After meeting so many Upward league directors, I know that it takes a lot of commitment to pull off a successful season.  I respect each of you for your willingness and desire to serve, using such an awesome tool.  It’s always an exciting moment to see the final event…the Awards Night Celebration.  Through my twelve years of experience with the Upward program, I’ve come to learn just how important this event is, in that your venue is filled with kids and their families, many who have no idea how much Jesus can radically change their lives.

With that in mind, I’ve written this post with the hopes that you too will be able to finish strong and well by making your Awards Celebration a huge success!  At the same time, I also understand that writing something like this requires a great deal of credibility.  That’s why it’s important for you to understand that in years of working with Upward Unlimited, I’ve had the opportunity to play a major role in almost 500 different awards nights with a combined attendance of over 250,000 people.  I’ve had the privilege of being part of some of the most creative and successful Awards Nights in the country.  Nonetheless, I’ve also been a part of some the least effective.  Through that, I’ve come to learn through time and experience exactly what it takes to make an Awards Night a success.  That’s why Upward Unlimited, including founder and president, Caz McCaslin, has continually endorsed our ministry and efforts through each of those past twelve years.

I encourage you to read through this post and learn from the experience I’ve gained.  Not only do I believe that your Awards Night will be much more professional and organized, but also more effective.  It’s a long post, but the results that will come from studying and learning from these mistakes is far greater than the moments it will take to read them.  I really do believe it is that important!  

Mistake #1: The Never-Ending Awards Night  

The majority of Awards Celebrations run considerably too long.  If I had to choose a percentage of the ones I’ve attended that last much longer than they should, it would be over 75%.  Most run at least two hours, and we’ve been to many that have lasted as long as three hours.  Why is this the case?  There are two main reasons: the failure to plan, and the failure to realize the importance of people’s time.

We live in a busy world, and as much as you don’t want to hear it, people don’t want to sit through your Awards Night for more than an hour and a half…if that.  The quicker you can get everything accomplished, the more satisfied your guests will leave.  I’ve seen too many people walk out in the middle of the night—many times before they’ve been given the opportunity to respond to the Gospel.  Please, whatever you do, don’t make this mistake!  Keep it to an hour and a half or less!  Your guests will love you for it…I promise.

To help prevent an extended program, plan ahead.  Have a script.  Know what’s going to happen, who will be doing it, and how much time they’re going to take.  The most successful Awards Nights I’ve attended have been well planned and prepared…yours should be too.  Here are a few tips to help you plan ahead:

1. Start on Time – Be professional by starting on time!  If you advertise that you’re starting at 7:00pm, don’t start at 7:15.  Sounds basic, but it’s a commonly made mistake.

2. Call ‘em Fast – If you decide to call each player by name, do it fast!  Many churches have growing leagues of hundreds of kids.  As much as I wish there was, there isn’t enough time to give every player ten seconds or more in the spotlight.  If you have 100 kids, go for six seconds.  If you have a lot more than that, speed it up even more!  Also, if your sound system doesn’t allow for the announcer to be heard over the applause, ask the audience to hold their applause until the end of each team.  Don’t make the mistake of losing your audience before the night even begins, especially if it’s before the gospel is presented!

3. Don’t Be Repetitive – Whatever you do, don’t bore your audience, and don’t do the same thing over and over again.  For example, if you insist on having a live band, (which is highly discouraged), keep their time to a minimum.  Don’t do a song in-between every part of the night.  Another good example would be coordinating what is said by your guest speaker and your pastor.  It’s OK for your pastor or another church member to follow your guest entertainer.  In fact, it’s highly recommended.  However, he or she should not repeat the same presentation of the gospel that has just been given, especially if it was given clearly.  (I’ve had pastors give up to 20 minute sermons following my presentation).  Everything should always flow well and never get slow.  One of the major causes of this problem is from choosing the wrong M.C.  In fact, it’s so important that I’ve given it an entire section on it’s own in this post.

