We spent three weeks in Phoenix taking in the sights and sounds at the Arizona State Fair (10.19 - 11.4) followed by an action-packed weekend at the Phoenix International Raceway (11.8 - 11.11).

We're pleased to report a record breaking 34,136 guests visited the Inspiration Tour pavilion to learn more about digital photography at the Arizona State Fair - more than any previous event!

A family of Native Americans visited the tent all decked out in traditional dress because they were performing at the fair. Their costumes were beautiful and they took pictures in front of all the photography backdrops.  While helping them make a collage on the Picture Kiosk, they told us that they had been watching the 4,000 sq.ft. tent go up - anxiously waiting for their chance to visit.  They had been performing at the fair for several years and the Kodak pavilion was their favorite exhibit.  It was even better because their youngest son was performing for the first year and now they have this wonderful picture to remember the moment!

We had a sweet lady bring in a hundred year old postcard of her grandparents.  She was very close to them growing up and it was one of the few pictures she had of them.  She kept it carefully wrapped in plastic and inside a special tin because it was one of her most prized possessions.  She told us that the only reason she came into the fair was that she had heard on the radio that Kodak would be at the fair and one of her friends mentioned "something about scanning?" to preserve her photo.  She trusted Kodak so she decided to visit. First, we scanned the post card using the Picture Kiosk and made a copy for her to keep and a few for her to send to relatives.  We adjusted the colors to compensate for the fading using the enhancement feature and she was ecstatic.  We scanned the postcard a second time, this time on the Kodak All-In-One Printer so that it could be saved to a memory card and uploaded to Kodak Gallery so she would be able to share it with family and keep a digital copy as back up. She was so appreciative and thanked us over and over.

Finally, we had a special day at the Fair to host firemen and their fire trucks from all over the valley and they set up right in front of our tent.  Kids were invited to pick up a "passport" and visit each of the fire departments as well as the Kodak tent and once they collected every stamp they would earn a teddy bear.  We provided one of the firemen with a Kodak Z-series digital camera and all day long the kids were able to get their picture taken in a fire truck wearing the authentic fire gear.  The Kodak staff printed out pictures and it was great to see the kids having so much fun!

Thank you, Arizona!  The Inspiration Tour is on the road again heading to Southern California where we will participate in the Del Mar Holiday of Lights near San Diego, CA 11.22 - 12.3.  We are privileged to have the opportunity to introduce so many people to digital technology and inspire others who just need help learning how to get those pictures off their digital cameras and computer hard drives and create beautiful keepsakes with their precious memories.

Comments