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'Christmas' show mixes volunteers, vendors and charity [Sun Journal, New Bern, N.C. :: ]
[July 23, 2014]

'Christmas' show mixes volunteers, vendors and charity [Sun Journal, New Bern, N.C. :: ]


(Sun Journal (New Bern, NC) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) July 23--The 11th annual Thea's Ideas "Christmas in July" mini-trade show recently helped fill the pantry at Religious Community Services and build business in New Bern.

It included music, food, sweet treats, a watermelon giveaway for donations and a variety of visiting and local vendors.

Thea Kincaid's annual marketing expo brings in a dozen national vendors to meet with New Bern business owners and nonprofit organizers so they can see what is new in branding items.

First time vendor Ben Roberson of In Stepp Marketing was impressed by the event.

"What a great time -- your clients were there to do business and the energy was contagious," he said.

Christmas carols filled the venue at the DoubleTree by Hilton lobby and guests were offered a summertime sugarplum and chocolate chip cookies.



Kelly Whitley, owner of Bear City Fudge, enjoyed herself.

"The show had a wonderful and varied selection of great innovative items to support any type of business," she said. "The atmosphere was casual and the 'signature drink' of ice-cold watermelon-infused water was the bomb." This is the fourth year that Kincaid has asked guests to bring a non-perishable food donation or a monetary contribution for Religious Community Services. In exchange, Thea hands out a Thea's Ideas tote bag stuffed with a Bogue Sound watermelon from Garner Farms.


When the half-day show closed, it had raised $600, a truckload of food donations from the guests, and another truck about a third full of watermelons that went to RCS.

"I enjoyed it tremendously. It was not only a great way to show my items to customers, but the show also helped the community refurbish the food bank," added Roberson. "New Bern is what community is all about. I felt honored to be a part of this event." "We had an outstanding response from the community," said Kincaid. "Even before the show, the bins that were placed around town were getting filled up with donations. We are so blessed that people recognized the difficulty of feeding school age children during the summer and stepped up to help." The date for next year's "Christmas in July" event is in the works.

___ (c)2014 the Sun Journal (New Bern, N.C.) Visit the Sun Journal (New Bern, N.C.) at http://www.newbernsj.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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