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CELEBRATE BUY LOCAL DAY! THROUGHOUT SANTA MONICA – MARCH 19

US Fed News Service, Including US State News March 17, 2011 SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 14 — The city of Santa Monica issued the following news release:

Get caught with your receipt showing! Buy Local Santa Monica invites you to celebrate Buy Local Day on the Third Street Promenade and throughout the city. The Santa Monica Chamber, Downtown Santa Monica Inc. and the City of Santa Monica are hosting an Expo on the Third Street Promenade with over 80 local vendors, live music and entertainment.

“The goal is to celebrate our local business, get people feeling good about shopping locally and rewarding them for doing it,” said Jennifer Taylor, principle of the Buy Local Steering Committee. Chamber president Laurel Rosen commented, “Supporting our world-class business community isn’t just fun and convenient, it’s also responsible. Every local purchase is an investment in our schools and other public services.” EVENTS The event kicks off on the Promenade at 11 a.m. with shopping, music, demos, raffle prizes and more. The first 300 visitors to the EXPO Info booth (3rd + SM Blvd) will get a free Buy Local goodie bag!

Free dance, martial art and fitness classes, live music, and performances from Santa Monica students on 3 stages, as well as kids’ areas, giveaways and specials from over 80 exhibitors.

Watch for the Santa Monica Band and Spirit Squad at 2:30 p.m. – follow them from Broadway to the Main stage at Wilshire and 3rd where the Mayor and City Manager will be on hand to proclaim March 19 the official “Buy Local Day” in Santa Monica!

Immediately following the declaration will be the Buy Local Raffle drawings for five $1000 Santa Monica Shopping Sprees, and a musical performance by Ashleigh Haney.

The popular Farmers Market at 3rd and Arizona will be open as usual from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the sidewalk sale will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. go to website santa monica zip code

In addition to events on the Promenade, each business district has Buy Local activities planned:

Airport Art Walk More than 60 Airport-based artists and performers open their studios for this once-a-year event, and Buy Local will be there! From 12 to 5 p.m., 2800 to 3026 Airport Avenue (Bundy/Centinela side). More information at www.arts.smgov.net Main Street: this web site santa monica zip code

Live music, sidewalk sale at participating businesses, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Montana Avenue “Spring Fling”:

Trunk sale, children’s “Buy Local” art project, cupcake decorating, live music + more (10am-6pm). From 6th to 17th Street on Montana Avenue.

Pico:

Sidewalk sale at participating businesses from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (Areas: Pico at 3rd St, Pico at Lincoln, Pico at Cloverfield to Centinela) Buy Local APP To help make buying local as easy and affordable as possible, many local businesses will be offering special deals and discounts at www.buylocalmarket.com. The new Buy Local app can be used to purchase from your favorite local businesses anywhere, anytime, right from your iPhone or Android. Four percent of all discounts sold during Buy Local Day will go to the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation to support our schools. Download the new app at www.buylocalmarket.com.

Increase your local footprint by shopping Buy Local the other 364 days; an estimated 60% of the money you spend when buying local goes back into your community.

REWARDS OF BUYING LOCAL RAFFLE – “Get caught with your receipt showing” and win a $1000 Santa Monica shopping spree! Make any purchase in Santa Monica on March 19th and bring your receipt to the Buy Local Expo raffle table (3rd and Santa Monica Blvd.) to be entered. Each receipt equals one ticket to be entered for one of five $1000 shopping sprees.

But even if you don’t win the raffle, the reward is feeling GOOD. Buying locally supports a sustainable local economy. Through dollars paid to local employees and sales taxes, it keeps dollars in our community to maintain vital city services, help fund our excellent public schools, and promote a diverse mix of businesses. It reduces our city’s carbon footprint when people shop closer to home and work. It also builds a strong community by encouraging people to appreciate their local, neighborhood-serving businesses and to get to know their neighbors. Local retailers are also more likely to carry regionally-produced wares, further contributing financial resources to our economy and supporting our local artists and craftspeople.

Additionally, 4% of all discounts sold online at BuyLocalMarket.com will go directly to the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation to support local public & private schools.

Have fun exploring our unique neighborhoods during the Buy Local Day, Saturday March 19! For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com Jennifer Taylor, 310/458/2201 ext. 6315, Jennifer.Taylor@smgov.net; Tish Tisherman, 310/393.9825 ext. 12, marketing@smchamber.com