plus 4, 10th Annual Azalea Festival needs vendors - Valdosta Daily Times

10th Annual Azalea Festival needs vendors - Valdosta Daily Times
Junior plans to be 'ruthless' - Florida Today
Pa. man fastest motorcyclist on the planet - Beaver County Times
Snow stars show off winter fashions - MetroWest Daily News
Casting Call For Retro Suzuki GSX-Rs! - Motorcycle USA

10th Annual Azalea Festival needs vendors - Valdosta Daily Times

Posted: 15 Jan 2010 09:51 PM PST

Published January 16, 2010 12:53 am -

10th Annual Azalea Festival needs vendors

The 10th Annual Valdosta-Lowndes Azalea Festival seeks local craft and non-profit vendors for the Azalea Festival coming up March 13 and 14.

Organizers have already generated interest from vendors as far away as Michigan and New York for the festival, said Grant Brown, Azalea Festival director. Organizers want to ensure that local arts-and-crafts vendors have space, too.

"As we celebrate the 10 anniversary of the Azalea Festival, we will feature much more entertainment and many more activities for the entire family than ever before, still, with no admission charge," says Brown. "The Robinsons Racing Pigs will be back to entertain along with the Fearless Flores Circus coming back after an absence of several years. They're the ones with the motorcycles in the globe who do death-defying acts."

New this year is the Disc-Connected K9's Frisbee Dog Team which has been featured on several national television shows. Local bands Skannyardle and Daddy's Money will entertain on Stage One with cloggers, dance teams and a Native American show being featured on Stage Two.

The local Humane Society will have its Mutt Strutt pet contest and the huge Kidzone will be filled with bounce houses, a petting zoo, pony rides, feats of strength, a community art project and a bungee.

More than a dozen food vendors will be part of the Azalea Festival this year offering a wide variety of mouth-watering selections.

"There is still no admission charge for the Azalea Festival so business and personal sponsors who want to help out are encouraged to contact us as well," says Brown.

Organizers need to hear from local crafters, churches and other non-profit organizations so they can participate in this event.

"This is a great opportunity for creative artists to sell their products and for local non-profit organizations to inform the community of the services they have available. The cost is quite reasonable for the two-day Azalea Festival," Brown says. "Participation in the Azalea Festival is on a first-come, first-served basis so early applications are encouraged."

More information: Visit azaleafestival.com; or call: (229) 269-9381.

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Junior plans to be 'ruthless' - Florida Today

Posted: 15 Jan 2010 10:13 PM PST

DAYTONA BEACH — Coming off the worst season of his 10-year full-time NASCAR career, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was frank when it came to what he hopes to accomplish in 2010.

And, while anything beyond his 2009 results -- no victories, two top-5s, five top-10s, and a 25th-place finish in points making him the only one of four Hendrick Motorsports drivers not to qualify for the playoff -- would be considered an improvement, he's aiming much higher.

"I'd like to win; anything less than three races this year I'd be a little bit disappointed and depending on what tracks those are, you know it'd be great to win at some tracks we hadn't necessarily been great on in the past," Earnhardt told reporters at Friday's Preseason Thunder Fan Fest.

While not being specific, the as usual low-key Earnhardt cited what he called "changing the entire culture in the shop" as a reason for his optimism heading into the Feb. 14 season-opening Daytona 500 and beyond.

"We have everything there mechanically to get it done; we have great people," he said. "There's three guys (champion Jimmie Johnson, points runner-up Mark Martin and third-place Jeff Gordon) who made the Chase and we didn't. We have to get out there and prove ourselves."

And then a bit of the iron-willed nature of his father, the late seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt, emerged.

"We're just going to go out there and try our hardest and be ruthless from the first lap to the last," he said.

If there was anything that set the elder Earnhardt apart from his peers -- and his son -- it was his ruthlessness on the track. That the mild-mannered Earnhardt Jr. might believe the time has come to drop his gloves and put up his dukes would be of comfort to his fan base which, while fiercely loyal, has been roiled by his lack of performance.

