Unique Holiday Gift Ideas

Do your holiday shopping online with iGive and V.O. will get up to 26% of each purchase at no cost to you! Scroll down to "Want to contribute to Venture Outdoors?" for more information.

Give the gift of adventure!
Need some help finding a gift for someone who has everything? Have a loved one who loves the outdoors? Or, are you just looking for an exciting new gift? We have the perfect gifts for you! New Venture Outdoors merchandise, an Adventure in a Bottle, Kayak Pittsburgh Gift Packages, and Support V.O. While Holiday Shopping are all listed below.

Present Puzzler...
(Scroll down for the answer)

How much do you think the average shopper
will spend this holiday season?

Venture Outdoors Gift Ideas
NEW Venture Outdoors Merchandise!
Just in time for the holidays...
New non-Cotton shirts! These are all synthetic fibers designed to wick away moisture while hiking, biking, kayaking, etc.


- Pictured on the left is a tight-fitting under-layer of a polyester/spandex blend. The white “Jo Outdoors” logo contrasts nicely against a Royal Blue background. Yours for only $25!

- On the right is a loose-fitting synthetic shirt that is 100% polyester. It is Navy with a “Carolina Blue” Venture Outdoors silkscreened logo.
Price: $25.


We also received 100 fleece vests from REI as part of a grant to our Youth Outdoor Adventure Program. All proceeds made from these vests will go directly to YOAP! It’s a win-win situation! These are high-quality REI vests, black background with the traditional VO logo embroidered in white.
Reserve your vest now for a donation of $35.

List of Merchandise

Royal Blue Venture Outdoors Under-layer Loose-fitting Polyester Venture Outdoors Shirt Venture Outdoors Fleece Vest Kayak Pittsburgh T-Shirts Venture Outdoors Ball Caps Venture Outdoors Nalgenes

$25 $25 $35 donation to the Youth Outdoor Adventure Program L & XL - $12 S & M - $10 $15 $10

Call Venture Outdoors at 412-255-0564 and place your order today! Please allow at least one week for deliveries.

Venture Outdoors Adventure in a Bottle
Buy a years’ worth of adventure for the whole family!
Our one-size-fits-all Venture Outdoors Adventure in a Bottle Holiday Gift Offer is an excellent $70 offer ($120 value), including a household membership to Venture Outdoors with discounts on hundreds of trips and activities. Plus, inside the bottle are:

- 2 free 2-hour passes to Kayak Pittsburgh during the 2007 season ($28 value)

- 2 tickets to the Banff Mountain Film Festival on April 5 & 6, 2007 at The Byham Theater (this premium will be mailed in late March/early April)

- Venture Outdoors window decal

- invitations to member appreciation events and member-only events

- merchant discounts

- priority seating on Venture Outdoors activity waiting lists

- subscription to Contours (e-newsletter) and Adventure Times (schedule of activities published 3X per year)

-All this adventure comes bundled inside a virtually indestructible Venture Outdoors
Nalgene water bottle!

Get this great gift for only $70, normally a $120 value (you save
$50)!

Note: This offer is ONLY available until December 31, 2006.
We cannot guarantee delivery for orders made after December 19th and unless
picked up from our office, are subject to extra shipping charges due to the customer.

Call Venture Outdoors at 412-255-0564 to place your order for this wonderful holiday gift offer. Order now to make sure you receive your Adventure in a Bottle in time for the holidays – remember it usually takes at least a week for deliveries. Hurry and order one for everyone on your list today!




Kayak Pittsburgh Gift Ideas
Just in time for the Holidays, Kayak Pittsburgh Gift packages!
These gifts are perfect for the paddling enthusiast or as a way to introduce
a beginner to the water (but they are such good deals that you may want to
keep them for yourself)! No one really needs another neck tie or sweater
and best of all these gifts are one size fits all. Spring is just one
cold winter away. We recommend this gift be accompanied with some strong
sun block and a good pair of sunglasses. Think SUN!

These gifts are available at the same prices for both the downtown and North Park locations.

Give the gift of adventure!
Kayak Pittsburgh Gift Book:
Individual coupons good for one hour rental each.
(Great for gifts or party favors)

-10 hours $110 PLUS a Kayak Pittsburgh T-Shirt
(regular price $152 you save $42)

-5 hours $60 (regular price $70 you save $10)

Kayak Pittsburgh Season Pass:
Unlimited usage for open rentals. Like owning your own Kayak without the lifting, moving, registration, expense, storage or cleaning. PLUS a Kayak Pittsburgh T-Shirt.

Member $200 / Non-Member $250
*Season Pass and Gift Coupons are not redeemable for group trips or guided tours.
*Season pass holders must present photo identification at Kayak Pittsburgh.

Call Venture Outdoors at 412-255-0564 and place your order today! Please allow at least one week for deliveries.

Want to contribute to Venture Outdoors?
Donations
You can donate to Venture Outdoors here.

