Kiger's Notebook

Roch's Transportation Tuesday features planes, buses and cars

Looks like Rochester has a Transportation Tuesday underway this week with two events - Allegiant Air's Vote for Vacation campaign and Kwik Trip's seminar about compressed natural gas as a vehicle fuel - both scheduled.

Allegiant Air's "campaign" bus pulled into downtown Rochester late Monday to park near the Peace Plaza in preparation for a morning of light-hearted voting combined with a serious memorial.

Voting for a favorite vacation destination will put people in the running to win four years of free airfare or a free pair of round trip tickets to any Allegiant destination.

The first 100 voters will be given a $21.60 "tax break" toward their next Allegiant vacation. That's about the equivalent of how much government taxes and fees add to the cost of a round trip flight.

Since the Allegiant stop in Rochester falls on Sept. 11, Mayor Ardell Brede will speak and lead the crowd in a moment of silence at 7:46 a.m. as the Bell of Honor tolls for those who lost their lives in the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

Kwik Trip's free seminar about compressed natural gas is then scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m at the Ramada Inn Hotel & Conference Center, 1517 16th St. S.W., Rochester.

Kwik Trip will introduce compressed natural gas, or CNG, as a fueling option in Rochester at the new station being built along 19th Street Northwest by CostCo's new store.

Victory will be sweet in Kemp's ice cream flavor contest

It's a fair question. Rah! Rah! Rhuberry or Mini-sota Donut?

Victory will be sweet no matter who wins Kemps' ice cream flavor duel underway at the Minnesota State Fair. Either way, Kemps senior food technologist Logan Julstrom will put the final touches on the recipe before the Rochester ice cream plant starts serving up the winner for a victory lap.

"It is super fun. I think it is so cool that the fans get to make their own flavor," says Julstrom.

This year Kemps asked people to create a flavor to evoke their favorite Minnesota memory for its Hometown Favorites Ice Cream Contest.

More than 240 ice cream flavor ideas were submitted and online voting narrowed the choices to 10 and then down to the final two that are now going head-to-head at the Minnesota State Fair taste test.

Fair-goers can stop by the Kemps booth on Machinery Hill from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. daily to sample Rah! Rah! Rhuberry and Mini-sota Donut.

Rah! Rah! Rhuberry is described as "Custard ice cream, swirled with strawberry rhubarb sauce mixed in with pieces of pie crust." Its competition, Mini-sota Donut, has more of a fair flavor. It contains cinnamon and nutmeg chips with chunks of mini donuts.

The creators of both flavors were very specific about their vision of Minnesota, so Julstom had a clear road map for each. The sticky part was in the actually execution.

"It is not like I can just run out and buy a bag of mini-donuts and throw them in," she says. “These two flavors are unlike anything Kemps has ever created."

On Aug. 29, the grand prize winner will be chosen by a combination of fair-goer votes, online votes atwww.kempsnextflavor.com and a celebrity judging panel at the fair. The judging panel will feature Kemps spokeswoman (and Joe Mauer’s mom) Teresa Mauer, the 2011 Hometown Favorites ice cream flavor winner, Jen Folkens, and this year's Princess Kay of the Milky Way.

The winner will receive $2,500, a year supply of their ice cream and their flavor will appear on store shelves in 2013.

Last summer was the first time Kemps held this flavor contest. The 2011 winner, Land of 10,000 Licks, is in selected grocery stores like Cub Foods right now. The Rochester plant recently made 14,400 scrounds (That's what they call the squarish ice cream containers with rounded corners) for a limited run in the region.

Kemps will produce either Rah! Rah! Rhuberry or Mini-sota Donut next summer to hit the shelves.

So does Kemps flavor expert Julstrom have a favorite that she hopes will scoop the competition?

"I absolutely love them both…really," she says with a laugh.

Roch. software firm launches pro-am contest for app makers

Here's some from a piece I wrote about Vacava and its new web app creation software.

Take note professional and wanna-be app makers. They are offering $4,000 and two iPads for the best apps submitted to their Application Invitational.

Check out the print edition for the whole story.

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A Rochester software firm is confident that its new product can make anyone into a programmer.

