Running Out of Time: Contest Ends at 11:59 p.m. Sunday (Poll)

Think about this:

Someone comes to your house and places stacks of money on your table: It's all yours, no strings attached. You can keep it in three days if you take the time to go online every day and click a button on a web site.

What would you do? Click the button, or say "No Thank You, I don't have the time."

Have you heard about the Deck The House Finals?

For one week I've done just about everything I can to inform and inspire you to take a minute out of your day, vote in the Deck the House finals, and help the win $100,000.

It all started in December with a house decorating contest — and out of all the great decorations we enjoy in town during the holidays, only two residents entered.

A judge went over all the entries and made sure that there was no copyrighted music included and chose one local entry from each 860 Patch sites across the country.

Then, the moment of truth, the unveiling of the 24 finalists and the opportunity to win $100,000 for their school system.

Town with a spirit

Davis, California immediately mobilized, getting a local newspaper to write about the contest and the finalists went on a "Good Morning CT" type show, getting everyone in their town of 60,308 residents excited.

I tried, but could not get the local television stations interested BUT the New Haven Register responded to my plea for help and posted this for us on their web site.

As of 10 p.m. Thursday night (Jan. 5) Davis, California had 7,458 votes and Orange, Connecticut had a measly 1,218 votes.

Davis's vote count goes up dramatically each night at 7 p.m. West Coast time, garnering 19 votes to every 2 Orange gets on the East Coast at 10 p.m.

You can do it!

In the past 15 years, I've seen Orange at its best, rallying together for whatever is important to the town.

I Know You can Win This!

How, you ask?

Davis averages 1,056 votes per day (vpd). Orange is averaging 173 vpd. How can we possibly catch up?

The answer is simple — VOTE and spread the word!

We have 13,233 residents in Orange, If EVERYONE voted for Peggy Koether's Orange home once per day, per e-mail, we could have 39,699 votes by the end of the contest on Sunday.

If half the people in town voted once per day per-e-mail now through Sunday at 11:59 p.m., Orange could have 19,849 votes,  (I'm estimating that Davis will have about 17,500 by then) and you could actually pull into FIRST PLACE and win $100,000 for the Orange elementary schools.

I personally planted 100 yard signs around town in the most visible areas I could think of. I didn't sleep for several days planning ways to get everyone to vote.

Then I lost my voice for six days, making it impossible for me to talk to anyone about the contest. There's nothing in it for me, no "Super Editor Prize" for the winning site, no iPad, nothing.

I've done my part, now it's your turn.

If you haven't already done so, go to http://deckthehouse.patch.com/entry/225488, register and vote today, tomorrow and Sunday.

It's Orange, Connecticut VS Davis, California and only you can make it happen.
Vote and when you're done voting, tell all of your friends and neighbors by e-mail, Facebook, call them on the phone, talk about it in the check out line at the store.

Please don't blow this opportunity, Orange.  Put your town on the map, show the country what you've got. 

And all you teenagers out there, you have the power, you are the social media experts. Teach your parents a valuable lesson and get to work!

This is important, why can't you see that? Why don't you care?

Something to consider

At next Monday's meeting the Superintendent is going to propose Orange's portion of its budget to be about $1.2 million — an increase for Orange residents of more than double what you paid in the last fiscal year.

Wouldn't it be nice to have someone GIVE you money for a change?