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NEWS RELEASES

COMMUNITY FIRST CREDIT UNION

ROTARY CLUB OF SAULT STE. MARIE

************************* Community First Credit Union wants to make you famous

SAULT STE. MARIE, ON - (July 14, 2009) - At least that’s what the local credit union’s tongue-in-cheek tag line “We want to make you famous” is saying in their latest ads.

So what do they mean by this?

Well, it turns out that Community First will be staging an event at this year’s RotaryFest to find the star of their next advertisement, called the "Community’s Choice."

Interested members of the public can visit the Community First display on the grounds of Rotaryfest where they will be photographed against Community First’s trademark green background.

The photos will then be posted on a special website where the public can vote for their favourite photo.

The photo with the most votes will be the winner, becoming the Community’s Choice and part of the credit union’s next ad.

In addition to landing the leading role in the next ad, the Community’s Choice winner will also receive a Community First GIC valued at $1,000.

“We’ve always had fun with our ads, and we’ve always been dedicated to the people in this community, so this event seemed like a great way to bring both together," says Community First CEO, Greg Peres. “People can have fun posing with life-sized cutouts of our Community First avatars, and then get their friends to vote for their photo online.”

The avatars Peres refers to are the cartoon-like characters that represent employees of Community First, and which can be found all over the credit union’s website.

Community First Credit Union serves 15,000 individual and business members in Sault Ste. Marie and Timmins and is focused on creating financial comfort for all its members.

Their official website is available by clicking here.

************************* Get ready for RotaryFest, the Sault's summer festival

SAULT STE. MARIE, ON – The Sault might be experiencing a cold summer, but for one weekend, July 16 to 18, things are going to heat up thanks to RotaryFest, The Sault’s Summer Festival! and it’s red-hot lineup of events.

What exactly is RotaryFest, The Sault’s Summer Festival! offering this year?

How about the hottest musical acts in the north!

We’ve got The Road Hammers loading-out their own Juno Award-winning brand of pulverizing outlaw country and scorching hard rock for a smokin’ free concert on The Stage thanks to funding from the province of Ontario!

And don’t miss the many local acts filling out the three days of continuous free music on The Stage sponsored by OLG Presents Music and Canadian of Heritage.

Meanwhile, Second Stage: A Celebration of Original Music and Art presented by TenarisAlgomaTubes is going to be filling Queen Street for one and one-half days with the sounds of some incredible original music.

You’ll have the chance to see Porter, Wishbone, Kalle Matteson, The Divorcees and Roger Marin on Day 1 and Al Wood, Rusty McCarthy, Shannon Moan, The Boot Hill Crooners, Fighting for Tiffany, Blues Harvest, Elizabeth Shepherd, Apostle of Hustle, and The Sunparlour Players on Day 2.

The taste of good food and drink more your thing? Then you’ll have to stop by A Bite: A Celebration of Food on Thursday which will be serving up a delightfully appetizing six-course tasting menu accompanied by wine pairings, catered by A Thymely Manner.

This classy meal will be set to the soundtrack of the sweet, soft heat of Jazz in the Park.

Or tuck in to our fourth annual Lunch Al Fresco on Friday, back by popular demand! This delicious lunch offers a feast of baby back ribs, chicken, pork cutlet on panini, caponata, salad and beverages for only $9!

Fresh local produce and preserves will be sampled and sold at the Indulge Marketplace on Friday from 10 - 3, fresh lemonade and soft serve ice cream will be served all three days by Teens on the Move of the Childrens Rehabilitation Centre - Algoma and, as always, our own Rotary Food Court and the Pino’s Wagon will be on hand to serve you with lots of mouthwatering summer treats.

The Aerial Angels, Duo Oops, and Crazy Brad will be dazzling children and adults alike at Cirque du RotaryFest sponsored by Essar Steel Algoma Inc. and Community First Credit Union and with funding from Canadian Heritage with their astounding display of acrobatics, fire-eating, contortion, whip-cracking, juggling, tossing, hula-hooping, balloon art and their sparkling comedy and wit.

And don’t forget their daily workshop for kids 8–18.

There’s limited space, so sign up at the Rotary office, 945-1279.

The Wheels on the Water Car Show sponsored by Royal Tire and Napa Auto Parts will be showcasing a fleet of sweet rides while the RotaryFest Take Your Pick Draw will be giving one lucky person either two amazing vehicles or $75,000 in cash.

And, of course, the 87th annual Rotary Community Day Parade presented by Brookfield Renewable Power and Great Lakes Power, one of the Sault’s most cherished traditions, will be marching its eye-popping floats, puppets, bands, and “kinetic sculptures” down Queen Street on Saturday to the smiles and cheers of adults and kids alike!

We’ve got entertainment for your kids too: tests of skill at SportsZone, the water floor sponsored by Tim Hortons, hair wrapping, face painting sponsored by the Merchants at Station Mall, inflatables, the classic thrills, chills and excitement of the midway and a wide variety of fun activities in the PlayZone sponsored by RBC Royal Bank.

Arts and culture weave their way throughout the entire festival, but the Hand-Made Market showcases many of our northern artisans.

Come by Clergue Park to shop and browse on Saturday from noon to 5. Admission is by donation and there’s a tremendous door prize to win.

Another very special addition to the festival is an art installation in Clergue Park called “Sun Flowers” by Brendan O’Connor of Heidi Dog Productions. This will be spectacular after dark.

So come check us out!

No one brings the heat to the North like RotaryFest, The Sault’s Summer Festival!

For complete information and schedule of events, bios and song samples of participating musicians and locations, head on over to www.rotaryfest.com.

Don’t forget to partake of our Reduce Garbage Initiative at RotaryFest, to help prolong the life of the landfill!

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