The 6^th Annual Red Carpet Corridor Festival will be held May 5 & 6, 2012.  All along the 90-mile stretch of historic Route 66 - from Joliet to Towanda, IL - there will be a wide variety of events.  Each of the 13 towns located along this portion of the "Mother Road" will offer its unique collection of activities associated with the festival.

In Joliet, the Route 66 Visitor's Center at the Joliet Area Historical Museum will be open from 8AM to 5PM on Saturday and noon to 5PM on Sunday.  Admission to the Route 66 Experience portion of the Joliet Area Historical Museum will be free during the festival.  Discounted rates will be available on these days for RCC attendees desiring to experience the Museum's galleries. Joliet Area Historical Museum is located at 204 N. Ottawa St., Joliet, (815) 723-5201 ext 226.

Saturday in Elwood will be "Are You Elwood?" day.  The festival organizers there will be searching for a favorite Blues Brother and calling all Elwoods to the stage at Lloyd Erickson Park.  Live & DJ Entertainment all day at Lloyd Erickson Park will be followed by an evening of live Blues entertainment. Bring your roller skates and have a blast from the past at the Bobby Sock Skate at Lloyd Erickson Park. There will be children's activities and food vendors all day long and visitors can cruise the village to see the historic homes of Elwood.  On both Saturday and Sunday there will be a special Children's Garden at Lloyd Erickson Park. 815-423-5011.

Wilmington will be encouraging festival travelers to stop and take a photo with the Gemini Giant, Dino the Sinclair Dinosaur, Elvis cutouts and more.  A  20-mile bike Red Carpet Ride begins/ends downtown at 9 AM and there will be flea markets, music, Hula & hound contests, cockroach races, RC car racing, and food all day. On Sunday there will be  a baby back rib cook-off, morning worship service, a Twinkie decorating contest, children's games and more.  815-476-5991

Braidwood will celebrate the Mother Road with an extended flea market, baked goods, beautiful hanging baskets, craft displays, food, bounce house, a clown on both Saturday and Sunday.  The Polk a Dot, member of Rt66 Hall of fame, will be celebrating 25yrs in business. On Saturday only, Braidwood will serve as a stop on the 20 mile Exelon Red Carpet Bike Ride on Rt 66. For more information, call Angie 815-353-3053.

In the village of Godley, Saturday will be highlighted by the Cruisin' Rt 66 Motorcycle Show & Rodeo.  Sunday will feature the Cruisin' Car Show, and a Sunrise Breakfast.  On both Saturday and Sunday there will be Flea Markets, an Automotive Swap Meet, a Children Pavilion w/ Touch-A-Truck, a bicycle rodeo, a Motorcycle Cowboys Stunt Show, Music, Food, and Entertainment. The Illinois Rt 66 Mining Museum will be open as well.

Braceville will offer festival-goers an opportunity to see the historic town and talk to Alice Creech, historian of Braceville, on Saturday.  There will also be fossil displays available for viewing, and great baked goods from the church.  Stop by Mazonia State Park for some great scenery. For more information contact the Village of Braceville at 815-237-8655.

Historic Gardner  will hold a "Meet & Greet" on both Saturday & Sunday at the diner car & historic jail.

In Dwight on Saturday there will be fun, games, and food, including the 2^nd Annual BBQ Cook-off at Bassett Park.  On both Saturday & Sunday there will be town-wide garage sales, and open house at the Texaco Welcome Center.  Call 815-584-3077 for more information.

In Odell, visitors are encouraged to celebrate historic Route 66 with a visit to the historic 1932 Standard Oil gas station where they will find souvenirs, soda & nostalgia!

Pontiac's Red Carpet Corridor Festival will include the grand opening of a new, special exhibit at the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame and Museum.  The display, "Remembering the 1940's" will open on Saturday for the first time.  Around the downtown area there will be a carnival, an Art Festival, food, and entertainment.  Chinese Artist Tang Dongbai will be creating colorful, original art on city sidewalks, and the Pontiac Jolly Trolley will be giving guided tours.  On both Saturday and Sunday there will be City-Wide Garage Sales and the Livingston County Humane Society will sponsor a Flea Market at the Old Log Cabin.  On Saturday morning only, a Touch-A-Truck event for kids will be held at the Pontiac Rec Center.  For more details, call: 815-844-5847.

Chenoa will feature a Saturday Carnival, vendors, live bands and the Chenoa 4th of July Committee's Pork Chops.  Sunday will see the Carnival continue as well as a performance by entertainer Anjanel Folkens. Everything is happening at Chenoa Swimming Pool Park -located directly on Old Route 66. 815-945-7779.

Lexington's Saturday events are being held at Mounce Automotive 302 S Spencer on Old 66. The Lexington Vintage Tractor Show will kick off at 8AM on Rt 66 walkway.  The Zoo Lady will entertain children from Saturday 10AM.- 3PM. At the entertainment tent Elvis is back in town with Lexington School band and singers, featuring Chris Corkery. On Sunday there will be free Unique Twist Balloons from 10AM to 3PM, and a children's parade at 11AM.  All are welcome to join in! Garage sales both days! 309-365-3331.

On both Saturday and Sunday in Towanda there will be a Flea market, area garage sales, antiques, food, entertainment and Route 66 memorabilia at the North Park. On Sunday only, a car show will be held on old Route 66.  The Cattle Bandits Band will play at 1PM at North Park. Come visit for 2 days of family fun, and check out Schenk's Route 66 Garage!  For information on Towanda's festival call 309-728-2169.

