Photo Gallery and Real Time Blog
Day 25 – July 2, 2008 – Los Angeles
Our second day in L.A. took us to the Los Angeles Zoo where we connected with the people visiting this landmark of the region. Then we cruised the ever popular Griffith Park and Hollywood Boulevard. And we finished the day with a long drive down La Brea Boulevard which makes its way south from Hollywood Boulevard all the way to Los Angeles International Airport, traversing the full range of L.A.’s highly diverse population.
Day 24 – July 1, 2008 – Los Angeles
We started the day at the Long Beach farmers market. Then we headed over to the impressive Queen Mary, always a big draw for locals and tourists alike. After that, it was over to the Spruce Goose display dome and a cruise through the Belmont Shores area. And a trip around L.A. would not be complete without a tour of the packed beaches all along the coast.
Day 23 – June 30, 2008 – San Bernardino
We’re back in sunny, and hot!, southern California with our first port of call in San Bernardino. Our best stops were the huge Ontario Mills and Victoria Falls retail malls. Tons of shoppers and great visibility for the Insight RV.
Day 22 – June 29, 2008 – Santa Clarita
The morning was devoted to making our way south over the Grapevine and back into the greater Los Angeles area, with a stop in Santa Clarita. Our main stop was the farmers market since these kinds of community events have proven to be very effective in drawing a local crowd, offering visibility for parking the RV, and meeting lots of people.
Day 21 – June 28, 2008 – Bakersfield
Our day on Bakersfield was quite productive with two fun and different events. The first was the annual Surf & Turf Volleyball Tournament played in the mud! And the second was an exciting sprint car race at the Bakersfield speedway. Both drew good crowds and we connected with many folks at both.
Day 20 – June 27, 2008 – San Ramon / Bakersfield
We began our trek to central California today, heading from Concord through San Ramon and on to Bakersfield. The smoke from the literally hundreds of fires plaguing northern California persisted for much of the way. We were able to cruise San Ramon and catch people’s eye with our RV graphics. Then we hit Movie Night in the Park in Bakersfield.
Day 19 – June 26, 2008 – Concord
Today we revisited another great event in the city of Concord, their downtown Music and Market series, where we met folks and handed out brochures. We continue to encounter affects of the fire in terms a very smoky environment. So we’re forward to some clear air to breathe tomorrow as we head on down to Bakersfield.
Day 17/18 – June 22/25, 2008 – Petaluma
On Tuesday and Wednesday, we visited the city of Petaluma again and their Farmers Market in the downtown district where we were able to park across the street from the entrance. These have turned out to be very productive events with strong attendance, opportunities to show off the RV, and a chance to hand out brochures at the exit as people are leaving.
Day 16 – June 23, 2008 – Ukiah
This was our day to head north to Ukiah, but it was also right in the middle of the 800 fires that were started by a freak dry lightning storm in the area. We got all the way up to Ukiah hoping the smoke would clear but to no avail. The local speedway and fairgrounds were being converted into a staging area for 2,000 state firefighters that were on their way, so we made our way out of there.
Day 15 – June 22, 2008 – Sonoma
Sunday was a MAJOR day for Insight in Northern California. We headed out to the NASCAR Toyota / SaveMart 350 event at Infineon Raceway in Somona. This is NASCAR’s prime event in the region and draws over 100,000 fans each year. We worked the crowd before race time. But the prime highlight of the day was working some contacts to get the Insight School RV inside the track in the pits directly in front of the grandstands at a pivotal turn in the track. The result was outstanding exposure both locally and nationally with TV coverage of the race.
Day 14 – June 21, 2008 – Rohnert Park / Santa Rosa
On Saturday morning, we attended a very informative Insight School information session in Rohnert Park and then headed over to the annual Sonoma County Trails Jamboree in Sonoma. The all-day celebration of music, trails and open spaces featured several bands and an enthusiastic crowd.
Day 13 – June 20, 2008 – Rohnert Park / Petaluma
Today we visited several parks in Rhonert Park in the morning, then moved back to the Sonoma-Marin Fair Petaluma for the afternoon and evening. There was a Smash Mouth concert going on that evening inside the fair, so we made our way in to hand out info and gifts to high school aged kids inside.
Day 12 – June 19, 2008 – Windsor
We made a number of stops in the town of Windsor today. They included a skate park, the Boys and Girls Club, the Wal-Mart and the GameStop store. Later we found another farmers market and concert on the town green. We were able to park directly caddy-corner facing the event, and over 2,000 people showed up! It was a great event with prime exposure.
Day 11 – June 18, 2008 – Petaluma / Santa Rosa
Our main stop today was at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma on Kids Day. It was a large and lively event with lots of people. Later that evening, we went to the Santa Rosa Farmers market and worked the crowd.
