Many times people often go to places like Kroger or Meijer to buy their flowers only to have them die within a couple of days of getting them home and in a vase. Often times this isn’t the fault of the store, sometimes it is, however most flowers in the tri-state come from the same wholesale florists. So, how can you find the best florist to serve your needs for the best flower arrangements?

There are many ways to do so. Word of mouth from your friends and family is a great way to find a good florist. Especially if you are seeking flower arrangements for a wedding. It still doesn’t hurt to interview or check out some other florists as their staff could have changed, however great florists put their stake on their reputation, so they will hire only the best and use only the best materials and flowers for their arrangements.

Another way to find a good florist is to check out their previous work gallery or photo album. Some florists maintain an online catalog that you can find from their websites of examples and photos of previous work they have done. This is usually the specialty work that has been contracted to them, however this is a great way to see what they are capable of accomplishing.

Another way of finding flower arrangements, especially if you are in a pinch or don’t know of a florist to choose from in the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati area is to use an online florist. There are many places that work with the online retailers, such as FTD, teleflora or 1-800-FLOWERS. Most local florists will usually use one, if not several of the online services as they are often sent from locations far away and the local florist will create the arrangement and delivery it. Are you not sure how that type of service works?

Well, the online services, let’s look at FTD for example, provides a standard list of arrangements that you can choose from. So if you are looking to send a funeral arrangement to St. Louis or Los Angeles, you can either go online or stop in a local florist and look at their catalog. Once you choose the arrangement and write the card, they will send the order to a local florist in that location to make the arrangement and deliver it upon your request. This is a great way to have fresh flowers for any occassion sent promptly, usually within a day or two, for any type of need that you might have.

There are numerous family owned and independent florists in the Cincinnati and NKY area that you can choose from. Finding the right one that meets your standards for price and quality is well worth a visit to each store near you to check them out.

Today is a new day and it seems that General Growth Properties, which also owns the Kenwood Mall, is heading quickly for bankruptcy. With close to a reported $4 Billion in debt that they can’t pay, bankruptcy might be the only way for General Growth Properties to seek protection.

So, what would this mean for the Florence Mall as we are heading into this busy Christmas season? Probably not much right now. Even if General Growth Properties files for bankruptcy protection, it will be business as usual at the Florence Mall. You might not notice any new stores opening any time soon until the bankruptcy proceedings are well underway, but they doors will remain open for now.

General Growth Properties is a real estate investment trust with over 200 properties nationwide. They own properties in Hawaii, Chicago and Las Vegas, just to name a few other locations. They are the nations second largest owner and operator of mall’s also.

There will be limited hours during the first week of operation due to some modifications and personnel issues that are being addressed.  This is to “work out the kinks” due to all new equipment in their state of the art kitchen.

The Olive Garden will open on Monday, August 4th with limited hours of 4 pm until 10 pm.  On Monday, August 11th, the Olive Garden in Florence will resume full operations, opening at 11 am.

The Olive Garden is still interviewing for positions prior to opening.

A grand opening ribbon cutting and reception will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, July 25 at the Center, located at the R.C. Durr YMCA, 5874 Veterans Way in Burlington.

The Center has been operating at the R.C. Durr YMCA since October, 2005 and serving an average of 40 people daily, free of charge. However, with a growing older population, YMCA and County officials knew more people could benefit from having a positive environment to spend leisure time. The new facility includes a kitchen, outside deck, activity rooms and library area. It continues to offer social activities, fellowship, exercise, information and assistance, ballroom dancing, yoga, line dance, special events and meals for Boone County residents age 60 and over. Additionally, seniors can choose to join the ‘Y’ through a variety of enrollment options including senior rates, scholarship and Silver Sneakers. Meals and transportation are also available from Senior Services of Northern Ky.

“We are very proud of our partnership with the County, the older adults, the staff and volunteers of the YMCA, and excited to see the many benefits of this expanded center on our community,” said Marty Herbert, senior center coordinator.

The Boone County Senior Center is managed by the R.C. Durr YMCA and  is open from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is a public service to any older adult living in Boone County. Funding for the new facility is a partnership of the Fiscal Court of Boone County through a Community Development Block Grant from the State and the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati.

“Our YMCA’s partnership with Boone County has been remarkable from the beginning.  Not only have we successfully engaged senior adults in health and recreation services weekly, we have created multi-generational connections that benefit all ages.  The success of our first step in senior service collaboration
with Boone County leads us naturally to this exciting growth plan for expanded facilities to serve more seniors in the years to come. We know how important fellowship, fun, and wellness programs are everyday and are delighted to join with Boone County to expand these services for seniors,” said Trisha Raynor,
executive director of the R.C. Durr YMCA.

ON FRIDAY – Speakers at the grand opening will be Boone County Judge/Executive, Gary Moore; Director of Human Services, Kirk Kavanaugh; and YMCA of Greater Cincinnati President Sandy Walker. Prior to the ribbon cutting there will be a musical dedication by pre-school children.

The YMCA is the largest non-governmental, non-profit community services organization in this area that is committed to helping everyone reach their God-given potential in spirit, mind, and body – regardless of their ability to pay. Each year tens of thousands of people from children to seniors are able to participate in YMCA programs and services because of financial assistance, including health and wellness, active older adult programs, youth and teen camp, swimming and water safety lessons, teen achievers, college readiness, and job preparedness.  With 60 locations, the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati is also the largest provider of childcare programs that in 2007, served nearly 10,000 kids on YMCA scholarships. The annual Strong Kids Campaign helps make that possible.

Come join Liberty and many other community mascots for a day of fun! Children will be grouped according to age. The age groups are 3 and under, 4-5, 6-7, and 8-10.   Ages 3 and under are the first group to go at 12.

Dale Stephens was active in his community and his church.  He had recently filed for re-election to the Florence City Council.

Dale Stephens is survived by his wife, Barbara, three children, six grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.

Funeral arrangements are still pending at this time.

Work crews have completed the buildings shell to allow work to continue through the winter.  The theater will seat up to 3,000 people and house a restaurant with a full bar, a luxurious lobby with a piano, rocking, reclining seats, a food court and waiters who bring food to the seats.  Some theaters will even offer reserved, extra wide, leather seats.

National Amusements, which owns Showcase Cinemas, has said that the Showcase Cinemas on Mall Road and another company owned nine-screen theater in Erlanger will remain open even after the new theater is complete. 

The Florence Freedom, Northern Kentucky’s own professional baseball team, have finalized their upcoming 2008 54 home game baseball schedule. The team opens with a 5 game home stand on Wednesday, May 21st at Champion Window Field. That game has an early start time of 11:05am for “Education Day” presented by Xavier University’s College of Social Sciences, Health, and Education.  

Opening Night is the first “Thirsty Thursday” of 2008 on May 22nd. The fan favorite night will again feature $1.00 beverages but also have the new additions of Karaoke on the concourse and themed foods including Mexican, Italian, and Greek food on different Thursday nights.Monday through Friday games begin at 7:05pm and Saturday games begin at 6:05pm all summer long.

Sunday’s in May and June begin at 2:05pm and in July and August start at 6:05pm.Four games in 2008 have early start times of 11:05am. Opening Day May 21st, May 27th, 28th, and July 9th are all morning games.

The complete 2008 Florence Freedom schedule is available at www.florencefreedom.com. Florence Freedom is a member of the Frontier League, a 12-team Independent Professional Baseball League established in 1993. The Freedom play a 96 game schedule with 54 home games between late May and early September.