And that his fans are in need of salvation is not lost on perhaps the most popular driver the sport has ever seen. He feels a deep sense of debt to his fans and believes the time has come to repay them for their devotion.

"There's definitely an obligation . . . to make the Chase," said Earnhardt, driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet. "When I missed the Chase like I have twice in the last three years, it's disappointing to me, I feel like I've let them down, I feel like I've came up short for them.

"They put up a fight (for) you all year long. They fight every week right there with you. They argue their way through every day at work with somebody who's pulling against you. They fight their own battles just like I do out on the race track."

As altruistic as that might sound, that's Earnhardt. Despite the millions he won on the track and the millions more he earns in myriad endorsements, he's smart enough to know without his fans he might have a bankroll but he might not have a soul.

But in big-time sports, the bottom line is winning and unless Earnhardt performs, he can't win for himself and for his fans.

Now that he's established that goal, he's got to achieve it.

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Pa. man fastest motorcyclist on the planet - Beaver County Times

Posted: 15 Jan 2010 09:59 PM PST

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Chris Carr is once again the fastest motorcyclist on the planet. Carr, who lives in the Breezy Corners section of Ruscombmanor Township, rode, or more accurately, piloted the BUB Enterprises Streamliner on an 11-mile Bonneville Salt Flats track at ...

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Snow stars show off winter fashions - MetroWest Daily News

Posted: 15 Jan 2010 08:54 PM PST

Many top-tier female skiers and snowboarders have mastered the cool-girl look that makes them style role models for anyone not interested in mimicking the Michelin man on these cold winter days.

Snow stars Torah Bright, Gretchen Bleiler, Sarah Burke and Lindsey Vonn tend to wear sleek, colorful and comfortable outfits that use technical fabrics, trendy touches and the global influences they see as they travel practically year-round in search of snow.

It's worth noting that all four women all are blessed with model-like looks, big smiles and long blond hair. Outerwear companies have taken notice and are working with them as design collaborators.

Their style profiles:

TORAH BRIGHT, SNOWBOARDER: "Fashion is a huge part of the snowboard world," says Bright, who is eagerly testing out a fitted, skinny-leg snowpant this season. She hopes it'll be part of her third consumer collection for Roxy due out in the fall.

A slimmer fit, satin linings and fashion-forward details like the covered buttons and empire waist of her peacoat-style jacket in stores now are all part of "bringing some girl power to the hill," she says.

Karbon, the brand outfitting the Australian Olympic team, used the cut of Bright's favored silhouette for the uniform.

Bright says she's moving toward an edgier look, adding exposed zippers and magnet closures to her extensive personal wardrobe of snow gear.

The oversized hood that has become one of her signatures is needed to cover up her helmet, she explains. "My brother, me and my younger sister used to have these big red helmets that were like a clown's red nose on our head. I hated it so I decorated it, and I've been covering up my helmets ever since."

(However, She notes that she always wears a helmet as a safety precaution, even when she's doing recreational boarding.)

Another must for her is good gloves with a strong grip. She'll fill them with heat packs on cold days. Layering is the key to keeping the rest of her body warm, she says. "You can tell where I am in the world based on how many layers I have or don't have on."

GRETCHEN BLEILER, SNOWBOARDER: Putting together her collection for Oakley could be a full-time job, Bleiler says. "I work on every single phase of the collection materials, colors, fabrics, trims, style, fit, graphics, inside patterns. I come up with the ideas and the designers tell me if it's realistic."

She says her motto for fashion is the same one she uses on the mountain: Be tough but don't be afraid of being a woman, either. "I have a very strong opinion of how I like to look...and it's not 'pretty in pink."'

At the Vancouver Olympic Games, she'll be wearing a Burton-designed uniform with a plaid jacket and pants that are supposed to capture the look of denim even though they're made of high-performance Gore-Tex.

When she's in charge of the sketchpad, Bleiler likes to use graphics, with words like "Love" and "Gratitude" to provide visual inspiration, and she puts a lot of emphasis on gathered necklines, which along with neck gators are what keep her warm.

