June Sprints
A Dummy's Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Puppet
Mannequin American views and guidelines on marketing/PR trends plus bits of humor and interesting but useless information. For information on Chip's performance schedule, go to http://www.dale-brown.com/.
I'm Not Really Here
I wrote this blog before leaving for the International Ventriloquist Convention in Cincinnati, OH ... or more precisely, in Ft. Mitchell, KY a suburb of Cincinnati and home of Vent Haven Museum ... which at some point in the future will become my retirement home. But today I'm at the conVENTion. So while you're reading this I'm probably in a coma in my room, or in a bar preparing to be in a coma in my room. But it takes a lot to put me in a coma state because I have two wooden legs ... a very old joke.
When I get back I'll share stories and embarrassing photos with you. In the meantime here's some stuff that I collected for you before leaving for KY.
Why Do You Need a Web Site? Go to "No Grapes. No Nuts" to Find Out.
I've heard clients ask, "Why do we need a Web site?" Usually there are a number of very good reasons to have a Web site. But seriously, why does a cereal brand need a Web site? Well the guy on the Post Grape Nuts site, "No Grapes. No Nuts." Doesn't know either. But he tries his best to explain. And he's funny!
Be patient. After you get to the site you don't need to click on anything initially. Your tour guide, or more accurately your stand up comedian, will eventually walk out and begin talking to you and take you through his virtual world. Then you can click on the remote control device to move around. Click here to watch, learn and laugh.
June Sprints at Road America
A racetrack can be a depressing place for a retired racecar driver. So I went along with Dale to keep him company when he decided to pay a visit to some of his old friends during the June Sprints at Road America. Dale has many memories of the Sprints. Once, when qualifying for the Sprints, he rolled his car over in the rain at Canada Corner ... something others had claimed "couldn't be done." That was before they saw Dale drive.
(Above, I played a trick on Dale once by putting my name on the Formula Continental that he drove at Brainerd, MN. He doesn't look very happy about it, does he? By the way, this photo was obviously taken before he rolled his SRF at Road America, because his helmet is still all shiny. After the rollover, the helmet in this picture was retired with nicks and scratches on top from the gravel trap that captured Dale's car. You wonder why drivers pay so much for their helmets? As racecar driver John Schaller once said, "What's your head worth?")
Dale's first June Sprints attracted a field of 90 cars. About twenty cars never made it to the finish line. Miraculously, Dale was able to finish ... I think on the same day he started.
Anyway, it was good to see so many of our racing friends at this year's Sprints. Our first stop was at the paddock and under the "big top" of Elite Autosport. In the photo below, Dale (at the far right) talks with our buddy and SRF driver, Lance Mussler. Lance had a couple of close calls during the race, but ended up doing pretty well.
The Sprints attracted one of the largest fields of SRFs in history. A near record 85 SRFs took the green flag. The thought of being on the track with 84 other cars, all heading into the first turn at what some may deem a "stupid" speed, can cause drivers to ponder the intelligence of their choice of hobbies. Below, Dave Shapiro appears to be praying to the race Gods before strapping on his racecar.
Once in his racecar, (below) Dave went into a trance, mentally picturing the start of the race and visualizing every turn, every shift and every pass. Then he threw up.
I could only fit a handful of cars in my lens, but below are some of the SRFs heading into turn 5 on the first lap. You can see Dave Shapiro's 02 and Lance Mussler's 24 in the mix. It was an exciting race with "lots" of action and "lots" of passing and "lots" of other stuff. To say that you've raced at the June Sprints is something to be proud of. Special congratulations to our friend Bill Douglas who finished an impressive 14th out of 85. He must have been going too fast for me to get a picture of his car.
And another special congratulations to our close friend John Schaller, who finished 4th in the GT1 class. Below, John (yellow car) is in a tight battle with a competitor going into turn 5.
This Will Keep You Busy
Okay, this should keep you busy until I get back. Go to the Museum of the Obvious, a Duracell campaign that showcases obvious inventions, while cleverly promoting their products. The virtual site allows you to click on all kinds of things. Go to the "Featured Exhibit" and see what happens when you touch (click on) the item on the desk. Then play some of the games. It's a good marketing site and a good way to waste some time ... and hey, you may learn something.
