The Early Bird Caught The... Cash!

Congratulations to  Jenny and Roald, they are the winners of the Early Bird contest this past month! They will get to enjoy $50.00 off of their rent in December. Next month it could be you - all you have to do is get your name into the drawing by paying your rent on or before the first of the month. Then your name goes into the drawing at Salem's office and a winner is randomly selected. 

Cyber Monday And Package Delivery

For the deal-savvy shopper who didn't get their fill yesterday during Black Friday, or for those who would rather do their shopping online, Cyber Monday is a great opportunity. In just two days retailers will offer special deals for their online customers.

Cyber Monday shopping is a very different experience than Black Friday. There's no lines and you can do your shopping in your pajamas sipping hot cocoa. Heck, you can shop and get your laundry done at the same time! With a few simple clicks you can place your order and have it delivered to your home.

There are some websites that gather the deals from many retailers to make your shopping online even easier. Check out http://www.cybermonday2012.com/ or http://www.cybermonday.com/.

As the holiday season ramps up we see an increase of packages coming in for our residents. Everyone also gets much busier. The office staff is happy to help out by delivering packages to your apartment. If you receive a notice that a package has been dropped off at the office and you would like it delivered to your apartment simply give us a call, email, or use the Ask The Office form on our website to request that your package be delivered to your apartment.

Be Dazzled By The Holidazzle

Once again it’s time to bundle up and head to the free Target Holidazzle parade! The parade starts Friday, November 23, and can be viewed every Thursday through Sunday night until Sunday, December 23, all at 6:30PM.

Take in the bright lights of illuminated floats, enjoy music, see celebrity Grand Marshals and Santa in his sleigh. The parade first began in 1992. Every year since then the parade has marched down Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis during the holiday season, drawing over 300,000 spectators. Check out more information on the Holidazzle Parade at their website.

Black Friday Hotspots

There's always a bit of a buzz about what deals can be found on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when many businesses begin their holiday shopping season with big discounts for a limited time. Salem Green is near quite a few businesses that will be featuring Black Friday deals, should you feel adventurous enough to venture out.

If you need a little help planning your Black Friday shopping, visit blackfriday.com, which posts the  advertisement flyers from most major retailers.

Here’s a list of some places, and the times they open for Black Friday, that our residents and staff like to shop:

Target

Robert Street

12:00AM Friday, Nov. 23rd

Best Buy

Robert Street 

12:00AM Friday, Nov. 23rd

Burlington Coat Factory

Robert Street Hours

6:00AM Friday, Nov. 23rd

Game Stop

Robert Street

12:00AM Friday, Nov. 23rd

Walmart

Robert Street

8:00PM Thursday, Nov. 22nd

Kmart

Robert Street

Triple Door Buster: Thurs, Nov. 22 6:00AM-4:00PM, Thurs, Nov. 22nd 8:00PM – 3:00AM & Friday, Nov 23rd 5:00AM-11:00AM.

Menards ( Robert Street ) Hours = 5am Friday, Nov 23rd

Local Restaurants Offer Special Thanksgiving Dinners

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. If you don’t feel like cooking this year there are several local restaurants featuring special Thanksgiving meals.

Jensen’s Supper Club

(651) 688-7969
3840 Cedarvale Boulevard,  Eagan.

Featuring a Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet starting at 11:30AM and going until 5:30PM. On the menu you will find carved ham and turkey, mashed potatoes, hash brown casserole, apple stuffing and many more wonderful selections.

DeGidio's

(651) 291-7105 

425 W 7th Street, St. Paul. 

Offering the choice of a Traditional Thanksgiving menu or an Italian menu. On the Traditional menu you will see turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and other delicious dishes. On the Italian menu you will see turketta, sausage stuffing, sweet potatoes and other Italian favorites. There are two seating times, the first at Noon and the second at 3:00PM, by reservation only. 

Bakers Square

(651) 455-1546
1949 South Robert Street, West St. Paul.

And if you just need help with the dessert part of your Thanksgiving feast, Bakers Square is taking reservations for their fantastic pie selection. You can chose from Country Apple, Southern Pecan, Original French Silk, Pumpkin with real whipped cream, and much more.

Open Ice Skating Now Available in WSP and Eagan

Open ice skating times are now available in West St. Paul and Eagan!

The West Saint Paul ice skating rink located at 60 W Emerson Street and is open for recreational skating on Saturdays from 3-4 PM; Sundays, 2-3:30 PM and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11:30 am-1:00 PM, plus Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:30-11:00 AM. The fee is $3.00 per person, per session. 

Another close location is Eagan’s Civic Arena located south of City Hall on the Municipal Campus which is 1 mile south of 35E at 3870 Pilot Knob Road. They offer open skating Monday-Thursday 12-1:30 PM, Wednesday 7:15-8:30 PM and Sunday 2-3:45 PM. Their fee is also $3.00 per person per session. ‘Tis the season for ice skating!