4. Don’t Give Away Too Many Door Prizes – It’s highly recommended that you utilize door prizes.  Used correctly, they can be very effective.  However, a very common mistake made by awards night planners is that way too many door prizes are given away.  I’ve witnessed as many as 50 given away on the same night, at the same time.  Believe it or not, 3 to 5 prizes are plenty!  And if you have a huge crowd, you can give away a few more…just no more than a dozen.  If you do end up giving away a lot of door prizes, at least give them out quickly.  Have a runner handy to deliver each prize as you go on to draw the next card.  Doing so will keep your night flowing well!

Mistake #2: Choosing the Wrong Emcee

As crazy as it may sound to some, every Awards Night needs a Master of Ceremonies.  Just as with any other event, one distinguished individual needs to be in charge making the night flow smoothly.  Most people assume that it has to be the league director, which isn’t always true!  Find someone, (connected with the program of course), who is fun, outgoing, and good at speaking in front of large groups of people.  It must be someone who won’t go on forever.  Remember, the role of the M.C. is to make everything flow smoothly.  If you, or whoever the league director is, fits that criteria, great!  Go for it!  Just remember that choosing the right or wrong M.C. can make or break your night, so put some thought into it…very few do.

Mistake #3: Failing to Make the Players Feel Important

As shocking as it may be, there are churches and organizations that fail to make their players feel important.  Thankfully, there’s more of a problem with too much attention than not enough.  However, this mistake is still commonly made.  This is their big night, so make them feel special.  Upward Unlimited itself makes excellent recommendations on how to accomplish this goal.  A basic, first step would be to do what you know they love.  For example, if your players’ favorite part of their games is getting to run through a tunnel with lights and fog, then do it at your awards night celebration, and make it big! This is their night, so make sure they know it.  Pull out all the stops.  Be creative, and go all out!

Mistake #4: Not Making the Year-End Awards “Special”

I’ve been at too many Award Nights that ended in, “Ok…coaches may now hand out awards and everyone is dismissed.”  If that’s the way you prefer to do it, then go ahead.  But if you do, I firmly believe you’re missing out on a great opportunity to make it a bigger deal.  After all, this is “Awards” Night, right?  Kids love this stuff, and they can’t wait to see what kind of cool awards they’re going to get this year.  But those awards’ “coolness” can be determined by the way that you present them.  The more important and exciting you make the award out to be, the more important and excited your players will feel about receiving it.  Make your awards a very big deal!

Bonus Tip: The most creative way to give out the end-of-the-year awards we have ever seen was by Brad and Barb Mattax in Fort Wayne, IN (Brad now works for Upward Unlimited).  I share it with you with their permission…

Plan your night in such a way that your awards are passed out directly following your door prize drawing.  Build excitement as you give away the prizes by holding up each prize as you draw it, asking your players, “Who wants to win this?!”  Immediately following the last door prize, hold up a player award, (which in this instance was an Upward backpack), again asking, “Who wants to win this?!”  Show it off, make it seem special, and let them all want it.  Making it a big deal, eventually decide to just give every single player one for making such an effort this season.  Have the coaches pass them out, (from boxes under their seats), and I promise, every player in the audience will be thrilled with their end-of-the-year award.

Mistake #5: Failing to Use the Evaluation Card Effectively

The Evaluation Card is one of the most important elements of your Awards Night.  First of all, it’s important for me to say up front that you must use evaluation cards in order for the entire purpose of your night to be filled! Your Awards Night is all about bringing unsaved people to Christ.  There are many who forget it, but that’s what it’s all about.  One of the most basic rules of any outreach event is that follow-up must occur.  It’s not an option.  And the only way for you to disciple those who make decisions on this night is to get a record of their attendance and decision, allowing for follow-up to occur.  So again, failing to get this record is not an option.