To prove it, Vacava is giving its RapidBiz system out for free to both programmers and non-programmers to compete in a contest to see who can create the best web applications.

Winners in each of the pro and rookie categories will receive $2,000. Runners-up will get Apple iPads.

Competitors will also be able to earn for money directly from the marketplace for their work.

All of the business-focused applications will go into Vacava's online "catalog." Following the model of the Apple App Store, customers can directly purchase the applications.
The creators will receive all of the money generated by any sales.

Barbeque's hot and Mt. Roscoe is high

OK, you have to give Steve and Barbara Ross credit for always being creative when promoting Roscoe's Barbeque, Root Beer and Ribs.

So Roscoe's seasonal drive-in on Fourth Street Southeast has re-opened for its 2011 run.

Since this is Rochester, the home of the endless winter, there is still a huge pile of snow occupying the parking lot. They've dubbed this mega-drift as "Mount Roscoe."

So the crew at Roscoe's have come up with a contest. Here's how they describe it:

The person who picks the day and time that Mount Roscoe's completely disappears will win a $200 gift certificate.
The mountain has been melting but the cold is keeping it around. The contest ends March 31.

And I think I'll pass on commenting on the photo. Even I have some sort of standards. Heh.

 

Rushford nanotech firm + Minn.

Despite its focus on microscopic particles, Rushford’s nanotechnology company is making a big impact in Minnesota’s most prestigious business competition.

Rushford Hypersonic LLC, which was launched by Dan Fox in 2007, was named last week as one of 48 semi-finalists out of more than 1,000 businesses competing for $100,000 to help finance innovative ideas.

Competing in the New High Tech Businesses Division of the Minnesota Cup, Hypersonic now must submit a business plan by July 23 to see if it will be one of the three finalists in the division.

Rushford Hypersonic uses a University of Minnesota-created process called Hypersonic Plasma Particle Deposition to bond coatings made of nano-sized particles into the surfaces of metals, ceramics and other materials,

While the process has many applications, Hypersonic is focusing on using the coatings to improve tools such as drill bits by reducing the friction they create and significantly increasing the coated product’s durability.

The Minnesota Cup, started in 2005, is a non-profit venture to encourage and fund innovate entrepreneur projects to spur new businesses in the state. In 2007,Dr. James Levine of Mayo Clinic topped more than 500 competitors to give Muve Inc. a $25,000 financial boost.

Today Muve is an active company marketing its Gruve devices to help people track the calories they burn and encourage a healthier lifestyle.

Listen to the sound of those trucks coming

This summer Rochester will hear the thunder roll...the thunder of more than 1,000 four-wheel drive trucks, Jeeps and even monster trucks.

The Tri‐State 4‐Wheel Jamboree, organized by the same people who brought the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour to Rochester in 2008, is slated to roll into the Olmsted County Fairgrounds on Aug. 28 and 29.

Indianapolis-based Family Events/The Promotion Company, Inc. estimate the jamboree will attract more than 15,000 4-wheel fans to the city.

I'll have more on this in the morning.

Growing up Rochester

Rochester once again tops a “Best Places” list, though this one is different since its looks at U.S. cities through the eyes of a child.

U.S. News and World Reports magazine, a long-time fan of Rochester, named the city as one of America’s 10 Best Places To Grow Up in a list published Thursday.

Described on the list as having “… Enough activities to tire out even the most energetic youngsters,” Rochester is ranked among other cities such as Boston, Denver, San Jose, Calif., and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The magazine delved into its database of 2,000 communities to look for place  with a low crime rate, a strong school system, lots of green spaces and plenty of opportunities for recreation and artistic outlets.

When mapping out Rochester’s child-friendly features, the magazine spoke with Brad Jones, the executive director of the Rochester Convention and Visitors Bureau.

He described the variety of activity options, like “85 miles of trails for in-line skating, 3,200 acres of public parks for touch football, and 56 different playgrounds.”

The list also included the Graham Arena hockey facilities and National Volleyball Center.

U.S. News and World Reports has often named Rochester to its many lists, starting with the Best Places to Live. It also has made the Best Places to Work and Best Places to Do Business lists.

RochFest Hot Air Balloon race - deflated for 2009

Here's some from an announcement that floated in this morning.

