Virginia Beach Dealers

College Grad Contest to Win 2012 Toyota Corolla S

Attention Checkered Flag fans.  If you know any Hampton Roads graduating college seniors or recent college graduates pass this along. Your grad could win a brand new 2012 Toyota Corolla S.

Toyota's $1,000 college grad rebate is one of the best in the market, but it is also one of the best-kept secrets.  In order to let the secret out, Toyota's College Grad Video Contest is going to spread the word about Toyota's $1,000 college grad rebate.  So get your creative juices flowing and show us how you would spread the word to your fellow grads.  The Contest Winner takes home a brand new 2012 Corolla S.  To learn more about the contest, Sweepstakes, Instant Win Game, and for more prize information, check out our video and read the Official Rules at the following link.  Good Luck to all of our Checkered Flag Toyota grads! 

Link to contest information:  Toyota's College Grad Video Contest

Here's a little more information for our Checkered Flag Toyota customers.  To enter the contest, and for a list of official rules you must follow the link for the Toyota College Grad Video Contest.

How will the contest work?

Recent college grads can submit a video of 60 seconds or less either showing or telling how they would spread the word about Toyota's $1,000 college grad rebate. The video submission period runs through May 8, and during that time registered users can rate their favorite videos. There will then be a week-long voting period where Toyota Financial Services judges will select the top 10 video submissions. On May 16, the 10 finalists will be featured on the contest site, and registered voters will then have the chance to vote for their favorites. A combination of voter results and judging feedback will determine the winners. All registered users will also be eligible to win a final sweepstakes prize of $1,000. And participants who vote on the final 10 are also eligible for instant win prizes. Complete rules are posted on the contest web site - www.toyotagradcontest.com.

Prizes Include:
Grand prize = 2012 Corolla S
Second prize = $2,500
 Third prize = $500
200 Instant Win prizes - $20 Amazon.com gift cards
Sweepstakes prize = $1,000

Eligible Participants
Must be 18 years and older
Graduated from a two- or four-year college within the past 2 years (similar to rebate criteria)

For more information about the Toyota College Grad Rebate program, contact Checkered Flag Toyota on Virginia Beach Blvd at (757)490-1111. 

Main Street Smithfield Under Giant Pickle Attack

Some of our Checkered Flag patrons got to participate in a pretty strange activity in Smithfield today.  Police blocked off Main Street, children and parents running for their lives, screaming so loud you would think they were being chased by a, ummmmm, 50 foot tall Pickle!

Seriously folks, I can’t make this stuff up.

Article and image source: [pilotonline.com]

When a giant pickle attacks, don't think. Just run.
By Mike Gruss  The Virginian-Pilot
© April 25, 2012

Two police cars, one at each end of the block, were stationed as a barricade.

They were parked Monday afternoon in the rain and cold along a strip of Main Street in downtown Smithfield, the kind of stretch that is so impossibly scenic that it's hard to believe it exists anymore, the kind with a bakery and a local pharmacy and an ice cream shop and an antiques store of exquisite junk, the kind of throwback to the 1950s when everything seemed a little more pure of heart.

Officially, the police cars were there to contain the pickle attack.

But, unofficially, they presented a line of demarcation. On one side, people believed Smithfield was being savaged by a 50-foot-pickle. On the other, there was a veneer of cool, people too pessimistic to fabricate such an attack. Or worse, pickle sympathizers.

For several hours, more than 70 friends, neighbors and community members practiced being chased by an imaginary pickle.
The sleepy town (and aren't they always the first to go?) devolved into chaos, with citizens scurrying for their lives in hopes of avoiding... a giant gherkin. The crowd was complete with the requisite barefoot man wearing nothing but a towel and appearing to come straight from his shower.

The townspeople ran and screamed and made it to the end of the block - and then they did it 19 more times.

If all of this - a pickle terrorizing a city Godzilla-style - sounds like an experiment from "Mystery Science Theater 3000" gone terribly wrong - well, it's supposed to.

It's a scene from a movie called "DillZilla," and the film is exactly what it sounds like: a giant pickle with anger issues, an oversized cucumber that becomes even more oversized with rage.

Elizabeth Pasieczny, the owner of Pickleman Productions, is the director, and it's not her first production to star the huge pickle.

Pasieczny watches movies and TV shows, and the majority of what she sees is boorish, junior high locker-room humor. She sees the same shows all of us watch where the children are talked down to or are so fast-talking and over-caffeinated that every line is a zinger delivered with the joyless droll of a 70-year-old man. How about some snark for you, Snarky McSnarkersons?

She wants humor that has wider appeal, and so she turns to a pickle.

"Pessimism is safe," says Pasieczny, wearing a lime green cowboy hat and a brown T-shirt printed with a pickle. "Everybody is in such a rush to grow up."

What the oh-so-serious world needs, she thinks, is an ominous, off-the-handle and off-the-vine vegetable.

And so here it is, the villain himself, wrapped in a cream-colored plastic bag, just a foot tall, carved from foam and spray-painted green. He has button eyes and a felt mouth and tongue.

But with the help of the most primitive special effects, the pickle will appear at its largest to sky about 100 feet over Smithfield.

Soon the giant creature will destroy a model of downtown Smithfield that Pasieczny is building as well.

Her movies are so intentionally bad - a la 1950s horror films - that viewers can see the strings attached to earthbound asteroids or spot the puppeteer's hands in the background.

If all goes according to plan, she will finish "DillZilla" by the end of the year and then enter it in film festivals and hopefully find a distributor.

This return to family-friendly comedy, a return to wit over snark, is not a new idea.

In the Jason Segel-ized version of the movie "The Muppets," Kermit and company are forced to confront the idea that America might not want children's characters like them anymore, that their time and brand of humor have passed. They joke they have given the world the third most important gift behind children and ice cream: laughter.

Of course, the movie has grossed more than $88 million.

"Mostly I want kids to laugh and just be a kid a little," she said.

And so for two hours Monday, