20 years, 20 cents and 20 winners

Wares Fair managed to attract more than 4,000 students to Finch
Fieldhouse Wednesday evening.

To mark its 20th anniversary, Next Door Food Stores offered one of
the biggest prizes to 20 students — 20 cent-per-gallon gas fillups.
Those winners will now fill up their vehicle for $3 instead of spending
$3 per gallon at the pumps.

With some new and some usual booths of area businesses, students
were able to pick up free samples from food chains, goodies, coupons
and get a better idea of what Mount Pleasant has to offer.  

One local establishment known to many is The Bird Bar & Grill,
223 S. Main St.

For 18 years, Sue Richmond has represented The Bird at Wares Fair,
and said she and other businesses come to expand students’ knowledge of
downtown.

Students complain that there is nothing to do in Mount Pleasant, she
added, but they only need to look around the city a little bit.

DJ Aaron Dicer of 101.7 Fuse said the station has been to the fair
for three straight years.

“Being at this event gives us a chance to connect to college
students,” he said. “We believe we have a product that they would love.”

One of the many students at Wares Fair was Whitmore Lake graduate
student Dan Jahncke.

“(It’s) my favorite event. It’s my sixth year coming here.” he said.
“If you’re a no-show, you lose out.”

Loosing out meant not having a chance to win prizes ranging from a
free haircut to an iPod and a lot of food, including pizza and goodies
from the Italian Oven and Bennigan’s.

Big Rapids junior Mike Mendenhall said unlike the two previous years
he attended, he decided to register to win some of the prizes. He
registered at C&S Sports Center to win $20 Harley-Davidson gift
certificates for Matt Norrod, Woldt Residence Hall Director.

The two joked about the fact that Norrod registered to win the
Harley even though he already has one, and Mendenhall, who doesn’t own
a motorcycle, only registered for the gift certificates. They said if
they both won they could trade.

Kathy Simon, event coordinator of Wares Fair and assistant director
of student media, said the booths were more elaborate than years past.

Mount Pleasant Rental Center won most creative booth for its tiki
hut and the most creative giveaway went to The Sweet Onion for their
ice cream dish. Central Michigan Life, Next Door Store and 102.5 WIOG
sponsored Wares Fair.