Day 10 – June 17, 2008 – Napa / Angwin
Our stop in Napa got off to a great start at the local Farmers Market where we handed out information sheets to everyone at the exit of the event. From there, we moved up into the mountains into a tiny little city called Angwin with one small corner strip mall and a gas station. The route coursed through the woods and onto a winding mountain road. At the local teen center, we met the director and young people. The director was very helpful and agreed to provide information to the kids who visit the center.
Day 9 – June 16, 2008 – Sonoma
Today we toured Sonoma and made several stops. One was a small “fun center” for families. Others included local parks and shopping centers. We were able to generate visibility throughout town as people stopped to watch the Insight Road Tour pass by.
Day 8 - June 15, 2008 - Vallejo
The weekend started out at the Northern California Pirate Festival in Vallejo. We arrived early and positioned the Insight School RV directly across the street from the entrance. There was a high volume of traffic going in and out of the only entrance to the event. The exposure for the motor home and the Insight School message was great. We handed out carabiner hooks and literature in front of the entrance and received a very positive response to the concept of online high school. We finished the day at the Insight School information session in Vallejo which was presented by Linda Rosson, Principal of Insight School of California. Based on the success of the Pirate Festival, we returned on Sunday for another day of promotion and wrapped up the day driving the motor home around the town of Vallejo for more exposure. It was a great weekend!!
Day 7 - June 14, 2008 - Walnut Creek
We started Thursday off at the Farm Park Community Center and Aquatic Center. There were lots of kids coming and going from the pool as well as playing basketball, so we handed out literature and some free gifts. Next we moved on to a mall where we generated some great exposure for the motor home. Later that afternoon, we drove over to Concord for their Annual Music and Market series. There was a great turnout from the community. We passed out lots of literature to the parents in the crowd as well as some free gifts to all the kids. It was a very successful event where we met a lot of really nice people.
Day 6 - June 13, 2008 - Concord
We began the morning in the parking lot of the local Starbucks where there was a lot of traffic coming and going for their morning Java. Next we headed over to the Payless Batting cages and the Concord Skate Park to meet with kids and tell them about our program. The owner of the batting cages was very helpful and let us post literature on a wall display. Later that afternoon, we went over to the Concord Community Center for more of the same. Lastly, we visited the Insight School information session in Walnut Creek to display the motor home to all the guests in attendance.
Day 4 - June 11, 2008 - San Rafael
We started the day with a driving tour around San Rafael to show off our message throughout the city. Next, we visited the Canal Alliance which is dedicated to building self-sufficiency and leadership with youth and families for healthier communities. We parked the RV nearby and met with their staff who were very interested in Insight Schools and will display our information for their donors, volunteers and program participants. Next we moved on to the Pickleweed Community center, Library and Park where among other folks we met a local teacher who was very enthusiastic about Insight Schools, sees a big need for something like it, and volunteered to pass along our information. We then visited the MYC Youth Center whose mission is to develop young people’s talents, potential and leadership skills through the arts, technology and community service. The RV was parked on a major downtown street where it received a ton of exposure while we were there. We gave a presentation about the school, passed out some literature, and handed out music cards and carabiners to the kids. The staff was very helpful and enthusiastic about the program and will display our brochures on their information table.
Day 3 - June 10, 2008 - Novato
We’re off to a great start on the grand Insight School of California – North Bay road show. First day on the trip was Novato yesterday. First stop was a local park where we made some good connections, but a small crowd since it was a weekday. Then cruised the city for roving billboard impressions and set up in a Costco parking lot for a bit. The highlight of the day was the local Novato Farmers Market from 4:00 to 8:00PM. The RV was positioned in a spot with high visibility by everyone walking into the market. Our crew worked the gate area to meet people, promote the program, and hand out giveaways and information. The crew reports that it “a was a highly successful event with lots of people. We handed out carabiner hooks, music cards and info sheets like crazy as we walked around the event. There was a lot of positive interest. The promotion must be going well as a lot of people had seen advertisements on TV as well as seen the motor home around town. There seemed to be an awareness of our program with many people that we talked to.” The crew also made contact with many of the vendors with stalls at the market.
We’re looking forward to another exciting day today in San Rafael at two local service organizations. One is a very active teen center, and the other is an agency for families and children in need.
Day 1 - Lift off! - June 8, 2008 - San Clemente
The RV started off in San Clemente, California where it got a clean-up and layer of vinal promoting Insight School of California. San Clemente marks the starting points of a 3 week, state-wide marketing program to drive brand awareness, enrollment and visibility for Insight Schools!
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