The last weekend in April we attended the Mullet Toss Festival at the Flora Bama located on the Alabama-Florida state lines. It seems the idea of the Mullet Toss Festival began with the owner of the Flora Bama having a couple of beers with the bar patrons. Twenty-three years later the festival is still growing strong.

Participation in the festival is more than drinking your fare share of bushwhackers or beer. For a $15.00 fee individuals on the beach throw a mullet from a 10-foot circle in Alabama across the state line into Florida. You also receive the Interstate Mullet toss T-Shirt.

A mullet is one of the more popular and plentiful fish indigenous to the area. It is the only fish with a gizzard and is said to possess mystical properties. Those mystical properties must be why people pay $15.00 and wait in line for up to two hours in the hot sun to stick their hand in a five gallon bucket of slimy water, select a dead mullet, and toss it into the next state. After you throw the mullet you have to run to pick it up and return it to the bucket for the next contestant. The measuring girls wearing straw cowboy hats and thong bikinis mark where the mullet lands and tally your score. The record mullet was tossed 189’8” in 2004.

With over 40,000 going though the gates of the Flora Bama there is a lack of parking spots which leads to a lengthily walk down the highway. The walk back to the vehicles is a lot more difficult. In fact, some are carried. There are long lines when you get in to buy a drink, to use the rest room, and to toss a mullet. No one seems to mind.

We stayed at a condo on the side of the Flora Bama. This way we had the best of both worlds; a short walk to the Flora Bama, safe parking for my car, and a bird’s eye view of the festivities from our balcony.

Late Saturday afternoon on the balcony was a show of shows. I realize now how people fall off condo balconies. A young lady on another balcony was showing her breasts. The guys on the lower balconies were leaning backwards trying to get a look. One guy was wearing a mullet wig and red cape. This one we named Mullet Man. Mullet Man was completely bald once he took his hair off.

From the balcony we saw a lot of drunk drama; romances bloom, a couple of fights, people line dancing in the sand. The funniest thing was a group of young people trying to get all of their beach equipment back to their cars. They had loaded everything except the inflatable shark onto a beach cart. They had been partying pretty hard all day. They had loaded the cart with ice chests, a jam box, and beach chairs. Two helped pull the cart and one pushed from behind. They would go about twenty feet and collapse, gasping for breath. Another twenty feet further and the two in front have dropped to their knees while the guy in the back had his head resting on the ice chest. Another twenty feet and they collapse again, however this time the guy carrying the inflatable shark also falls down. Not once did anyone think to maybe lighten the load of the cart. About forty minutes later they had managed to get the cart up the sand levee to the highway.

The Mullet Toss festival proves if you give it they will come. And the sillier, the better. Proceeds from the entry fees are donated to local charities.

Put Your Tax Rebate to Work

You may not be familiar with its formal name - the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 - but you’re almost certainly aware of its key outcome: a tax rebate. Now comes the big question: What should you do with it?

If you spend it, you will do your part to help stimulate the economy. But by investing the rebate, you could help speed your progress toward your long-term financial goals, such as a comfortable retirement.

Before we look at investment possibilities, let’s quickly go over the “nuts and bolts” of the plan:

• How much? You can receive up to $600, if you’re filing as an individual, or $1,200, if you’re filing a joint return. Plus, you can get an additional $300 for each qualifying child. However, the size of your rebate will be reduced by $50 for every $1,000 you earn above adjusted gross income (AGI) limits ($75,000 for singles and $150,000 for married couples).

• When? The IRS will begin mailing Stimulus Act rebate checks in May. If you’ve selected the “direct deposit” option for receiving your 2007 income tax refund, your Stimulus Act rebate will be placed in the same account that you’ve chosen for your refund.

Investment Choices
Here are a few possibilities for investing your rebate:

• Traditional or Roth IRA - Suppose that you are a joint filer and did receive the full $1,200 rebate. If you put that $1,200 in an investment that earned a hypothetical 7 percent return, and that investment were placed in a traditional or Roth IRA, the money would grow to more than $9,000 in 30 years. (This figure does not include fees, commissions or expenses, all of which would reduce your investment returns.) Keep in mind that traditional IRA withdrawals are taxable, whereas a Roth IRA’s earnings have the potential to grow tax free, provided you don’t begin taking withdrawals until you’re at least 59-1/2 and you’ve had your account for at least five years.) All investments within these accounts do fluctuate in price, so it is possible to have more, less or the same amount when you sell your
investments.

• Section 529 savings plan - In a Section 529 college savings plan, you put money in a specific mix of investments. Section 529 plans are tax deductible in some states for residents who participate in their own state’s plan. All withdrawals will be free from federal income taxes if the money is used for a qualified college or graduate school expense of your child or grandchild. (Withdrawals for other reasons may be subject to federal, state and penalty taxes. Also, Section 529 distributions will appear as income on the child’s tax return, which could affect financial aid calculations.)

• Emergency fund - It’s a good idea to put six to 12 months’ worth of living expenses in a liquid account for use as an “emergency fund.” Without such a fund, you might be forced to liquidate some of your long-term investments to pay for things such as a costly car repair or an unexpected medical bill.

A rebate like this one doesn’t come along every year - so put it to work for you. Someday, you may be glad you did.

Greetings from the Press Box. I certainly want to wish a Happy Mothers Day to all of the mothers out there and of course, my own. Lots of things have happened on our local sports scene. Congrats to the ACHS Lady Bulldogs Softball and the Bulldog Baseball team. The Lady Dogs completed an outstanding season under 1st year head coach, Cliff Kleibert. They made it to the semi-finals of the Class A playoffs and lost a tough one run game to Ouchatia Christian. With the entire team returning for 2009, the sky is the limit for this group of ladies and their coaches. The Bulldog baseball team comprised of one senior, lost in the quarterfinals to St. Martins of Metairie. Coach Todd Landry’s group return 8 starters in 2009 and they are sure to make some more noise next season.

