IT'S BACK! Win a $1000 Downtown Petoskey Gift Certificate and PARK FREE for a Year.

Downtown Petoskey's Fall Treasure Downtown Contest is on. A similar Spring contest was held in March, April and May of this year and was a fantastic success. The fall contest, like the one last spring, promotes the new Downtown Treasure Certificates that shoppers can redeem in stores all over Downtown Petoskey, including the Northern Michigan Artists Market.

The winner of the contest, which runs from now until December 1, 2009, will receive a $1,000 Downtown Treasure Certificate and a parking pass good all over Downtown Petoskey for one year.

To enter, shoppers must accumulate sales receipts totaling $500 from stores in Downtown Petoskey dated September 1, 2009, to December 1, 2009. Entrants place the receipts in special envelopes available at the Chamber of Commerce, 401 E. Mitchell, and the new Petoskey Downtown Office at 216 Park Avenue. Then turn them in at the Chamber office or Downtown office. The winner will be announced at the Holiday Open House.

The winner will be announced at the Downtown Petoskey Holiday Open House, December 4, 2009. Entrants need not be present to win. Detailed rules and additional information are available on the Downtown Petoskey website.

The spring contest was a lot of fun and the fall version is shaping up to be even better. Kristy Fralich was the winner of the Spring contest. She is still having fun spending her Treasure Certificates. Kristy is a new mother and used the certificates to buy clothing and toys for her baby as well as other shopping and restaurant dining. She was one of 154 entrants last spring and was very surprised to be notified that she was the lucky winner. Kristy said that she saw the contest as a great incentive to support the local businesses she has grown to love and that getting to the $500 entry amount was not that difficult. Other entrants also reported that just saving their lunch receipts added up quickly or that a couple of dinners out and some occasional shopping and maybe a haircut easily tallied up to $500. Several people collected enough receipts to enter several times.

You know you are going to be shopping in Downtown Petoskey over the next few months. You will be buying holiday gifts at the Northern Michigan Artists Market and eating at the Downtown restaurants. Just hold on to the receipts and you may be parking for free for the next year and spending $1,000 in Treasure Certificates. Enjoy winter in Downtown Petoskey as seen in this painting, Petoskey Impressed #5 by local artist Doug Flewelling.