With that said, it’s my belief that there is a way to ensure maximum effectiveness out of this card.  First are the basics: don’t take up the cards or ask them to check boxes until the gospel has been presented.  (Forgive me for being so basic, as even I am surprised at how often this occurs).

Second, have a familiar face walk the audience through the filling out of the cards—yourself, the league director, the pastor even.  I personally recommend the pastor, as he can briefly follow up with the speaker, and your unchurched guests are given the opportunity to connect with who he is, along with what he does.  Third, specifically ask that everyone fill out a card, regardless of the decision that they made.  You will find that many assume that it is a “decision” card only and do not think about the evaluation aspect.  Through the evaluation idea, you will have a greater response in the amount of cards that are returned…not to mention the benefit of receiving the feedback.

Bonus Tip: Though some churches disagree, it is my experience that the use of door prizes actually does increase the number of cards returned.  By utilizing the cards as means to draw from for the prizes, a greater number of people fill it out and pass it in.  It’s highly recommended, just be sure to inform everyone of the opportunity to win a prize.

Mistake #6: Forgetting about the Grown-Ups and Rest of the Family

Again, I can’t stress enough that the ultimate purpose of the Upward Awards Celebration is to bring lost people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The good news is, many understand this concept.  The bad news is, they only apply it to the kids.  Please, please, please, in everything you do during this special time, do NOT direct 100% of it all to the kids.  There is nothing that stirs up more frustration in me than someone getting up after our presentation and saying, “Ok kids, if tonight you decided to trust Jesus as your personal savior…,” when 50% or more of the crowd, (as with Awards Nights) consists of parents, grandparents, and other adult family members.  Please do not make the simple, yet huge mistake of letting newly saved adults walk out of your church completely unaddressed.

Mistake #7: Choosing the Wrong Guest Entertainer/Speaker

I’ve saved this for last for two reasons.  First, because of the fact that choosing the wrong guest entertainer/speaker is one of the most commonly made mistakes there is.  Second, because it’s the most important aspect of your big night.  Just like earlier, choosing the right or wrong speaker/entertainer can literally make or break your entire Awards Night program.  Again, keep in mind the purpose of your event; to bring lost souls to Christ.  Because of that, the #1 most important thing you can do during your program is to be 100% sure that the gospel will be communicated effectively, professionally, and very, very clearly.  Period.

Because of the importance of ensuring that this happens, I’ve put together a checklist that every Awards Night planner should go through before scheduling his or her guest speaker/entertainer.  This list has been compiled through many years of experience, and more importantly, lots of feedback from other pastors, church leaders, and other league directors just like you.  Following it provides a successful, low-risk approach to making sure you get just the right person to fulfill this important task.  Use this list and you’ll be glad you did…I promise!

q Verify their listing on the “Recommended Speakers” list provided by Upward Unlimited, Inc. Upward requires everyone on the list to go through a very extensive screening process, including multiple letters of recommendation, proof of experience speaking at Awards Nights, as well as a personal testimony, mission, and statement of faith.  This list is becoming very well known throughout the entertainment industry, primarily in the area of ministry-minded performers.  It is slowly becoming one of the most sought after lists in the country, making it highly prestigious but very trustworthy.  It’s the first step in securing the right speaker/entertainer for your important night.

