PB Inner Circle

In December, PB Inner Circle went bigger and better, upgrading our 12 Days of Awesome to a full MONTH OF AWESOME! 25+ days of our best prizes of the year, all made possible with the help of our wonderful sponsors, and, of course, YOU - our fabulous members! We had thousands of entries, but only a select few snagged a seat at the winners table. Here, in no particular order, is the 2017 winners list:

Lynn Lores - WINNER of a table of 4 to Goonie’s Comedy Club!

Gina Mille - WINNER of 4 tickets to Rochester Civic Theatre!

Gary Seidel - WINNER of a Minnesota artisan basket from TEAM Rochester & In His Name! 

Doreen Hoffman - WINNER of a wellness basket from HealthSource Chiropractic!

Dawn Becker - WINNER of a Kindle Fire from Post Bulletin!

Mary Allen - WINNER of a prime rib dinner + wine for 4 from Charlie’s Eatery & Pub!

Melissa Mett - WINNER of 6 growler fills from Kinney Creek Brewery!

Lori Lockhart-Oftedahl - WINNER of a BBQ gift basket from John Hardy’s BBQ!

Michelle Schendel - WINNER of a 1-year membership to EDGE FITNESS!

Paula Braun - WINNER of a Minnesota artisan basket from TEAM Rochester & In His Name!

Dorothy Boyd - WINNER of two season ticket packages from Mantorville Theatre Company!

Ronald Wallace - WINNER of a season ticket package to Commonweal Theatre Company!

Bonnie Stevenson - WINNER of a season ticket package to Commonweal Theatre Company!

Richard Witzke - WINNER of an Arachnid 650 Dart Board from Family Fun Center!

Patrick Hanson - WINNER of a pair of Kodiak winter boots, a pair of Smartwool hiking socks, and a $15 gift car from TerraLoco!

Kristi Jensen - WINNER of a 10 class pass to Firefly Barre Fitness!

Dennis Sommer - WINNER of a $100 gift card to Knight’s Menswear!

Cindy Johnson - WINNER of 10 movie tickets + concessions to CineMagic!

Yvonne Philo - WINNER of two Social & Fit memberships to 125 LIVE!

Neil Klouser - WINNER of an Allison Marie Designs board art piece from Soul Purpose Rochester!

Barb Mitchell - WINNER of a family membership to Prairie Walls Climbing Gym!

Liz Wittrock - WINNER of a Minnesota artisan basket from TEAM Rochester & In His Name!

Rick Shabsin - WINNER of FREE breakfast every month of 2018 at Perkins!

Goodbyes are never easy. And the last Inner Circle/Commonweal VIP event of the year was no exception. On December 7, we celebrated with ~40 of our lovely members for a holiday evening in Lanesboro! We sipped on wine, nibbled fruits, veggies, sandwiches and desserts, and enjoyed some wonderful conversation. For the main event, we enjoyed a hilarious showing of “The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge” - an absolute riot, and a perfect production for the holiday season! Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us in 2017 - be sure to enter for our Month of Awesome giveaways, happening NOW through the end of December, and look forward to more awesome events in 2018! Happy holidays!

On October 5, we took another lovely trip over to Lanesboro for a members-only event and VIP showing of Commonweal Theatre Company’s “Ghost-Writer!” We enjoyed delicious snacks, tasty wine, and fabulous company before the show, and were so happy to meet so many of our loyal members - many of whom were first-time attendees to the theater! Megan Pence spoke on behalf of Commonweal, followed by Mark Barebo, the Post-Bulletin’s Advertising Director, and Emily Wessing, the Post-Bulletin’s Marketing Coordinator and Inner Circle extraordinaire. Thank you to the theater and to all who joined us - a wonderful autumn evening was had by all! 

We have one more Commonweal event coming up in December, along with our much-anticipated Month of Awesome, so keep your eye out for big things in the coming months!

In August, a group of our lucky Inner Circle members had the chance to attend Commonweal Theatre Company’s production “Steel Magnolias” in style! 

