WBENC 2015 Recap

What a week! We recently returned from our trip to Austin, Texas for WBENC’s 2015 National Conference & Business Fair and are missing the armadillos and line dancing already!

Gayle, Kathryn, and Sam had a wonderful week filled with networking, learning, and laughing with fellow women-owned businesses. Danica Patrick, Carla Harris, and Jonathan Sprinkles were just some of the many inspirational speakers at this year’s event. We had a booth at 2014’s WBENC Conference in Philadelphia, but this year we decided to leave our displays at home and spend our time walking the floor and meeting as many great businesses as we could.

We left the Business Fair with some great advice, awesome promotional pieces, and a bunch of selfies! Promoting and ramping up for this WBENC conference was really important to us, so we went into the event with the #WBENCConf hashtag blazing. Using our custom-branded Selfie Sticker, we took lots of selfies with the friends we made throughout the day. We even got one of the workshops we participated in to take a big group selfie. Here are some photos from our week in Austin, but make sure to check out our Twitter and Facebook for the rest!

And, as always, be sure to support women-owned businesses!

Buona Fiesta!

Our hometown of Gloucester, Massachusetts is bustling. Tonight, St. Peter’s Fiesta begins, bringing the Gloucester community and surrounding area together for five days of fun and celebration.

Read below for the full 2015 schedule of events.

Who is St. Peter and why do we throw a fiesta in his name? 

St. Peter is the patron saint of the fisherman. Every year, the Italian-American community of Gloucester throws a five-day festival in his name. People come from all over to enjoy the carnival, watch the boat races, and witness the famous greasy pole contest!

Carnivals and boat races sound pretty normal for a fiesta… but WHAT is this greasy pole contest?

Since 1931, men have been running (or falling) onto a greased up 45-foot telephone pole that extends over the water. The goal: to grab the red flag at the end of the greasy pole. The contestants go through several rounds until the flag is grabbed, but the first is a courtesy round. No one can grab the flag during round one… or else. According to stpetersfiesta.org, in 1979, someone grabbed the flag during round one and was confronted by "the sheriff" of the greasy pole. He was given a knuckle sandwich and the flag was placed back at the end of the pole.  It’s an event that you won’t want to miss!

In case you aren’t going to make it, here is a look at what it would be like if the GAP team participated in this year’s greasy pole contest!

JAMIE

JEFF

JUSTIN

KIM

MARISSA

MIKE

PAT 

SAM 

ERICA

KATHRYN

2015 St. Peter’s Fiesta Schedule

Wednesday 6/24

7:00-10:00 pm: Musical Entertainment (Barry Mooney and Friends) @ St. Peter’s Park

Thursday 6/25

6:30 pm: Fiesta 5k Road Race from Stage Fort Park to St. Peter’s Park

8:00-10:00 pm: Dance & Music Entertainment (Jenny Dee and the Delinquents) @ St. Peter’s Park

Friday 6/26

4:45 pm: Greasy Pole Contest @ Pavilion Beach

4:45 pm: Women’s Seine Boat Races @ Pavilion Beach

7:30-11:30 pm: Formal Opening and Music Entertainment (Seabreeze) @ St. Peter’s Square

Saturday 6/27

9:30 am: Family Activity Day (details at Newell Stadium)

10:00 am: Military Seine Boat Race @ Pavilion Beach (US Coast Guard vs. US Navy and Gloucester Fired Department vs. Gloucester Police Department)

3:00 pm: Children’s Games @ Beach Court

4:45 pm: Sports Events @ Pavilion Beach

4:45 pm: Greasy Pole Contest @ Pavilion Beach

4:45 pm: Seine Boat Races @ Pavilion Beach

8:00-11:30 pm: Musical Entertainment (Panorama) @ St. Peter’s Square

Sunday 6/28

10:00 am: Celebration of Mass of St. Peter @ St. Peter’s Park

12:00 pm: Procession following the Celebration of Outdoor Mass

3:00 pm: Blessing of the Fleet @ Stacy Boulevard    

3:00 pm: US Navy Band Northeast Concert @ St. Peter’s Park

4:45 pm: Sports Events @ Pavilion Beach

4:45 pm: Greasy Pole Contest @ Pavilion Beach

4:45 pm: Seine Boat Races @ Pavilion Beach

6:30 pm: Children’s Piñata Contest @ Pascucci Court

6:30-7:15 pm: Musical Entertainment (Jimmy Geany) @ St. Peter’s Square

7:15 pm: Awards Ceremony

8:30 pm: Musical Entertainment (Paul London) @ St. Peter’s Park  

11:00 pm: Raffle & Closing Procession

Save the date for next year! St. Peter’s Fiesta is June 22 – June 26, 2016.

Bonus: There's a greasy pole game!

Your Gift Guide for Father's Day

I’m sure your dad really does like that tie you got him a few years ago, and he probably has used the power drill you got him a couple of times over the years. Why not switch things up this year and get your dad something rad? Coming up with gift ideas is the hard part, so we’ll take care of that. You and your dad can relax and enjoy celebrating Father’s Day.

If your dad is a master chef:

Maybe he would like a smoker, crock-pot, or a mini indoor grill? Or maybe his grilling tools need an upgrade. You can make it a personalized gift with a fun tag like this one!

If your dad wishes Steve Jobs was his BFF:

Is your dad super into technology? On our Father’s Day Pinterest board, you’ll find some new gifts for the tech-savvy - everything from a custom phone case to a HD recording Drone.

If your dad loves music:

Check out SONOS. It’s an awesome speaker system that your dad can control right from his phone. Get him one for Father’s Day, and next holiday, you can get him another and soon he’ll have them all over the house. Is his favorite band on tour this summer? Get him a couple of tickets to a show, a gift that both of you can enjoy together!

If your dad is a bookworm:

Already planning on getting him some new books? Make him some custom bookmarks like these to make the gift more special. Does your dad like books but not like reading them? Gift him a subscription to Audible, and he can listen to audiobooks right from his phone.

If your dad loves his backyard:

You could buy your dad a fire pit OR you could build one WITH your dad. If you want a simpler outdoor project to undertake on Father’s Day, there are more ideas on our Pinterest board.

“I’m getting him beer”

Great idea! To make that gift even better: get him tickets to a beer festival or go on a brewery tour together.

Happy Father’s Day!