• Get plenty of references and testimonials! Any professional will have them.  Don’t hire anyone without them!
• Find out exactly how the gospel will be presented. Many entertainers out there today have incredibly clear presentations of the gospel, which is exactly what you’re looking for.  As a minimum requirement, find someone who uses an illustration as his or her presentation.  For example, many performers entertain to gain credibility, which is good.  However, they fail to continue their effectiveness by completely stopping their illustrations, and only presenting the Gospel audibly.  Find someone who utilizes a clear, physical and visual illustration while presenting the Gospel.  People remember and care a whole lot more about what they see than what they hear.  Presenting the gospel both audibly and visually is a definite must.
• Always read or request a statement of faith! Always, always, always request and read one’s statement of faith.  The last thing you want is for truth to be compromised. If you neglect to view one’s statement of faith, then you are held responsible.  Just read and double check it…your Pastor will appreciate it.
• Get someone fast! One of the best indications of a successful speaker/entertainer is that they’re in demand!  The best speakers in the country are usually booked many months, and sometimes a year in advance.  Plan at least 9 months ahead for best availability.  If you call 2-3 months before your awards night and entertainer’s schedule is 100% wide-open, that’s not a good sign. You can almost always snatch a date last second, but if availability is limited, it’s a good sign that you’re considering someone in demand, and there’s a good reason that demand exists.
• Finally, invest the money in bringing in a professional! Most of the time you get what you pay for.  Don’t completely judge by the price of one’s honorarium, but you can however get a pretty good idea of the quality of one’s presentation by how much they charge.  For example, in my industry, a full-time performer can’t afford to charge only a few hundred dollars per performance, when their entire income is based on the fees that they receive.  That’s why you’ll see less experienced, part-time performers charging that amount, mainly because they have another source of income.  (It takes hard work to be full-time).  If a performer can request a higher fee, and has a long list of enthusiastic testimonials from other people just like you, they’re probably worth it.  If your budget doesn’t allow that kind of money, find a way to come up with it.  It may sound blunt, but that’s a very small amount to invest in a packed auditorium of people ready and willing to hear the gospel!

I want you to know that this list is not an effort to eliminate so called “competition,” but instead an effort to help you make your Awards Night as successful as possible.  There are currently over 2,000 awards nights taking place each year, all of which take place in only a few months time.  With that said, it quickly becomes obvious that I must be more about building a large team of evangelizing performers, than a network of competing entertainers.  My goal is simple: utilize the experience and feedback I’ve received in order to help you select a qualified, Christ-centered professional.

Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy post.  By applying the information you’ve just read, I feel very certain that your Awards Night will truly be effective. God will use you and your effort to reach others, and with that effort will come great joy and fulfillment!  May God bless each and every one of you who put the time and honest effort into doing your best possible for Him!  This world can always use a little more excellence from the church, and God certainly deserves our best.

If there’s anything I can do to serve you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.  In the meantime, share your thoughts, leave a comment below, and let’s all learn together.

Continue looking Upward!

Let’s face it…not every kid is going to be a professional magician and travel the world as a Master Illusionist.  However, I do believe that there are at least 7 HUGE reasons why every kid on the planet should learn a few tricks, and get a little into magic, even if it’s only for a season…

1. A Rise in Social Skills :: Magic provided me an opportunity to interact with others and majorly improve my social skills, and even interact with people older than me.

2. Improved Communication Skills :: Magic forced me to become a better communicator through my desire to entertain those around me.  It forces those who perform magic to process their thoughts and find the necessary words to communicate properly about what’s going on.

3. A Higher Level of Confidence :: Magic gave me the boost I needed to come out of my shell a little and finally make some friends, by displaying some talent.  As a kid, I felt like I wasn’t good at anything.  Finally, I could do something others couldn’t, and that massively increased my confidence.

4. Improved Dexterity :: Performing magic required a little bit of practice, which improved my dexterity, which in turn, made me better at other skills as well.

5. Better Hand/Eye Coordination :: My coordination also improved, and I finally learned the answer to the question, “Is the hand quicker than the eye?”  In fact, it took my hand/eye coordination to another whole level.

6. An Understanding of Trust & Respect :: Learning to keep and respect the secrecy of magic gave me a positive example of how to trust and respect something or someone, and can help your kid understand it as well.  It’s a complicated concept to grasp, and something even adults these days struggle with. Teach someone to learn to truly value the secrecy of magic, and you’ll have taught someone the value of real trust and respect.