You can also support Venture Outdoors by simply doing your holiday shopping online. That's right, go head and buy something for yourself or a friend – a new CD, the latest bestseller, essentials like toothpaste or vitamins, even a computer. But first join at www.iGive.com/VentureOutdoors.

Every time you shop at one of the over 600 name-brand stores in the Mall at iGive.com, we'll receive a donation of up to 26% of each purchase you make, at no cost to you. Membership is free and your privacy is guaranteed.

PUZZLER ANSWER:
About $791. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the average shopper is expected to spend approximately $791, which is up 7% from last year.
- Electronics to fuel Christmas shopping frenzy, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, November 24, 2006.

Remember to take a break from all your holiday shopping this year and get outside to enjoy a gift from Mother Nature!

Thanks to the Outdoors

Thanksgiving…
This year when you sit down to your Thanksgiving dinner, remember to thank the outdoors. Without the beautiful outdoors, the feast before you would not exist. Remember the Pilgrims, who without knowledge of their new environment, would not have survived if it wasn’t for the native Wampanoag people.

A Brief History


The Pilgrims sailed to America on the Mayflower to escape religious persecution in England. They planned to settle in the Hudson River region in New York State, which would have been considered "Northern Virginia," but they landed in Cape Cod instead. The Pilgrims migrated from there to Plymouth, where they decided to settle.

The first winter in the new land was harsh and only about half of the original pilgrims survived. In March of 1621, two Native Americans from the Patuxet tribe, Samoset and Squanto, introduced themselves to the Pilgrims, taught them how to plant and fertilize crops, and showed them the best places to catch seafood.

After the bountiful harvest in the Fall of 1621, the Pilgrims and Wampanoag people joined together to thank the outdoors for their successful harvest. The celebration lasted three days and included games, music, and a small feast. Contrary to popular belief, the Pilgrims did not celebrate Thanksgiving on an annual basis after this first feast. An annual Thanksgiving was not celebrated until the mid 17th century and did not occur on any set day or necessarily on the same day in different colonies in America.

Pilgrim Puzzler…
(Scroll down for the answer.)

The Pilgrims liked the wild turkey so much; they later wanted to give it what esteemed title?

Celebrate Outdoors…
Want to show your out-of-town relatives how beautiful Western Pennsylvania is in the fall? The Pumpkin Pie Hike is a great way to get some fresh air after the holiday. Come join us for a great hike through the local forests just before they go to sleep for the winter. After the hike we'll finish up with homemade pumpkin pie and other goodies, including our very own Trip Leader Council members Robyn Seminora-Morris and Mary Brenholts specialty pies.

When?: Friday, November 24, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Where?: Settler's Cabin Park

For more information or more activities check out the “Activity Spotlight” or “VO Activities” listing in the right column of our e-newsletter, Contours, or visit our website (www.ventureoutdoors.org).

Give Thanks
This year remember to give thanks to the outdoors. Show your appreciation by throwing trash in a garbage can instead of out the car window, pick up the trash you see to help clean up the outdoors, and remember to recycle and purchase products made from recycled materials. Take care of your environment and remember, every little bit counts!


Thanksgiving Links
The sources for the information provided in this article are listed below, along with some great sites for all your Thanksgiving information.

Thanksgiving/History

The History Channel.com – The History Channel provides some great Thanksgiving information, including myths & facts about the holiday.

Thanksgiving on the Net – This site has tons of great information!

Wilstar: Thanksgiving, Traditions and History – This family site has the wonderful Thanksgiving story and a quiz to see how much you really know about the holiday.

The Pilgrims' 1621 Thanksgiving – This page provides lots of information on the first Thanksgiving, including quotes from some of the Pilgrims!

Wikipedia – This article on Thanksgiving is informative and includes facts about Thanksgiving celebrations around the world.

The Pilgrims

Thanksgiving on the Net: Pilgrims – This article tells how the Pilgrims landed in Cape Cod and survived in their new environment.

The Pilgrim Hall Museum – The Pilgrim Story provides loads of information, articles, and more!

Pilgrim & Puritan History – This University of Virginia site is a fantastic scholarly article containing information on Pilgrim and Puritan history, including Thanksgiving.

Squanto

The Pilgrims & Plymouth Colony: 1620, Squanto – This site provides some great information about Squanto.

Squanto: The Thanksgiving Story - A Unique American who introduces a uniquely American Holiday: Thanks Giving, which, with out him would have never occurred in fact or in spirit.

Wikipedia – This article on Squanto provides tons of information about him and his impact on our history.


PUZZLER ANSWER:
The National Bird of the United States. Benjamin Franklin said, "I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country: he is a Bird of bad moral character: like those among Men who live by Sharping and Robbing, he is generally poor and very often lousy.
The Turkey is a much more respectable Bird and withal a true original Native of North America." (http://www.holidays.net/thanksgiving/turkey.htm).

For more information visit Thanksgiving on the Net.

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