This season with her second collection Bleiler experimented with environmentally friendly products, as green causes are near and dear to her. The T-shirts are organic cotton and made with water-based dyes, and there is both a jacket and snowpant made of 100 percent recycled material. They are fully recyclable, too just send the garments back to Oakley and the company will have them broken down so the materials can be used again.

Bleiler says she hopes more fashion is in her future. "I would like to add more lifestyle pieces, T-shirts, sweaters and I'd love to add denim."

SARAH BURKE, FREESKIER: When Burke is competing, she wears bright colors to stand out. When she's on the slopes for pleasure, she'll be in more subtle shades so she doesn't attract attention. All of her outfits, though, have a lot of pockets.

What's inside? Sunscreen, snacks and her phone. Don't look for zipper closures, though. "Zippers are hard to handle with gloves on. I like magnetic flaps in some spots," Burke explains. "When you wear something so often, it's the little things that are important."

As for silhouette and style, Burke scours glossy magazines trying to add a little bit more "fashion" to the outdoor gear that's typically offered. She sometimes sews her own clothes but sketching isn't one of her talents, she says.

A test collection Burke designed for Roxy is being sold in Europe this season with the key pieces being a denim-style pant and motorcycle jacket. Her line is planned to expand to the U.S. next year, but since Burke hasn't yet had the satisfaction of seeing someone on the slopes other than herself in the gear, she says she'll be asking friends to try them out so she can snap photos.

Burke's off-slope wardrobe is a lot of track pants, but there are dresses in her closet, too. "I do like to get dressed up," she says. "I look forward to going out to a nice dinner or event that I get to wear a dress. A dress is actually an item of choice for me."

Still, Burke insists, comfort is a factor because that yields confidence, and that's when you look your best.

LINDSEY VONN, ALPINE SKIER: Each stop on the World Cup circuit this season has meant a new racing outfit for Vonn. She worked to keep each look under wraps until a competition as a little extra way of building buzz as if the races weren't enough.

"It's hard to show your personality when you're in a race suit, so I coordinated with Spyder and came up with some really cool designs to show more of my character. Plaid is in right now, so that's what I've been going with," says Vonn, who plans on debuting a new look Friday in Haus im Ennstal, Austria.

There doesn't seem to be a color too eye-popping nor a pattern too bold that Vonn won't wear. For example: the hot-pink, second-skin suit in Lienz, Austria, the black bike shorts over tight racing pants with her short magenta plaid jacket while warming up in Aspen, Colo.

But she also has her glam moments, such as the black-sequin Tory Burch gown on the Emmy Awards red carpet. And on Facebook, you'll find photos of her in a series of designer looks.

Items she can't live without include her mascara and a multicolored scarf that she says "goes with pretty much everything."

Vonn launched a contest with the NBCOlympics.com asking amateurs to come up with her helmet design for the Olympics. She is reviewing the designs, including a snowy-night blue helmet and a red, white and blue 50-star option, and will announce the winner later this month.

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Casting Call For Retro Suzuki GSX-Rs! - Motorcycle USA

Posted: 15 Jan 2010 08:04 PM PST

MotoUSA is putting out on casting call for pre-2008 Suzuki GSX-Rs for an upcoming old-meets-new GSX-R comparison.

We're looking to test all the generations of previous GSX-Rs to see how they stack up for a 25-year-anniversity story about the long-time running brand. If you are interested you will get your bike featured online and possibly in the in the magazine as well. And don't worry, only our most experienced riders (some with current AMA Pro Racing credentials) will ride your baby for handful of laps. We will also put new track-day rubber on each machine, which you will be able to keep after the limited laps we put on each set and as a result should be nearly perfect.

Please send photos of your pre-2008 GSXRs, preferably in the SoCal, NorCal or Medford, Oregon areas, to steve.atlas@motorcycle-usa. It will be for an upcoming history on the 25-year-running Suzuki Sportbike brand. The goal is to find a good selection of different generations to compare. Please let us know ASAP. Stock bikes are ideal, but limited mods (pipe, etc) all be also considered as well.

Thanks for the interest!

-Steve

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