7. A Healthy & Potential Life-Changing Understanding of Trickery & Deception :: Understanding illusions showed me just how easy it was to be deceived, as well as deceive others.  That concept transformed my life, caused me to take my thoughts captive, question things more intentionally, and even strengthened my faith.  Can imagine how powerful it’d be for your child to truly understand that what they see and hear from their TV’s and websites is NOT always the truth?

Click here to order a magic set just like the one I got for Christmas from my grandmother as a kid.  Not only will you be supporting our efforts, it’s the perfect gift!  After all, it changed my life, and you never know what an impact it could have on yours, or the lives of your loved ones… 

CLICK HERE to order now, and receive it in plenty of time for Christmas!

Still don’t believe me?  Check out the first minute of this video…

Has your child ever been interested in magic?  If so, what did I miss?  What positive development or character did you notice your child develop while learning and performing some simple magic tricks?

Meet my friend, Isaac. He’s one of our members on illusionism.TV.  He talks about his Twitter profile, experience with Apple and AT&T, and plenty about his love for video games.  If you’ve ever wondered what it might look like for a performing artist, (me), to get upstaged and outperformed during an interview by a 9 year old kid, this is what it looks like.  Enjoy this 5 minutes of non-stop entertainment:  

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Love it! That was a blast…now, where can I find some more kids?

Be sure to follow Isaac on Twitter. He’s pretty smart, and might teach you something. Plus, you never know what kind of amazing things he’s going to end up doing.  Then you can say, “I knew him when he was just a kid.”

Got a kid I should interview? Please, let me know…I’d love to.

[Note: Facebook Note readers click here to watch the video. Facebook does not embed videos when automatically importing these posts from my blog.]

Be sure to stop by the student-filmmaker’s channel on YouTube and congratulate him on a job well done!

QUESTION: Did this film provoke any thoughts for you? If so, what were they?  Was there something you could relate to? Would love to hear your thoughts and comments!

]]> http://www.harrisiii.com/illusion/out-of-a-forest/feed/ 2 http://www.harrisiii.com/observations/im-finally-rich/ http://www.harrisiii.com/observations/im-finally-rich/#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:49:47 +0000 Harris III http://www.harrisiii.com/?p=1551

In my last post, I told you how much I loved Inception, and how I believe that real “inception” actually happens every day.

Last night, my wife and I enjoyed another incredible film, Book of Eli.  I didn’t get to enjoy it on a massive digitally projected screen or with state of the art surround sound, but I still liked it.  Not only did I like it, I found it convicting.

There’s a scene in the movie where Denzel Washington’s character gets asked about the “old world”, which in case you haven’t seen the film, would be in reference to the current world that you and I live in today.  His response was simple, yet profound:  

“People had more than they needed. We had no idea what was precious and what wasn’t.  We threw away things people kill each other over now.”

Do you have more than you need?  Do you know what is precious, and what isn’t?  Chances are pretty good that you throw away things that people kill each other over in other parts of the world.  How do you feel about that?

If you’re like me, the natural tendency is to think, “Have more than I need?  Ha!  I’m barely getting by!!”  Well, turns out I’m filthy rich.  And…

And so are you.  Want to see how rich YOU are?   Find out now. ——>  Global Rich List

QUESTION: Maybe it’s hard for you to imagine a world in which people fight and kill over things that you throw away.  But what if it were true?  And better yet, what if you could see it coming, and could do something about it before the fighting and killing began?  What would you do about it, and how might you live differently?  Best of all, what would you do RIGHT NOW?

The film Inception? Incredible. Loved it! One of the best movies I’ve ever seen, and one of my favorites of all time. BUT…

What if I told you that “inception” actually happens? To you? Every. Single. Day.  

It’s every where you look, and a steady stream of ideas are being planted in your brain daily. The dangerous part?  You don’t realize it, because you take these ideas in subconsciously.  And when you act on those ideas, you don’t really take the time to stop and think, “Hmmm…I bet I did that because I heard that ad on the radio, or saw that commercial on TV.”