In my last article, I wrote that the LSU baseball team was heading toward a 12-18 finish...not so fast. The Tigers are on a 12 game winning streak and as of press time, swept 3 SEC series in a row. Alex Box stadium was closed on the weekend of May 12 with a sweep of Mississippi State. LSU is currently in 1st in the SEC West and will end at Auburn on May 15-17. They will compete in the SEC tourney and with a few more wins, Alex Box will be host to a Sub Regional. Most people, including myself, had the Tigers headed toward a sub 500 finish in the SEC. The bats have come alive and the pitching has been lights out. I will predict that this team will be a #2 seed at the Box and with some luck, fight their way out to a Super Regional. The Tigers are ranked in the top 25. What a difference a month makes.

The New Orleans Hornets took care of the Dallas Mavs in the first round of the playoffs and currently lead the Spurs 2 games to 1 in the best of 7 series. Chris Paul is a superstar in the making and finished right behind Kobe Bryant of the Lakers for league MVP. The series with the Spurs will be a tough one, but I think the Hornets will find a way to win it and face the Lakers in the Western Conference finals. The Hornets have sold out the New Orleans Arena since mid season and this team is very young at most positions...stay tuned.

The Saints picked DT Sedrick Ellis from USC with the 5th pick in the NFL draft. The Saints had to trade up from #10 to get the big fella. This move along with the addition of LB Jonathan Vilma and corner Randall “Blue” Gay from the Patriots should improve the Saints defense. The Saints offense should pick up where they left off, plus the return of Duece McCallister, will enable the Saints to improve on last years 7-9 record.

As we enter summer time, the days are long and hot, plus little or no sports on the tube. Football returns on all levels in August, looking forward to talking about our local teams, LSU, Southern and the Saints. Stories and Comments can be sent to troyleboeuf@hotmail.com

Want to make friends and influence people with your online marketing campaign? Then remember what your mother said about being a good friend, and avoid being that dirty word of the internet, SPAM. The tools may have changed, but the good old fashioned rules for making friends have stayed the same. Email marketing reaches out to new acquaintances and keeps you connected with long time associates. The rules you follow for developing, composing, and distributing email marketing are just like the ones you remember from etiquette lessons. Turns out mother was right, good manners make a difference, so do the right thing and keep your emails clean. Make these seven rules your guide for proper email marketing.

Rule One: Only Stay if Welcome
No one wants to be where they are not wanted, and no good can come from being in the wrong place, ever. Don’t force yourself in, no one likes a crasher. Make sure you invite people to subscribe to your mailing list services, instead of pushing mail onto them. Ask their permission using an opt-in service. Be polite and follow-up with an email confirmation, a “double opt-in”, so you are sure you’re only reaching out to people who want to hear from you. You should also ask to be added to a new-comer’s address book or be listed as a safe sender. Be respectful and you’ll get respect.

Rule Two: Get Off to a Good Start
First impressions matter. Most people opt out of mailing lists after two months, so you have to win them over from the outset. Start by being honest and looking professional. Work with your web designer to create a format for your emails that is tailored to your needs and reflects the image your business presents. Develop a welcome email for new-comers that can be personalized, introducing your business while outlining what they can expect from your mailing list services. Be forthcoming, tell them what kinds of communications they will receive and how often. And most importantly, tell them what’s in it for them. Include a new-comer’s special in the initial email to welcome them to your circle of friends.

Rule Three: Use the Personal Touch
We all want to be where everybody knows our name, feeling liked and known well by our friends. A good friend pays attention to our likes and interests, knows when to write, knows your birthday. Your web designer can help you develop personalized subject lines for your email marketing, and work with you to create automatic, timed emails and follow-up emails that are tailored to respondents. Have special offers and products or services follow your subscriber’s interests, so you are always staying in touch, offering exactly what they want when they need it like a good friend would.

Rule Four: Be Invaluable
A good friend is always of use. Be one of those weekly or monthly connections we can’t live without. Make your email content highly relevant to those who receive it, and work to ensure the quality of your content. Provide useful information and timely products or services to stay current. You mind your business and know what’s important for people to know. You also know what they want to know, so share what you know. Use your email marketing campaign to keep your subscribers in the loop. And keep your loop the loop to loop.

Rule Five: Mind Your Language
Friendly, natural communication is always best. The best way to avoid being labeled dirty and spammy is to avoid using the words they usually use. Stay with the language of your business, and work with your web designer to clear all of your content using a content checker. Keep your emails professional and on topic. Refrain from using all capital letters, and from the excessive use of the exclamation point. That means mind your tongue and KEEP YOUR TONE DOWN!!!

Rule Six: Be Prompt
Good manners are always timely. Respond to subscribers’ wishes in a timely fashion. This means removing unsubscribers immediately and without hassle, as well as responding to complaints promptly and pleasantly. You also want to make sure you are easy to get in touch with, proving an email and physical address where subscribers may contact you. Have your web designer develop a method of editing subscribers’ personal information, so a subscriber can access his or her listing and make changes quickly and easily. People respond to those who respond to them. Be attentive, be punctual, and stay in touch.

You always knew manners mattered, and in the electronic age those that respect the etiquette of old get ahead. Online, proper email marketing is a must or you might just be labeled SPAM, that dirty word no one wants to hear. You know the proper manner of marketing online. You know the rules. Mind your manners and you’ll be everybody’s friend.

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