The Perfect Gift

Struggling with those hard to shop for people? You know who. That person who has everything? The one who buys everything she wants before the holidays? The person at work you just don’t know that well? Your mother in law? Ok. There are a lot of those people. Face it, finding the perfect gift is hard.

Now, we have the answer to all your shopping troubles! Wait for it…

The Downtown Middletown Gift Card!

It’s the perfect gift for family, friends, employees, customers, co-workers, babysitters, grandparents, the mailman, and just about anyone else you don’t have a gift for. Whether they like to eat out, shop til they drop, or indulge in spa treatments, Downtown Middletown gift cards are the perfect gift! They’re accepted at over 65 locations, so they can use their gift to take the kids for a day out, their honey for a romantic dinner, themselves for a quiet cup of coffee, decorate their house, send flowers, or any number of other things. Heck, they can even be used in Middletown’s downtown parking meters where credit cards are accepted! They’re available for in any amount $10 and up, and they NEVER expire. Can’t say that for that flower arrangement you were planning to send to mom-in-law.

Buy some today. You can order them online, or at any of these locations:

• The New England Emporium, at 386 Main Street. 
• The Middlesex Chamber of Commerce, at 393 Main Street 
• The Downtown Business District Office, at 330 Main Street (second floor) 
• It’s Only Natural Market, at 575 Main St. 

You can find a listing of places these cards are accepted online or in the new Discover Main Street Middletown brochure. Pick one up today.

Ready Reader One?

In case you’ve been too engrossed in a good book to hear that Middletown is participating in One Book One Middletown for 2013, you might want to stick a bookmark in it and pay attention.

Middletown’s “One Book” selection for 2013 is Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline. Set in the year 2044, it’s a quest that plays out as a scavenger hunt in a virtual universe. But you don’t have to be a gamer or understand the 80s references to enjoy it – it’s also a suspenseful romance with an unlikely and loveable hero, Wade Watts, a teenage boy. You will enjoy cheering him on as he tries to beat the evil corporation to the finish line. The suspense will keep the reader riveted and the story of friendship, loyalty and love will warm your heart.

Ready Player One was an Amazon Best Book of the Month in August 2011 and was nominated for the 2012 John W. Campbell Memorial Award and the 2012 SF Site Readers Choice award.

It’s a genre-busting, ambitious and charming quest novel, part love story and part virtual space opera. It’s a One Book opportunity you don’t want to miss! And now, the book is available at the Book Bower in Middletown too! That’s right, you can buy the award winning book and save a buck too.

If you want to know more, check out an online review. And pick up a copy at the Book Bower before they’re all gone. Book Bower is located in the Main Street Market at 386 Main Street, Middletown, CT.

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One Book One Middletown is a project of the Middletown Rotary Club's Literacy Committee with support from the City of Middletown, local educational institutions and businesses. One book each year is selected to encourage adults and young adults (younger, if appropriate) to read and discuss the same book at the same time. The idea, which originated in Seattle, Washington in 1998, has been duplicated across the country and provides the impetus for citywide events to bring people together and promote discussion. The book selection meets the criteria of having universal interest, widely available (and in other formats) appropriate for a range of audience ages, a good springboard for programs and provocative enough to promote discussion. Mayor Drew announced the book, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, at the tree lighting ceremony on Nov 23rd. Events will begin toward the end of Feb 2013 and will include a skype meeting with the author in April. Once the One Book committee finalizes the schedule of events, bookmarks and posters will be available and also listed on the Middletown Rotary's website (www.middletownrotary.org) as well as Russell Library's and Arts to Go. 

All Aboard the Holiday Train Exhibit at Amato's

There is no denying that America has a fascination with trains. Since the first steam engine puffed through the country, children and adults alike have been enthralled by them. The littlest ones get hooked on train cartoons and toys,… and well, some never quite give up the dream of becoming a train engineer themselves.

Many people still choose to travel by rail for the romance of the experience; and well, we can’t blame them. Trains are just cool. For all of those who still can’t get enough of trains, you really must stop by Middletown’s own Amato’s Toy and Hobby for their train exhibit. Right now, on their lower level, Amato’s features a 3,000-square-foot working holiday train showcase, free with the donation of a non-perishable food item for the local food bank.

The exhibit features antique toys and trains from the Vincent Amato collection, an interactive Lionel toy train, a whimsical Thomas the Train layout, a large G gauge layout from the local model railroad club, and much more.

Hours are posted on Amato’s web site, but for December 15, 16, 22, and 23rd you can stop in between 1-4 pm; and on December 31, from 2-6 pm.

This Year’s Hottest Holiday Gift

Let’s face it. There is only one thing hotter than a blazing fire – the men who fight those fires! And now, this holiday season you can take them home, or bring them home to someone else. That’s right, for just $20, you can get a whole collection of Middletown’s buffest and bravest in a 12-month calendar!

The limited edition 2013 Middletown Firefighter Calendar is available now before the holidays to benefit MARC: Community Resources. MARC serves more than 200 adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities in residential, vocational, leisure and self-advocacy programs.

So, now hanging these 13 men on your walls isn’t just hot, it’ll also give you that warm fuzzy feeling knowing that you’re helping others too. Calendars are available at the Middletown Fire Department at 533 Main Street in Middletown, or at Tuscany Grill, Ladybug Boutique, and Echo Trading Co. or online at www.marccommunityresources.org.

Hoagies and Grinders... Or Rather Just Grinders

Wednesday, December 12, 2012 is the Third Annual Meatball Grinder Sale for Kiwanis. That's right, delicious and hearty meatball grinders with cheese, peppers or just plain are available for just $8 each. You have to pre-order these grinders though, so get an order form and place your order today! For orders of 10 or more grinders, they'll even deliver in Middletown.