Here’s an obvious example.  There are plenty more where this came from, and they aren’t anywhere near as noticeable…

[Note: Facebook Note readers click here to watch the video. Facebook does not embed videos when automatically importing these posts from my blog.]

Laugh if you want. You may think I’m crazy, but that’s exactly what makes it so easy for you to be cleverly tricked and deceived.  If you let your guard down, it makes planting ideas in your brain that much easier.

And you thought “Inception” was just a fun movie?

Do you need to change your perspective?

The famous artist, Leonardo Da Vinci, (who painted the Mona Lisa), was known for changing his perspective before considering one of his masterpieces 100% complete.  Apparently, when Da Vinci was supposedly 99.9% finished, his final step was to look at his painting in a mirror.  Simply by changing his perspective and how he saw the painting, he would notice needed changes in the painting that were impossible for him to see before.  Turns out, perspective is a really powerful thing.

I’ve always struggled with this.  Judging others is something I used to do a lot of.  My pride, arrogance, and selfishness always allowed me to look at other people and situations and immediately jump to conclusions.  I’d think, “That guy has some serious alcohol issues.” Or, “That teenager after the show tonight was ridiculously annoying.” Or, “I can’t believe the pilot of this plane didn’t show up, and now my flight is delayed until they find another pilot.” Or, “Why can’t I ever get ahead?? I never seem to be able to buy anything just for me.”

On the surface, those thoughts, though not perfect, don’t seem ridiculous.  They actually seem normal.  Until…

Until you change your perspective, and realize that the guy’s problem with alcohol is actually a problem in his marriage, and he doesn’t have any friends or help in figuring out how to deal with it.  So he drinks a lot to drown out the feelings of despair.  Doesn’t make it right, but it certainly changes my response.

Or, until you change your perspective, and find out that the annoying teenager is being raised by his single mom, because his dad left when he was 3.  And because his younger siblings need attention from his mom, he doesn’t get much attention at all.  So, he makes up for it by begging for attention at social gatherings.

Or, until you change your perspective, and realize that the pilot’s wife is in the hospital, because she was involved in a car accident that wasn’t her fault, and her husband rushed to the hospital instead of to work to fly my plane.

Or, until your perspective is changed by walking into a 10′ by 10′ home in another country, and are reminded that an overwhelming number of people live on less than $1 a day, and that the jeans you’re wearing cost more than their monthly grocery bill…and you bought the jeans at a thrift store.

Take a hint from Da Vinci in creating something beautiful.  Gaining perspective changes art.  And lives.

How has changing your perspective changed yours?

I’ve been blown away by how people responded so immediately!  Everyone started tweeting, re-tweeting, posting to Facebook, making calls and sending emails, and before you know it, we had plenty of opportunities and invitations to make a huge dent in our July & August schedule.  We’re even going to Nicaragua for a week…more on that in a later post.

Honestly, I can’t believe what’s happening.  Two years ago, if this would have happened, we would have rushed to put together some kind of “marketing campaign”, with some kind of “special discount offer”, and done my best to make a bunch of phone calls.  Instead, I’ve spent the past year doing my best to add value, serve others, and just build relationships with people right here, online.  And instead of putting together some kind of fancy piece of advertising, I turned to those who believe in us and what we do, and asked for help.  And you guys responded whole-heartedly, pitched in, and made some really amazing stuff happen.  How cool is that?

In my opinion, it’s very cool.  So to all of the Facebook and Twitter haters out there, I’ve gotta tell ya…without the power of social networking, what’s happening right now with our schedule and income just wouldn’t have happened the way it has.  It’s been absolutely unbelievable to see how God has been providing.  Thank you Web 2.0, and thanks to all of you who have embraced it, connected online, and followed along with what we’re doing. I can literally say, I couldn’t have done it without you!