The popular Rochesterfest event - The Mayor’s Cup Invitational Hot Air Balloon Race - has been canceled for 2009.

We'll have more on this on the main Web site and in the weekend edition. Here some from the announcement:

After extensive discussions with the event’s major sponsors, and a careful examination of projected operating expenses, the decision was made to cancel the race for this year.

Roscoes Root Beer & Ribs, Re/Max Realtors of Rochester, Higgins Custom Cabinetry and Spring Green Lawn Care, as well as event founder and organizer George Ibach of Ibach Balloon Company in Minneapolis came to the agreement this week.

They will immediately start evaluating the future of the event into 2010 and beyond.
The Mayor’s Cup has been part of Rochesterfest for 23 years.  It has traditionally been held during the last weekend of the city’s annual celebration.

Home Show 2009 ready to raise the roof

At 3 p.m. today, the annual Rochester Area Builders Home Show opens the doors at the Mayo Civic Center to show off what local builders and related businesses can do.

Here's some from a story I have in today's dead tree edition of the Post-Bulletin: 

Lights are on, brick walls are up, fireplaces are burning and playhouses are ready for crowds of kids.

The 30th annual Rochester Area Builders Home Show is ready for people looking to remodel, expand or build to check out what the local builders, plumbers, landscapers and others can do.

With new home construction down dramatically, Home Show Chairman Mark Nelson says the organizers expected fewer exhibitors, but that’s not how it turned out.

With 205 exhibitors in more than 330 booths, visitors can expect a show with as much to see as in previous years.

“It is a really great marketing opportunity. For the price of a booth, you can meet potentially around 7,000 people and show everyone what you can do,” says Nelson, of Service Pros Plumbing & Heating.

And it is not just home builders. Expect to see lighting specialists, closet experts, kitchen remodelers, flooring companies, entertainment system installers, mattress retailers and even a firm that builds luxury doghouses.

“It is a good investment to be out here. It pays for itself,” said Paul Burt of Audio Video Planners as he hooked up a large screen, high-definition television at his booth.
Beside the many exhibitors, the association has a lot more to offer visitors during the weekend show this year.

Saturday is slated as Family Fun Day with activities like birdhouse building and bouncing on giant inflatable toys. It will also have face painting, live eagles, magic and a puppet show,

And for the second year in a row, the builders have created Once Upon A Playhouse with four whimsical, one-of-a-kind playhouses for kids to play in and possibly win. Raffle tickets are being sold for $10 each for a chance to win one of the playhouses. The money raised goes to Family Services Rochester.

On Sunday, many area restaurants and food specialists will be cooking up their specialties and offer free samples throughout the day for Taste of Rochester.

Free seminars on topics like financing, geothermal energy, kitchen design trends and many others will be offered all three days.

The Remodelers Council has built a new exhibit this year as an example for everyone considering updating their house called the Build It Right Home.

In the end, the show gives every one in the construction industry a chance to show that stormy economy has not washed them away.

“This let’s people know we’re alive, still busy and still out there working,” said exhibitor Karin Buechler of afm Countertops. “We can show people what we can do.”

Hardcore Computer + Mall of America

Rochester's most popular liquid submerged desktop computer – the Reactor by Hardcore Computer – is hitting the mall Friday.

Remember this is over-clockable box built by  Chad Attlesey and Daren Klum. Ex-Pemstar Chief Al Berning is the company's CEO.

Evidently the super fast computer with glowing blue lights is going to set up shop at the super huge Mall of America Friday to boot-up a contest with a Reactor as the prize.

That should catch the attention of serious computer gamers.

Here are the details kicked over to me by Hardcore's PR folks:

Beginning Friday, February 13 at  12:01 AM PT , Hardcore Computer is running a sweepstakes for a free Reactor. The sweepstakes will run until Monday, March 16 at 12:00 AM PT.

 To kick it off, Reactor will be showcased at Mall of America this Friday through Sunday - Feb 13 through 15 - during all mall hours. The systems will be set up in a kiosk between the Sunglass guy and Rosetta Stone. One will be running games on a 46” LCD HD monitor and Bose surround sound and a second system will showcase the system itself.