. “It really got viewed as just a community outreach — our community trying to come together to help West. Bryan-College Station, Aggieland, whatever you want to call it, it’s all the hearts of the people here. Every dollar raised is going to the families.”

The city of Bryan, the Bryan Fire Department and the Bryan Police Department are also teaming up in support of the fest.

Sixteen musical groups will perform beginning at 12 p.m. on the stages of the Grand Stafford Theater and The Palace Theater.

Slovacek Sausage wraps, CJ Barbecue and drinks will be available for sale throughout the event.

Tickets are available in advance at www.festforwest.eventbrite.com for $10.

Petty said event coordinators are asking the community to purchase their tickets in advance so that coordinators may plan the need for space, food and drinks accordingly.

The Downtown Bryan Association is also asking for about 100 volunteers to donate two hours of their time to work in shifts at the fest.

“It’s going to take a lot of people to pull this off,” Petty said.

Interested volunteers can sign up online at downtownbryan.com.

“We fully anticipate it spilling out into the street,” Petty said. “We are very much aware that this may be a huge event.”

Peevey said she urges the community to attend and help their fellow Texans.

“West is such a small community, and they are used to helping people by giving to them. Now they are having to turn around and accept donations,” Peevey said. “They are just very, very grateful for all the help. It will really hit when they can finally get in [their homes]. It’s gonna take a while to figure out what the insurance covers and things, and then they will really need some help.”

Funds raised from the event will be funneled into the Brazos Valley Media Giving Back fund, sponsored by The Eagle, KBTX Media and Bryan Broadcasting.

Petty said those wishing to make donations outside of purchases at the event should do so through Brazos Valley Media Giving Back by dropping off a check to any of The Bank and Trust locations or by using a credit card through a Pay Pal account.

The musical lineup at The Palace Theater will include headliner Brandon Rhyder, Bo Brumble, Shannon Lee Nelson, Blue Bear, Mark Jungers, Adam Carroll, Tubie and the Touchtones, Ben Morris, and the Great American Boxcar Chorus.

Geoff Spahr, Jason Marbach, Claire Domingue, Britt Lloyd, Doug Moreland and the Flyin’ Armadillos, Chris King and the Liberators, The Docs, and Walking Bear will perform at the Grand Stafford Theater.