From the editor’s desk
Ugh! I was outside about 6:30 p.m. Sunday evening, and it was nearly dark. While I love the fall season, I don’t like the idea of it getting dark earlier and earlier. How about you? Before I know it, I’ll be going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark; the only time I’m actually see my home in the daylight will be on the weekends. Ugh, again!
If you want to mark your calendars, Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, Nov. 4, which is when we “fall back” and set our clocks back one hour.
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So what’s the BigDeal? Every week, the Bureau County Republican offers its readers an opportunity to save some cash with its BigDeals! You can find our BigDeals! on our website at www.bcrnews.com. Following is this week’s BigDeal!:
• Get your car ready for fall with a full-service oil change for only $19.99 at LaMoille Auto Care Clinic. The regular price is usually $39.99, so this is a great savings.
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Are you ready for some new carpet in your home? Wyanet Carpet of Princeton is giving away a free room of carpet. This contest is so easy. To enter for a chance to win, log onto our website at www.bcrnews.com; click on our contest page; and look for the Wyanet Carpet icon. Once you click on the icon, it will take you to Wyanet Carpet’s Facebook page. You need to “Like” the page and then register for your chance to win the free room of carpet. — (12-foot-by-10-foot room, $350 value — Includes standard installation, regular pad and In-stock carpet).
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Have you entered our Halloween Costume Photo Contest yet? There’s still time. You can even use last year’s photos, if your child has not figured out what he (she) is going to be this year. Please limit your entries to children ages 0 through 12.
To participate, log on to www.bcrnews.com; click on the contest tab; and look for the Halloween artwork. Click on the art; register your information; and upload your photo. Remember only one child per photo. Entries are accepted until 11:59 p.m. Oct. 14.
Now the fun begins. From Oct. 15 through Nov. 1, get your friends and family to vote online for your child’s photo. Be creative in how you get your votes; you can even link the contest to your Facebook page.
At the end of the contest, the Top 3 vote-getting entries will receive a prize. First prize is a pizza party at the Princeton Pizza Hut for up to 15 friends, valued at $200. Second prize is a gift certificate at iFocus Studios (April Casey Photography), valued at $200, and third prize is a pottery class using the pottery wheel for four at Annie’s Little Pots in Princeton, also valued at $200.
This promises to be a great time, and I can’t wait to see all our little local Halloween princesses, super heroes, ghosts and more ...
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The Nov. 6 election is drawing near, and I hope you’re taking time to become familiar with the candidate — local, state and federal. If you’re interested in the presidential debates, Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan will face off this week on Thursday at 8 p.m. President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney will participate in debates on Oct. 16 and Oct. 22. Both of these debates will air at 8 p.m.
Locally, you’ll want to mark your calendars for the BCR’s Candidate Forum, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 25 at the Bureau County Metro Center. At this forum, we’ll give candidates for Bureau County Circuit Clerk, Bureau County State’s Attorney and Bureau County Coroner the opportunity to tell you why they should get your votes. I hope to see you there.
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Have you had an opportunity to pick up your new copy of Illinois Valley Living? If not, feel free to stop by our office for your free copy or check out our magazines’s website at www.illinoisvalleyliving.com for a list of more than 300 locations in Bureau and LaSalle counties.
This 72-page, glossy magazine is truly a work of art, and I know you are going to enjoy it. We’re already working on our winter edition, which will hit the streets right after Thanksgiving.
If you’re a potential advertiser and you haven’t spoken to your multi-media consultant about advertising, you’ll want to jump on this on quickly. Call our office at 815-875-4461 for more details.
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The fall colors in Bureau County are absolutely beautiful. If you can, devote some time for a fall drive to check out the scenery. Remember ... there is only one Fall 2012. Take your camera, and if you get some cool shots, we’d love to run them in our newspaper. Send your photos and information about who is in the photo and where you took it to BCR Copy Editor, Terry Himes at thimes@bcrnews.com.
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Customer Service Kudos: Do you know a business or individual who delivers great customer service? If so, send me the information at tsimon@bcrnews.com, so I can let other BCR readers know about your experience. Following are the Kudos I want to deliver this week:
• This past week I’ve had the opportunity to work with several entities in the health care industry on behalf of myself and my mom. The following people clearly went above and beyond their regular duties to provide great customer service ... Lisa, Zack, Keri (lab) and Samantha (registration) at Perry Memorial Hospital in Princeton; Sandy at Princeton Family Physicians in Princeton: Shannon and Lisa and the entire staff at Kirby-Henning Pharmacy; and the entire staff at Dr. Allen Vukov’s Illinois Cancer Care in Princeton. Thanks, everyone!
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It’s really a busy time of the year, but I would urge you to take some time for you and those you love. Try to at least devote an hour a day specifically for yourself, your spouse, a family member, a friend ... Take time to breathe, exhale. And remember ... you important to me and the BCR.
BCR Editor Terri Simon can be reached at tsimon@bcrnews.com or follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bcrnews.tsimon.