Staff Spotlight: Introducing Julie, Our New Community Manager

For those of you that have been residents with us for a long time, you may have recently seen a familiar face around the office at Salem Green. That's because Julie has returned to Salem Green as our Community Manager!

Julie originally began working for Condor as a leasing consultant at Salem Green in 2005. She has worked at all five of our communities; the four here in Minnesota, as well as Gulf Gate, in Sarasota, Florida. She won the Minnesota Multi-Housing Award MADACS, and was promoted to the manager position at Raven Hill, our community in Burnsville. In August of this year Julie became the Community Manager for Salem Green.

We're excited to have her at Salem; be sure to stop by the office and say 'hello' and introduce yourself!

Rock of Ages, Prometheus, And Dark Shadows In The Office

We have some new movie releases in our DVD selections at the office this month - and as the weather turns cooler we encourage you to stop by the office to visit and pick out a movie you can watch as you snuggle up with a comforter.

Adorable Trick-or-Treat Photos

We had a great time visiting with our residents this past Halloween, especially the younger ones that showed up in costumes! There were many great costumes and we were so glad to see all of you stopping by the office for your Halloween treats. We snapped a few photos of these great costumes, check them out below.

Happy Birthday To Cookie Monster!

November is an exciting month - it is the start of the holiday season and everyone seems to get busier. As stressful as these times can be, in the end it is always worth it because of all the quality time you get to spend with the ones you love.

In chronological order here's Novembers special days, some well known, and a few obscure events.

November 1st All Saints Day: 
All Saints Day is a Christian holiday that celebrates the lives of saints in the Christian church, many of whom were martyred for their faith or lived a particularly holy life.

November 2nd Cookie Monster's Birthday:

The adorable and voracious monster that loves to eat almost anything, but most especially cookies, has his birthday celebrated today. Get into the spirit by reading Happy Birthday, Cookie Monster!

November 4th Daylight Savings Time Ends:

Don’t forget to turn your clocks back on Sunday, November 4, 2012, 2:00AM.

November 6th Election Day: 
This is the day that we as American exercise our right as “We the People”. We will be selecting not only our president for the next 4 years, but also state and local offices as well. Check with your local municipality for polling places.

November 11th Veterans Day:
Originally called Armistice Day, we celebrated the cease fire that ended the “Great War” now known as The First World War (WW1). The war ended on November 11th 1918 at 11:11 (11/11 at 11:11). The first official Armistice Day was marked with the U.S., England, and France each burying an unknown soldier at 11:11 on November 11th 1921. President Eisenhower changed the holiday to Veterans Day in 1954, as a national holiday to honor all of our U.S. soldiers who have valiantly served or died in any wars or conflicts.

November 15th The Great American Smoke Out:
No need to wait another month and a half to start your New Year’s resolutions; since 1977, on the third Thursday of November, The American Cancer Society has been encouraging all smokers to snuff out the cigarettes on this day. With a short term goal of extinguishing the “butts” for one day, their obvious long term goal is to give smokers the boost to kick the habit for good.

November 22nd Thanksgiving Day:
The first Thanksgiving was 1621 between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. The feast lasted 3 days and was a time to be thankful for a bountiful fall harvest, and to thank the natives for their kindness. Thanksgiving in its current incarnation as a national holiday has evolved quite a bit over the years. The Continental Congress declared the first national Thanksgiving holiday in 1777 following the American Victory at Saratoga. In 1789 George Washington was the first President to proclaim a day of Thanksgiving. He set aside November 26th (a Tuesday not a Thursday) as a day to thank God for our new Constitution.

November 23rd You’re Welcome Day: 
A bit more obscure than Thanksgiving Day, You’re Welcome Day is a newer holiday. Believed to have originated in a blog back in 2002, it always follows the day after Thanksgiving. The day is an attempt to bring manners back to society. After all, after saying “thank you” the day before isn't it only proper to say “you’re welcome”?

November 23rd Black Friday: 
A shoppers dream (or nightmare)! Black Friday seems to be starting earlier and earlier as the years go by. Years ago, sales started between 8:00AM and 11:AM depending on the retailer’s hours of operation. Then they started with “Door Busters” that started as early as 5:00AM, then 3:00AM! As of last year many stores opened at midnight following Thanksgiving dinner. Before we know it, Black “Friday” will be on Wednesday.

The Term “Black” in Black Friday is a financial term, because many retailers operate in the “Red”, or in debt all year long, that is until the Holiday shopping season where there ledgers are finally in the “Black”. If you are not a fan of Black Friday, another, “day after Thanksgiving” holiday may be more to your liking. It is a 24 hour moratorium on holiday shopping that began back in 1992 called “Buy Nothing Day".