We hosted our VIP members-only event on August 10, and are so excited to share a few photos from this fabulous night! A huge thank you to the lovely staff at Commonweal for helping coordinate, and to all of those who made the trip to Lanesboro to celebrate with us! From the great company to the lovely appetizers to the stellar performance, it was certainly a night to remember!

Recently, PB Inner Circle took a trip down fantasy lane and spent the afternoon at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival! This event was a hot-ticket item on PBinnercircle.com, with 92 tickets snapped up in a matter of weeks. 

That being said, we just had to see what the hype was all about! Our Marketing Coordinator, Emily, spent an afternoon venturing throughout the festival, enjoying a day filled with yummy food, old-school entertainment, and fascinating people-watching.

Thank you to all of our members who entered for this fabulous giveaway! Browse through a few photos from the fair - and don’t forget to hit “Like” and “Follow” on PB Inner Circle’s social media pages for your chance to attend one of these awesome events!

PB Inner Circle enjoyed an evening of dinner, dancing, and socializing for a good cause at the Elder Network’s Spring Fever Gala on Saturday, April 22.

Supporting Elder Network's mission to provide “individuals impacted by the limited effects of aging with an optimal quality of life,” the night featured a three course meal, a guest speaker, live auction, and dancing with the reunion band.

The evening was a wonderful opportunity to network within the Rochester, Post Bulletin, and Inner Circle community. Check out a few pictures from the exclusive event below, and congratulations again to our winners! Follow PB Inner Circle on Facebook and Twitter for your chance to snag a spot at one of these VIP events!

“The best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even when the people in it do.” 

PB Inner Circle had a glamorous evening of art, music and socializing at the Andy Warhol: Minnesota Goes Pop opening reception on Saturday, Feb. 4.

A huge thank you to all of our loyal members who entered and to our winners for supporting the Rochester Art Center as they kicked off their newest exhibit!

Check out a few pictures from the exclusive event - winners enjoyed tasty treats, a cash bar, performances by local bands Second Story & The Shift, and a free DIY screen print. Oh, and of course, a VIP ticket to party with 300 of Andy’s biggest fans. Mr. Warhol would not have been disappointed.

Congratulations again to all of our winners! Be sure to keep up with PB Inner Circle on Facebook and Twitter for more chances to win, save and play in 2017!

Recently, PB Inner Circle wrapped up its 12 Days of Awesome giveaways. Another year of fabulous prizes, sponsors, and participants came to a close as we selected 14 lucky winners to enjoy their festive gifts. Here, in no particular order, is the 2016 winners list:

Linda Stamschror - WINNER of a specialty wine box from Apollo Liquor!

Carole Amy - WINNER of 6 cartons of ice cream + $120 in gift cards to Charlie’s Eatery & Pub!

Robert Hyland - WINNER of 10 movie tickets + concessions from CineMagic Theatres!

Kevin Lindeen - WINNER of $100 gift card to Cook’s Pantry!

Sandy Twaites - WINNER of a 1-year membership to EDGE FITNESS!

Thomas Sinn - WINNER of a free portrait session from JMEG Photography!

Roger Gunderson - WINNER of an air brush makeup session + hair styling from Karen Heydt at Salon Nouvo!

Krista Amundson - WINNER of $100 gift card to Knight’s Chamber!

Shelley Cunningham - WINNER of $100 gift card to Knight’s Menswear!

Anthony Toft - WINNER of a “Snowstorm Survival Kit” from LTS Brewing!

Philip Schmalz - WINNER of free breakfast every month of 2017 from Perkins!

Beth Woodburn - WINNER of a PB subscription + history books from the Post-Bulletin!

Blaine Whalen - WINNER of a Kindle Fire from the Post-Bulletin!

Sara Gilliland - WINNER of one free mission from the Escape Challenge!

“Bah! Humbug!” Ebenezer Scrooge’s famous words may have echoed throughout Commonweal Theatre the night of December 8, but certainly not by Inner Circle members!

What a fabulous evening we had at our VIP showing of A Christmas Carol last week with so many of our loyal members!

