I WILL VOTE 2008

Hey all you voters? Want to spread the word that you will be voting come this November? Send in your "I Will Vote" photo to the Secretary of State website. Check out some of the great photos we've found of local voters pledging to vote.

Mock Election 2008

If you have children in grades K-12 and want to teach them about the importance of the upcoming election, encourage them to vote in the Washington State Mock Election. Voting starts at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, October 27 and the polls close at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, October 31. Results are posted after 5:00 p.m.

When voting begins, students participating in the Mock Election must "register to vote" by submitting their name and school. They will immediately receive a unique voter ID number, a printable voter registration card, and their ballot. Ballots are cast online. Election results will be available after 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 31.

Students will vote on all the same issues facing adults and will also vote to elect the next President and Vice President of the United States as well as local Governor.

Click here to learn more about the Mock Election.

A Computer Like You've Never Felt Before

HP is introducing a whole new option for PC lovers. And even we Mac users have to admit, it's pretty darn cool. Meet the HP Touchsmart IQ804 and IQ816 All-in-One Desktop PC that works similarly to your iPhone or iPod touch, only it also has all the conveniences of features of a regular desktop computer.

What The Retailers Are Saying:
Redesigned with a next-generation, touch-enabled 25.5-inch high-definition LCD screen, the HP TouchSmart IQ804 all-in-one desktop PC is designed to fit wherever life happens: in the kitchen, family room, or living room. With one touch you can check the weather, download your e-mail, or watch your favorite TV show. It's also designed to maximize energy, with a power-saving Intel Core 2 Duo processor and advanced power management technology, as well as material efficiency--right down to the packaging. It has a sleek piano black design with elegant espresso side-panel highlights, and the HP Ambient Light lets you set a mood--or see your keyboard in the dark.

The touch-enabled 25.5-inch widescreen BrightView LCD offers height/tilt adjustment for optimal viewing. It offers a native resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. Video is powered by the Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS HD graphics/video card, which provides 256 MB of dedicated video RAM and offers up to 2047 MB of total available graphics memory as allocated by Windows Vista. Enabled by PureVideo HD, movies come to life with outstanding picture clarity, ultra-smooth video and vivid color. The lifelike images have up to six times the detail of standard DVD movies. Delivering state-of-the-art graphics performance, GeForce 9300M GS graphics card is sure to give you the power and performance you crave to play the hottest DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 titles. Its 16x full-screen antialiasing technology delivers superior quality along with astounding performance and since it's optimized for Windows Vista. The integrated audio card is configurable to 6-speaker surround sound, and it can provide two-channel audio via its integrated speakers.

Watch the ad below:





The Touchsmart is not available yet, but you can pre-order yours at Amazon.com.

Blonds Have All The Fun

There is just no denying it. The staff at banquetevent.com loves animals. And in honor of Halloween, which is just around the corner, we wanted to share some photos with you of an adorable dachshund named Honey. We dare you not to fall in love.

View more pictures of Honey and her furry friends, check out Honey's flickr site.











Are you planning on dressing up your pooch for Halloween? Send us your pictures and we'll post them on our blog! Email us.

Get Inspired! An Adult Halloween Party

Whoever said Halloween was for kids was clearly mistaken. We'd like to introduce our new "Get Inspired!" series of party planning inspiration boards to help you get your creative juices flowing for your own happening events. After all, we are entering the busiest season of all, jam-packed with one holiday after another. So let's get started with our first board of the season!

Theme: A Grown-Up Halloween
Colors: Black and Orange

Click image below to enlarge.

Top Row: Dishware from Pottery Barn; Monogram pumpkins from Martha Stewart; Pumpkin Whoopie Pies from Rachel Ray; Table setting from BBJ Linen
Second Row: Halloween Jenga from Amazon.com; AFI's top horror film Psycho; Halloween Chandelier from Enchanted Decor; Stars from Enchanted Decor
Third Row: Chandelier details from Ballard Designs; Trick or Treat lighted bags from Ballard Designs; Cheddar Fondue from Food Network; Spooky cocktails from Food Network
Bottom Row: Chocolate spider dessert from Food Network; Bat glitter candles from Plum Party; Mrs. Incredible costume from Display & Costume; Napkins from Plum Party

Let's get down to business...

The Colors: Go classic orange and black. Since orange is not a color most people use often, select accent pieces like napkins, candlesticks and small decorations that are orange in color. Then choose black items that are more recyclable like your chairs, table linens and candlesticks to complete the look.

The Decor: Halloween is a pretty simple holiday to find decorations for. But if you have the time and energy, try simple crafts for your decorations like pumpkin carving, glittered votive candle holders and edible spooky snacks. Homemade decorations are far more interesting and impressive.