And finally, a huge special thanks to my good friend, Bill Seaver.  He’s the one that talked me into jumping into this whole new world, and helped me understand the importance of blogging, and the potential community found through tools like Facebook and Twitter.  Check out Bill’s blog, and his upcoming Social Media & SEO Bootcamp here in Nashville.  No matter what kind of work you’re involved in, you should be there.  You’ll learn a ton, and you can’t beat the value.

Thanks for following along, and being a part of the journey.  I’m so thankful.  You guys rock!

That’s what happened recently in Ohio.  I’ve driven by this statue what seems like hundreds of times while traveling that stretch of interstate on tour.  Here’s what the news article had to say:

MONROE, Ohio – A six-story statue of Jesus Christ was struck by lightning and burned to the ground, leaving only a blackened steel skeleton and pieces of foam that were scooped up by curious onlookers Tuesday.

The “King of Kings” statue, one of southwest Ohio’s most familiar landmarks, had stood since 2004 at the evangelical Solid Rock Church along Interstate 75 in Monroe, just north of Cincinnati.

The lightning strike set the statue ablaze around 11:15 p.m. Monday, Monroe police dispatchers said.

The sculpture, about 62 feet tall and 40 feet wide at the base, showed Jesus from the torso up and was nicknamed Touchdown Jesus because of the way the arms were raised, similar to a referee signaling a touchdown. It was made of plastic foam and fiberglass over a steel frame, which is all that remained Tuesday.

You can read the whole article here, on Yahoo! News.

Apparently, the statue cost about $400,000 to construct.  Maybe it was allowed to be struck by lightening because God might not be cool with wasting a whopping $400k on concrete? For the record, I have no idea. Just wondering. I’m also not saying that God always causes natural disasters.  But I’m not sure how you could deny that certainly “allows” them.  Again, I’m just wondering…

They’re also already making plans to rebuild it, wasting that kind of money, plus more, all over again.  I mean, I’m not God, so I won’t pretend to know or always understand what he does, or why he allows certain things to happen, but I do know of a whole list of better uses for a few hundred thousand dollars.

And, I’m not the only one. A lot of them are a book called the Bible….maybe this church should read it.  If they do, they might learn a lot about Jesus, the guy they’re making statues of, and in the process, how he encouraged us to live.

What do you think?

]]> http://www.harrisiii.com/observations/jesus-got-struck-by-lightening/feed/ 10 http://www.harrisiii.com/tour/to-arkansas-and-back-in-a-swagger-wagon/ http://www.harrisiii.com/tour/to-arkansas-and-back-in-a-swagger-wagon/#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:31:23 +0000 Harris III http://www.harrisiii.com/?p=1290 If you follow my wife or I on Twitter or Facebook, you’ve likely heard about all the vehicle problems we’ve been having lately.  We tour in a Toy Hauler. It’s like a moving truck + tour bus + RV.  We definitely got the “lemon”. We’ve had nothing but problems, very few of which the manufacturers have dealt with.  We keep getting shrugged off by both Chevrolet, (the makers of the chassis, cab, and engine), and Gulfstream, (the company who converted and built it out).  It’s been an absolute nightmare for the full four years we’ve owned it.

Anyway…we had an event in Arkansas last night at Harding University, and it was out of commission.  We couldn’t make repairs over the weekend, so we ended up renting a vehicle to get us to Arkansas and back.  Tried to find a cargo van, but couldn’t. And every rental car company in Nashville was out of SUV’s.  So, we rented one of these…and yes, I drove it with pride:  

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If you watch the video on YouTube, it shows over 3 million views.  But surprisingly, every time I mention the phrase “Swagger Wagon”, I’m shocked to find out that most people still haven’t heard about these commercials.  Word is rapidly spreading, and I’d wager to say that Toyota already is, and will continue to get an incredible return on these ads.  They’re absolutely hysterical!

So parents, take pride in your ride. Turns out, mini-vans are pretty cool after all.