We want to sincerely thank all of those who made the road trip to Lanesboro for our special night, as well as the wonderful team at the Commonweal for helping us host such a successful event for the second year in a row. We were thrilled to have the Post Bulletin’s general manager, Chris Blade, join us for the event and to provide a warm welcome from the PB, and we hope that our members had a great time getting the full “VIP experience” – with tasty treats, a phenomenal play, and great company to boot! 

Congratulations again to all of our VIP winners. Be sure to enter for Inner Circle’s 12 Days of Awesome, happening NOW through Dec. 24 – and follow PB Inner Circle on Facebook and Twitter for more great events like this!

                    Hello! 

I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself – my name is Emily Wessing and I am the new Marketing Coordinator for the Post-Bulletin! I’m here to make sure that the Inner Circle program is everything you want it to be – so whether I’m organizing great events, strategizing new promotions, or helping you advertise your business – I am so excited to dig in and see what I can do for the individuals, businesses, and overall community of Rochester. And of course, I can’t wait to represent the Post-Bulletin in the process!

A Wisconsin girl at heart, I was born and raised in Byron, Wisconsin – a tiny, unincorporated town about an hour and a half north of our capital city, which is where I attended college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before graduating just over a year ago. In high school, I was involved in everything you could imagine – marching band, theater, forensics, FBLA, international club, National Honor Society, student council, yearbook staff, and more. Once I transitioned to UW, I continued to juggle as many activities as I could, working as an office assistant and social media coordinator for the University of Wisconsin Gender & Women’s Studies Librarian’s Office while also serving on the boards of various art committees, small publications and literary reviews. While I was at UW, I studied Communication Arts, English, and Digital Studies, and even had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in Dublin, Ireland for a summer! After four wonderful years filled with Badger football games and late night study sessions with friends, I (reluctantly) graduated in May of 2015. Fast forward a few months, I trekked across the country to the Sunshine State and spent a year working on my tan (just kidding, I’m a pale Wisconsinite) as a Marketing Associate and graphic designer at a tech company in Miami. Eventually, after making the cross country move once more, I’ve found myself in beautiful Rochester and into the wonderful PB community, where I’m so excited to be today!

A little bit more about me! In my free time, I have a passion for art and anything creative, so I tend to gravitate toward media (music, film, print, digital, writing) both in hobby and profession – which is why this position is such a perfect fit for me! I love podcasts, documentaries, reading, writing, and traveling – and I can never resist a good farmer’s or flea market. I have my wonderful parents and two sisters back home in Wisconsin (which is fortunately now only a 4 hour drive) and a 6-year-old Shiba Inu named Kenji who is spoiled rotten (by me). 

My name is Andrew Thoreson, I am a graduate of Winona State University and current intern at the Post Bulletin (Summer of 2016). I grew up in Mazeppa, MN and attended Century High School. Upon graduation, I attended Rochester Community and Technical College the first two years of college. I then transferred my credits to Winona State University and graduated from the College of Business with a degree in Marketing. 

With a preference for media related jobs and a passion for the design aspect of marketing, the Post-Bulletin seems like a perfect match to kick-start my career and push forward wherever my future lies. I am interested in photography, have a love for the outdoors, and am excited to move on from my college years. 

We had an amazing time at last night’s members only Yoga Night at EDGE FITNESS INC! Guests were treated to free massages from HealthSource, free samples from Evolve, and an introduction to yoga class with Carol Burken. On top of all that, attendees were given a free 2-week pass to EDGE FITNESS so they can come back to experience more of what they have to offer! Inner Circle is looking forward to doing more of these awesome events with EDGE in the near future. For those wishing they could’ve been there, keep an eye on your email in the coming weeks for more announcements of exclusive events and check on our site regularly for a chance to be our guest at the next one!

We had a wonderful evening with so many of our members at our VIP showing of “Little Women” at the Commonweal Theatre last night!

Thank you to all who made the drive to join us, and to the wonderful staff at the theatre who truly made the night possible. The company was great, the venue was lovely, the play was fantastic, and we can’t forget the delicious treats and wine! 

We were lucky enough to have our publisher, Randy Chapman, join us and greet everyone with a warm welcome. Landon Flies spoke about Month of Awesome (P.S. Week 4 opens on Monday with BRAND NEW deals! Check it out!).

