Following are articles about previous weekend’s Pigtucky Derby results.

Re-Cap #1 (10/5)

ReCap #2 (10/12)

ReCap #3 (10/19)

ReCap #4 (10/26)

A Stimulating Package for Farm Visitors

Maris Farms is happy to contribute to these tough economic times with the inaugural and hopefully annual “Pumpkinomic Stimulus” Sweepstakes this fall. Opening weekend visitors to the farm will have an opportunity to not only purchase that perfect pumpkin but earn money or prizes while doing it.

The “Pumpkin-Omic Stimulus” Sweepstakes is an on-site promotional event intended to celebrate Maris Farms’ 10-year anniversary and stimulate a buzz at the Buckley farm, which started as a small pumpkin patch.  What better way to “stimulate” excitement AND draw a crowd than with an opportunity to win, at no cost to the customer, cash and prizes of up to $300. This is a drawing for cash and/or prizes in which participants can submit their entries BEFORE entering the farm inside designated “pumpkin” container(s) located just outside the entry gate. Participants will also be able to submit their entry into pumpkin containers located just inside the gate and at/near the pumpkin patch.

Here’s how it’ll work:
At 10  minutes past each hour - from 10:10 am to 5:10 pm on opening weekend only - five winners will be randomly drawn from a pumpkin container where participants have dropped their “Pumpkin-Omic Stimulus Sweepstakes” entry form. Those whose names are drawn will win one of the many cash or prize items made available by our participating partners. Cash prizes will range between $25-$300, while prizes will include such items as certificates for food, gift shop items or venue passes at the farm, coffee or restaurant certificates and other items provided by participating sponsors.

Winners will be drawn randomly from the “pumpkin” container(s) at 10 minutes past the hour inside or near the pumpkin patch – again, in honor of how Maris Farms started (as a pumpkin patch) and its 10 year run at the current location.

Chances of winning depend on total amount of entries received. On-site entries will be accepted only on Saturday, Oct. 3rd, 2009 & Sunday, Oct. 4^th, 2009 from 10 am to 5 pm each day. Off-site entries will be accepted by no later than Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009, 5 pm by US Mail or personal delivery. Off-site entries can be mailed or delivered to 24713 Sumner-Buckley Hwy, Buckley, WA 98321. Winners need not be present to win. Those not present will be notified in writing via e-mail, text or snail mail.

Look for additional prizes and discount certificates to be provided by our participating partners during this promotion. All participating partners may also be handing out “gift bags” with special discount coupons and/or certificates. No purchase is necessary to participate and winners need not be present.

Please click here for a list of ALL Pumpkin-Omic Stimulus Sweepstakes rules.  And click here for an off-site entry form.  Note that off-site entries will be accepted by no later than Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009, 5 pm by US Mail or personal delivery.

“Pork-Out” on Tuesdays at Famous Dave’s and help ‘raise some bacon’ for St. Jude’s

Head to any of the 5 participating Puget Sound Famous Dave’s BBQs this fall and you’ll receive some special gift items from Maris Farms, Famous Dave’s and other participating partners, plus a large percentage of your bill will go to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

Famous Dave’s Barbeque has agreed to offer 20% of ALL sales, ALL day, at their FIVE Puget Sound restaurants – on Oct. 6, Oct. 13 and Oct. 20 – to help raise money in St. Jude’s tireless cause to find a cure for cancer. The Tuesday events will serve as both a fundraiser for St. Jude’s and a promotion of that weekend’s big Triple Pig Crown series race at Maris Farms.

Maris Farms helped raise more than $4,000 with its Triple Pig Crown racing series event in 2008 and hopes to increase that contribution significantly with the inaugural “Pork-Out Party Tuesdays at Famous Dave’s” partnership.

“Anything we can do to help raise awareness and money for St. Jude’s mission, we want to be a part of,” says Steve Templeman, marketing and promotions director and creator of the pig racing event at Maris Farms. “This is a full-on partnership with Famous Dave’s, and they are very gracious with what they are offering. Nobody takes that for granted.”

