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The third major promotion was distr:bution of 25.000 Pleasanton Passbooks through ValPak. participatm~, businesses. and at the Farmers Market. Twenty-two businesses donated prizes to be given away at tbe drawing. The contest ran from ~.ugust through November. and the drawing was at the December 2 Christmas Tree Lighting. Hundreds of entries were received with (he majority being turned in the last month of the contest. To date there has also been a Super Bowl Saturday giveaway and a Valentine Romance Package contest designed to continue to promote a rejuvenated downtown. GRAND RE-OPENING A major event which a PDA committee plans to repeat on Sunday, June 12. is the Restaurant Walk. "A Taste of Downtown." first done on November 5. 1993. All restaurants and art galleries in the downtown were contacted. A total of 22 agreed to participate. Although three days before the event only 175 admission coupon books had been sold. the event was a sell-out at 750. Certain changes will be made to upgrade this newly-established downtown tradition. Participants received 50-cents back for every coupon collected. All media were used to advertise the event. and searchlights criss-crossed the sky during the 6 to 8:30 p.m. gala. On the following day retailers offered their best prices of the year. discounts. and other shopper incentives. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held in conjunction with the Convention and Visitors Bureau dedication of the Centennial Brick Proiect. General Pleasonion cut the ribbon with his saber as a musket volley echoed over Main Street. SIGNAGE The Marketing Committee provided signage at the ends of blocks closed to through traffic because of construction. By listing the names of businesses in those blocks. visitors could more easily locate the various businesses. Six signs were made for this purpose. The City of Pleasanton was also generous throughout the year with supportive newspaper adver- tising and printed maps. FINANCES The budget was created and funded by the City and managed by the Marketing Committee with final approvai for payment by the City Council. The Marketing Committee set about the task of marketing the Downto;','n in a well organized plan of events based on the work schedule of the general contractor in charge of the program, The budged was set tn conlunction with this plan dud ~ep~esentcd all aspects of what the Marketing Committee had decided to be the cost centers required to best market Downtown. Each of these cost centers was given a budget which was thoroughly scrubbed by the committee and approved by the City. Early on in the program it was observed that the medium for marketing various Downtown events was through the media and street promotions. The Marketing Committee approved the motion to allow the budget to create its own path of least resistance and draw in funds from the other cost centers to fund the two most rewarding areas. At the end of the scheduled reconstruction of Main Street, the Marketing Committee had spent $39.000 of the budged $50.000. The $11,000 balance was discussed with the City, and permission was given to carry on and continue to promote a rejuvenated Downtown ready to do business. This was successfully accomplished. and the City re-funded our budget with a further $20,000. making our total working budget for the program at $70.000. No already established PDA activities benefited from the City funding.