What’s better than catching up with many of our fantastic members over popcorn, wine, and a fabulous show put on by the Mantorville Theatre Company? Nothing! 

If you haven’t seen “Meshuggah-Nuns!” (we got the first look last night!), make sure you get out to the Mantorville Opera House to check it out. It was hilarious. We hope our lucky winners enjoyed it as much as we did!

It was great to have our publisher, Randy Chapman, at the event. He gave a warm welcome, and Landon, our Marketing Coordinator, followed with exciting news about the upcoming Month of Awesome! Lots of great prizes are coming your way, but shhh...they’re still a secret!

Special thanks to the Mantorville Theatre Company, Joe’s Liquor, the Mantorville Chocolate Shoppe for donating a fantastic gift basket to our door prize collection, and the following businesses for leaving their doors open just for us: Memorabilia, Mantorville Square Antiques, and the Mantorville Art Guild. 

Could a Saturday evening get any better than one spent at The Mouse with many of our fabulous Inner Circle members? 

An enormous thank you to everyone that made our Holiday Preview Party so wonderful...especially Jeanne and Wendy at The Mouse! It was such a fun evening, and we can’t thank our sponsors and YOU, our members, enough for making it possible!

There were tasty eats and treats galore! From the delicious sandwiches and salads graciously donated by Potbelly Sandwich Shop, to the perfectly chosen assortment of wine, champagne and cider provided by Joe’s Liquor, the lovely and decadent mini cupcakes designed and donated by Julie at You Betcha Cupcake!, and last but not least, the oh-so-delicious dips provided by Jeanne and Wendy!  

Keep scrolling to check out the fun!

Did we mention the music? We were so lucky to be able to listen to and enjoy Lauren Heydt’s musical talents! Thank you for joining us, Lauren! 

Little touches like Jeanne and Wendy’s adorable handmade props for the photo booth made the night even more special. The trees were perfectly lit, and the store was decorated in true Mouse fashion. 

Once again, thanks to all involved! We can’t wait to see you at our next event!

P.S. 

SNEAK PEEK! Be sure to keep an eye out for our Month of Awesome coming soon, also featuring The Mouse!

Great Scott, we had so much fun last night! Thank you to all of our fabulous members for entering to win tickets to our members-only 30th Anniversary Back to the Future screening at Cinemagic Theatres! We appreciate all of you so much!

We had a fantastic turnout. Congratulations to our winners - so glad you could make it out on a busy Monday! Our very own, Ron Hanson, came to host our pre-party trivia before the show decked out in head to toe “Doc” gear.  Thanks, Ron, for the fun! 

A special thanks to Cinemagic Hollywood 12 Theatre for sponsoring the event! As usual, the hospitality (and popcorn) was nothing short of amazing. Watching Doc and Marty on the big screen again was a great dose of nostalgia!

Also, a big shout out to a few of our very own Inner Circle members, Sarah Pool and her husband for lending their DeLorean for the evening. What a treat to have that parked in front of the theater. It turned out to be a great photo op!  

We’ll see you at our next event, an exclusive VIP Holiday Preview Party at The Mouse on November 7th. Shopping, live music, great prizes, photo booth and more! Don’t forget to enter for your chance to win tickets!

We received so many great movie quotes that members sent us for our social media Cinemagic Theatres ticket giveaway contest. Everyone was asked to submit their favorite movie quotes for a chance to win a pair of tickets to Cinemagic Hollywood 12. Congratulations to all the winners! Here were just some of our favorites: Can you guess the movie they come from??? Follow this link to take the quiz. Get 5 of 10 correct to enter for your chance to WIN tickets to our private showing of “Back to the Future” at Cinemagic Theatres: http://bit.ly/1QZilWw

Here’s a sneak peak at the quotes:

1. “Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.”

2. “Houston, we have a problem.”

3. “Nobody puts baby in a corner.”

4. “If you build it, they will come.”

5. “Go ahead, make my day.”

6. “You had me at hello.”

7. "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse."

8. “Here’s looking at you, kid.”

9. “You're gonna need a bigger boat.”

10. “I want the truth! You can’t handle the truth!”