All a guest must do is print off a special “Pork-Out w/Famous Dave’s and Maris Farms” promo certificate from the Maris Farms or Famous Dave’s web site(s) (indicating the promotional deal on these particular Tuesdays) and then bring it into one of the five participating Famous Dave’s restaurants.

That percentage on their bill qualifies them for some special benefits. In addition to the great meal they’ll enjoy, each guest will receive a special “gift pack” that includes a complimentary pig prize from Maris Farms, 5 free donation tickets for the Maris Farms pig races for any of the three Triple Pig Crown races, (which gives them a chance to win some great prizes) and a discount coupon for entry to Maris Farms during October. St. Jude’s, Famous Dave’s and our radio promotional partner, KMPS, may also include special items inside the gift pack.

The five Famous Dave’s BBQ locations include: Everett at 1206 Everett Mall Way, Everett 98208; Puyallup at 3811 9^th St SW, Puyallup 98373; Tacoma at 1901 S 72^nd St., Suite C-39, Tacoma, 98408; Tukwila at 17770 Southcenter Pkway, Tukwila 98188; and Silverdale at 3276 NW Plaza Road, Silverdale 98393

Please click here for a “Pork-Out w/Famous Dave’s and Maris Farms” promo certificate.

            

Twitterman request: anybody with video of their visit to Maris Farms in the past couple of years who wouldn’t mind it being posted to our web site, please send it right away! We would love to post as many clips as possible, so send them to MazeMarketing@MarisFarms.com. We are especially looking for clips of customers enjoying our tube slides (mine shaft slide), jumping pillow, corn cannon and Monster Truck ride.

Twitterman out.

This is the “TwitterMan” coming to you live from Maris Farms. I’ll be posting updates of farm activity throughout the year, especially from now until the end of October as we prepare for the fall event.

Lots of action at Maris Farms these days. Many of you have seen the two fields on the west side of the farm transform of late into rows of pumpkins and corn – both fields were planted in late May/early June, along with two more off-site fields of pumpkins. We’re excited to see the corn and pumpkins “popping” now. In another couple weeks or so, we’ll begin to “carve” out the trails for the maze. We’re hoping for a banner year for our pumpkins – tens of thousands have been planted.

We are also spending a lot of time readying for a new entry in our parking lot as well as a new gate entry to the farm itself. The “re-configuration” will be complete by the time Washington Renaissance Fantasy Faire comes in for its opening weekend, Aug. 1-2. For those of you who haven’t experienced the fun and education of medieval times, come check it out – details at www.washingtonrenfaire.com. And, of course, we will be adding a few new activities and events for our customers as we prepare for our opening weekend, Oct. 2-4. We’ll open with a fun and potentially profitable event called the Pumpkin-omic Stimulus package. Check it out the details on  www.marisfarms.com!

Other items of interest to look for in upcoming TwitterMan updates: news on a great promotion involving the Second Annual Triple “Pork” Crown pig racing series; Details on our opening weekend event, the Pumpkin-omic Stimulus package; general information about the haunted woods and some fun promotions we have planned there; and look for information on our “green story”  -  a look at how Maris Farms is paying attention to and executing its environmental plan(s) at the farm.

That’s it for now.

TwitterMan-out.

We will be announcing hot new sponsorships and promotional information here shortly!

Maris Farms has been featured in the Enumclaw/Bonney Lake/Sumner Courier Heralds, The (Tacoma) News Tribune, Seattle Times, Seattle PI, KOMO TV and KING 5’s Evening Magazine. Nationally, Maris Farms has had air time on National Public Radio and on MSNBC.com.Radio partners KMPS and STAR 101.5 will both be back at the farm this season for live remotes. Dates and times are still tbd.

Call 888-235-5439 for other event dates and times. Maris Farms is located in scenic east Pierce County about 3 miles west of Buckley, Washington, at 24713 Sumner-Buckley Highway.

CONTACT: STEVE TEMPLEMAN 888-235-5439 or info@marisfarms.com

Watch for important news on this exciting change for Maris Farms!

He’s out and about — and will be diving into the new Maris Farms blog site very soon!