What you buy can chage your town for the better!

Want to boost your city’s spirit and rev up the area economy? Buy local.  It’s an increasingly popular strategy among Americans who want to free themselves from chain store sameness and keep their spending money close to home.  “We’re finally getting the point across that if you spend $100 at a local business, $45 stays within the community,”  says Stacy Mitchell, senior researcher with the nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance.  “Spend $100 at a national chain and only about $14 recirculates.”  Buying local is also about trading superstore sterility-and packed parking lots-for something more unique.  “It’s all about the experience,” says Mitchell.  “You enjoy walking to the bookstore during the day and to a restaurant in the evening.  It’s about choosing the quality of the experience over the cheapest option.”

This desire for distinctness is turning area goods and services into neighborhood favorites.  Maryland’s Linganore Winecellers, for example, has scores of state residents as fans, and Hawaiian residents are partial to the Manoa Honey Company in Oahu.  What’s more, independent business alliances in Utah, New Orleans and Portland, Maine are championing buy-local campaigns, and these local business groups are growing at the rate of about 25 percent a year, Mitchell reports.

But will localism’s popularity fade faster than last year’s fringed boots?  Not a chance, says trend expert Joel Kotkin, author of The Next Hundred Million:  American in 2050.  He expects the interest to grow as boomers retire and seek locally owned shops and eateries.  Adds Mickki Langston of Denver’s independent business alliance:  “You think, ‘Do I want my community to have the same stores as the rest of the world? Or do I want an experience I can’t find anywhere else?’”

Taken from AARP Magazine September/October 2010

Tired of cooking the same old things?  Is your family ready for a change? Spice up the meals in your home!!

Join UNL Extension Agent, Lindsay Chichester to learn new and exciting BEEF dishes and to get a twist on the old dishes.  Also, learn how to create great meals on a budget or meals with healthy options.

Classes start the first Tuesday of the beginning October 5th (including November 2 and December 7), from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Falls City Senior Citizens Center.

The cost is $15 per person, per session and includes all ingredients and a “continual” recipe book.  You just need to bring your favorite apron!  For more information contact Lindsay Chichester 402-245-4324 or lchichester2@unl.edu.  Look online at www.richardson.unl.edu for all the details!  Call today to reserve your spot!

Help support the New Ball Field Improvement Project and see some NU Football!

Four (4) Nebraska-Colorado Football Tickets to be raffled at the Fish Fry

September 11th at Prichard Auditorium

Get your raffle tickets now at all local banks!

Fish Fry

Prichard Auditorium

5:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Live Auction at 8:30 p.m.

with proceeds going to the New Ball Field Improvement Project

Come watch Peru State College vs. Buena Vesta College

Jug Brown Stadium

4:00 p.m.

Falls City Elks Lodge

Saturday, August 21st

Registration 10 a.m.- Noon

Proceeds to benefit ENF and the Falls City Rec Ball Field Improvement Project

Questions?  Call Rhett 402-245-7169

Tickets are now available at the Chamber office (1705 Stone Street) for the Cobblestone Falls City Brawl MMA Style Fights!

These fights will be held Saturday, August 28th at Prichard Auditorium.  Doors open at 5:00 p.m. the fights begin at 6:00 p.m.

Get your tickets early – they are going FAST!

General Admission: $25

VIP Seating: $35

Tables for 10:  $300

The Falls City Library & Arts Center presents Chasing Yesterday. August 13th 6:00 p.m. There will be pizza provided by the Friends of the Library. Free will donation for the band.

The Falls City Jaycees will hold a Mud Run on August 21st at 10:00 a.m.  The mud run will be held South of Falls City on the Snethen property across from Corky’s Restaurant.

The Falls City Jaycees will hold their annual Tractor Pull and Demo Derby on Friday, August 6th and Saturday, August 7th at 6:00p.m. at the Saddle Club Arena.

Come support the Jaycees!