The Golden Jubilee
This week I am in beautiful downtown Urbanna, Virginia – celebrating another birthday with 50,000 of my closest friends. (If Queen Elizabeth gets a yearlong Jubilee, surely I can get a week).
This year we decided to really go all out for my birthday, with a week-long celebration. It started on Halloween when the Madison+Main-iacs surprised me with with an exotic South-of-the-Border feast at Bandito’s Burrito Lounge. (Frankly, I had no idea the place was open during the day). Later on, children from surrounding neighborhoods dressed in elaborate costumes and paid tribute at my front door with open bags of candy.
On Thursday I arrived in town and found that local officials decided to close all of the streets for my Golden Jubilee. I was very honored and flattered that they held an oyster festival to celebrate my 51st birthday. A little bird must’ve told them oysters are my favorite food.
The town of Urbanna is small (population 473) but I am told that if you want to come celebrate my Golden Jubilee there is plenty of parking available in the corn fields nearby.
Let the Jubilee begin!
Monday, Oct. 29 – I Got Shot
I got shot on Monday, but don’t fret — not literally. I met our friends over at Hitting Cancer Below the Belt to shoot a new commercial in the ABC 8News studio. As a colon cancer survivor, I didn’t want to be a pain in the butt, so I agreed to star in the spot. So, folks, make sure you’re going to the doctor and getting checked — taking care of yourself is important.
Just a friendly reminder that CrossKeys Vineyards is having an amazing Harvest Dinner this Saturday. You won’t want to miss out, so reserve your seat now as they celebrate the end of Harvest with a one of a kind five-course dinner and amazing wine pairings. I think our team did an amazing job designing the menu!
Tuesday, Oct. 30 – Spicin’ Things Up
On Tuesday we had our awesome VP of Brand Strategy Kara Forbis in town. And although it was a short, two-day stay, it was nice to have another Main-iac around to keep this place running smoothly. Later in the day, Account Executive Haleigh Lader and Communications Manager Kent Brockwell headed over to Lucy Corr for their annual Chili Cook Off. Kent was a special guest judge and said all three chilis were tasty, but ultimately Lucy Corr‘s amazing chef Francheska Galindez’s North Texas Red Beef Chili won first place. Residents had a ton of fun, especially while listening to the fantastic band, Musicbox.
That night, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Hopewell-Prince George Chamber Annual Mixer and beat the crowd there by a few hours, which is surprising considering the fact that I drove past the venue not once, but twice in a row. It was a great event and I was happy to once again spread the message that Bold Brand Win.
Wednesday, Oct. 31 – Taco Bout a Spooky Celebration
It’s Halloween morning and we’re huddled in the hub, trying to figure out what each other came dressed as. Maybe it was difficult due to the fact some of us were half asleep, or because the ladies of Madison+Main were still recovering from their post-work party last night at The Jasper. Either way the struggle was real as we could not figure a out a few of these costumes at first glance. So that’s when we took to our Instagram for a little help.
The Main-iacs disappeared midday and I later realized why. They were gathering at Bandito’s Burrito Lounge to surprise me for my birthday. You’d think I would catch onto these things by now, and I did…as soon as we got into the parking lot and saw everyone’s cars. The Main-iacs welcomed me by singing Happy Birthday and making me pound a shot of tequila.
Thursday, Nov. 1 – PR Stands for What?
On Thursday we ordered Alamo BBQ and had a Lunch & Learn with Kent on PR insights. Some of the greatest takeaways were that stories must truly be newsworthy, the many factors that go into engaging attention, the steps of writing a press release, and that PR doesn’t mean pain in the rear or professionally repetitive…well, sort of.
The Texas Inn website is officially up and running. Special shoutout to our entire creative team and especially our amazing Graphic Designer Erin Rebmann for putting up with all of my last minute changes – everything looks great!
Friday, Nov. 2 – Nine Whole Years at M+M
In addition to still celebrating my birthday and indulging in an excessive amount of oysters, I am also celebrating Kara “It’s a Marathon not a Sprint” Forbis‘ nine-year work anniversary! That’s a whopping 468 weeks that she’s put up with me — a truly commendable act if I must say so myself. I asked her what her favorite memory is so far, to which she replied, “Dressing up as different Dave’s for halloween.” I’m so lucky to work with such a fun bunch of Main-iacs.