The Entertainment: What would a Halloween party be without a scary film? We checked AFI's top 50 horror films and the film Psycho topped the list. Even if you aren't all going to sit down and watch it intently, stick it in your dvd player and let it run. Just the screams and scary music will add to the overall abiance.

The Food: Plan a meal that allows people to gather around the table, talk and mingle. A formal sitdown dinner is just not appropriate for a Halloween party. Consider a fondue party with cheddar cheese dip. It's a fun and tasty activity, plus it matches your color scheme!

The Fun: Since it is a Halloween Party after all, costumes are a must! Give an award for the best costume and the most creative costume. It will turn your event into a competition, encouraging your guests to step it up a notch. And since you are the awesome party planner that you are, we suggest going as Mr. or Mrs. Incredible!

Mirror Mirror On The Wall, Who Is The Scariest Of Them All?

It has often been said that people's choice of political Halloween costumes can often predict the winner and loser of the presidential race. You may predict that the most purchased political mask of the year would equal the candidate the voters think is the "scariest" option. After all, this is Halloween and the time for spooks and tricks. But, surprisingly, that is not the case. According to online costume retailers, the quantity of political masks purchased predicts the winner, not loser of the presidential race. In fact, they say that they have been able to predict the winner of the last seven elections, simply by mask sales!

So who will win this year? According to a recent article featured on AOL.com, so far, Barack Obama masks are outselling John McCain masks in Spirit Halloween and iParty stores and online at Amazon and BuyCostumes.com.

Will mask sales predict the winner? We'll just have to wait and see.

VS.

Left: Barack Obama Mask Available at Costume Alibi, $24.99
Right: John McCain Mask Available at Political Masks, $16.99

VS.

Left: Sarah Palin Mask, Available at Costume Kingdom, $29.95
Right: Joe Biden Paper Mask, Available at Buy Costumes, $.99

Upcoming Fall Events

Waterways Cruises and Events Open House
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
4-7 p.m.
Where: The Lakeside Event Center
2501 N Northlake Way
Seattle, WA 98103

RSVP by clicking here.


Emerald City Applause Awards
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
6:30 PM - 9:30 PM
at the Columbia Tower Club
701 5th. Ave, 75th. Floor
Seattle, WA 98104

Celebrating the Gems of our Industry

The entries are entered, the judges have judged, and the excitement is building in anticipation of the 4th Annual Emerald City Applause Awards!

Join your colleagues and friends in honoring the best of the best in Washington’s event industry! Your presence is requested to come and savor the excellent work done by some of the top companies in our industry.


NACE AUCTION
October 21st Annual Auction
RSVP by October 16th
5:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
RSVP by Thursday, October 16th at www.TacomaNACE.net
Sharon McGavick Student & Conference Center
Clover Park Technical College
4500 Steilacoom Blvd. SW Building 23
Lakewood, WA 98499

The Tacoma/South Puget Sound Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives invites you to our annual auction Cooking up Success! benefiting Clover Park Technical College's Culinary Arts and Floral programs & the NACE education program.

Register Here >>


Murder Mystery aboard the historic Steamship Virginia V
November 1, 2008
7-10 p.m.
Departs from Seattle's Lake Union Park
860 Terry Avenue North
Seattle, WA. 98109
For a cruise around Lake Union and Lake Washington

Join Events on the Edge and the historic Steamship Virginia V for a special Halloween theme murder mystery celebration and adventure aboard the High Seas, with a 3 hour Dinner Cruise around Lake Union and Lake Washington. Halloween costumes are welcome but not required!
Time: Boarding/cocktails 6pm. Mystery & Dinner Cruise 7-10pm
Cost: $85.00 per person plus $2.00 fuel surcharge for Buffet Dinner, Mystery & Cruise (does not incl tax or gratuity)
Tickets: Available online at www.virginiav.org or call 206.624.9119
Parking: Lot & street parking is available at Lake Union Park.


Umbrella Tour
(Familiarization Tour)
Olympia Lacey Tumwater Visitor & Convention Bureau
November 15-17th, 2008

To assist you in planning for 2009, Olympia Lacey Tumwater Visitor & Convention Bureau invite you to participate in the Umbrella Tour. Specifically designed for meeting and event planners, this two-day event is sure to get you acquainted with Thurston County as a meeting and event destination.

RSVP TO:
Heather Antanaitis, Membership & Marketing Development
Olympia Lacey Tumwater Visitior & Convention Bureau
Toll Free: 877.704.7544 Email: marketing@visitolympia.com

Whether you have never been to the area or it is been a while since your last visit, this Familiarization Tour is sure to give you a fresh perspective on what the region has to offer. You will experience our finest attractions, explore restaurants and enjoy two complimentary room nights at the Phoenix Inn & Suites/Red Lion Olympia.

Please join us for the Umbrella Tour November 15-17th. Space is limited, so we ask that you RSVP by November 5th.