This year's Festival Collectable will be a set of decorative keys.  Each of the thirteen towns along the Red Carpet Corridor will have a limited number of its own "key to the city" which they will give to Red Carpet Corridor Festival travelers.  By stopping at each of the towns and collecting all 13 keys, the traveling festival attendee will be awarded a special commemorative key chain to hold the keys.  Supplies of the keys are very limited and will be distributed only in person on a first-come, first-served basis.  No telephone, mail, or email requests please.

Greetings!

I hope everyone's week is off to a good start. Things have been pretty busy here at the Republican Party of Iowa. This past weekend we held our district conventions in Fort Dodge, Grinnell, Stuart, and Mount Pleasant. It was great to see so many enthusiastic republicans participating in the most open grassroots caucus to convention process in the nation. Please join me in congratulating the new members of our State Central Committee who were elected this weekend. I look forward to working with the Committee to take back the Iowa Senate, grow our House majority, send a full Republican delegation to Congress and help send President Obama back to Illinois.

Iowa GOP State Central Committee Elect (term begins 6/16/12)

District One: Dave Cushman, Loras Schulte, Tony Krebsbach, and David Chung

District Two: Jeff Shipley, Marcus Fedler, Mark Doland, and Bob Anderson

District Three: Gopal Krishna, Joel Kurtinitis, Wes Enos, and John Kabitzke

District Four: Kris Thiessen, Tim Moran, Jamie Johnson, and Chad Steenhoek

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Arizona to attend the RNC Chairman's meeting. It was great to meet other chairman from around the country. I heard from Governor Jan Brewer, Senator John McCain, Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Governor Mitt Romney. I also had the opportunity to speak to RNC Chairman Reince Priebus  about Iowa and our importance in taking back everything from the Courthouse to the White House.

Just a reminder our monthly Chairman's Lunch is tomorrow, April 25^th at the Republican Party of Iowa headquarters. The event begins at noon and will feature guest speakers Majority leader Upmeyer and House Speaker Paulsen. The cost is $20 and you can reserve your spot by emailing rsvp@iowagop.org. Please consider joining us for this event. It is vital to have open communication between elected officials and Iowans if we are to succeed this fall.

There is still time to get your tickets to the Lincoln Dinner! Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, Obamacare's greatest foe is our featured speaker. Cuccinelli was the first state Attorney General to file a legal challenge to Obamacare. Other speakers will include Governor Branstad, Lt. Governor Reynolds, Senator Grassley, Congressman Latham, and Congressman King. Because this falls on Cinco de Mayo, we will have a reception from 6-7 pm complete with a margarita and daiquiri bar and a live band. The event will be held at Vets Auditorium Ballroom and tickets cost $75. To purchase tickets please call 515-282-8105 or visit www.iowagop.org.

To Victory,

A.J. Spiker

Chairman

Republican Party of Iowa

–Determining the right price an increasing challenge for retailers

Port Washington, NY, April 24, 2012 – Price trumps sales and special deals, customer service, and convenience as a factor in deciding where to shop for the majority of U.S. consumers, according to The NPD Group, a leading market research company. NPD's The Economy Tracker*, a monthly monitor of consumer sentiment about the economy and spending, finds that in the most recent survey (March 12) 85 percent of U.S. consumers say that price will be an extremely important/important factor in deciding where to shop in the near future, ten percent more than those who feel sales and special deals are extremely important/important.

How important do you expect that each of the following factors

will be in where you decide to shop in the next 3 months or so?

Expected Consumer Requirements of Purchase

Source: The NPD Group/The Economy Tracker, March 2012

By income, 87 percent of those in the household income bracket of $25 to 50,000 selecting price as extremely important/important, 85 percent in the $50,000 to $100,000 income bracket, and 82 percent in the $100,000 plus bracket, according the The Economy Tracker. Seventy-nine percent of young adults, 18 to 34, 86 percent of 35 to 44 year-olds, 88 percent of 45 to 54 year-olds, 89 percent of 55 to 64 year-olds and 86 percent of 65 and older said that price was extremely important/important.

"Shoppers are now savvier when spending money. They have new ways of gauging the marketplace - they can compare prices on the Web while at home or while standing in a brick-and-mortar store with their smartphones," says John Deputato, senior vice president, advanced analytics at NPD. "We certainly have moved to a time of calculated consumption for shoppers... and price has come to the forefront of the purchase decision."

Deputato points out that the sophistication of consumers when it comes to price, changes to shopping habits, and the soft U.S. economy has made the decision to set retail prices not only more difficult but more strategically critical for both retailers and manufacturers.

"Manufacturers and retailers recognize that setting the right pricing strategy is a competitive advantage in the marketplace, but pricing is more difficult today than it was prior to the recession," says Deputato. "We've been working with the top retailers and manufacturers conducting price elasticity research to understand the wide range of potential impact on profits depending on the possible pricing decisions. Prices can't arbitrarily be set, it takes information and a thorough thought process to come up with the right price."

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*The Economy Tracker Methodology:

The Economy Tracker is based on online surveys completed by approximately 1,500 members of NPD's online consumer panel in each month. The sample is fielded to a U.S. representative sample; the completed responses are weighted and balanced back to U.S. Census targets. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points overall.