1. Black Friday is one week away, so it’s time to start planning!
The majority of big retailers’ Black Friday ads are already out.
Wal-Mart and Amazon are offering deals on thousands of items, and there are plenty of ways to find a bargain starting Thanksgiving Day.
For the past two seasons, Black Friday actually lost its title as the busiest shopping day of the year. That’s thanks to competition from E-Commerce, door buster specials offered earlier in the month and sales on Thanksgiving Day itself.
These stores won’t be open on Thanksgiving.
2. The Department of Natural Resources wants people to get outside this Black Friday, so they’re making all state parts free that day.
It’s part of a campaign called #OptOutside. The DNR will waive the recreation passport fees for vehicles and parking for state trails and boat launches.
Michigan has 103 State Parks, covering nearly 300,000 square miles, as well as more than 12,000 miles of state trails.
3. The undefeated Western Michigan Broncos will become the center of attention in the college sports world tomorrow while ESPN broadcasts live from Kalamazoo.
The ESPN College Gameday bus rolled into WMU yesterday afternoon, with hordes of fans there to welcome the bus to campus. Everyone was changing “row the boat” and “bring on bama.”
Of course the arrival only fueled the excitement that’s been building for days, and things get started bright and early Saturday morning.
The Broncos tweeted out that The Pit will open at 6:30 Saturday morning, and 500 people will be admitted and must pass through security.
ESPN’s live coverage runs from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. from Sangren Plaza. The game starts at 3:30 p.m. against the 2 and 8 Buffalo Bulls.
4. Miranda Lambert concert tickets go on sale today at the Van Andel Arena.
The show is part of her Highway Vagabond Tour, and she’ll be in Grand Rapids on March 19. Her show is schedules for 7 p.m., and so far it looks like this is her only stop in Michigan.
Tickets cost between $39 and $59. They can be purchased at Ticketmaster or the Van Andel box office.
5. There’s finally a winner in the Smooch a Subaru contest!
Ericka Thompson was declared the winner after 77 hours and 20 minutes after the contest started.
She was one of 20 contestants who locked lips with the car since Monday morning. They all got 10 minute breaks every hour during the competition.
Thompson gets to take home a brand new 2017 Subaru Impreza as her prize.
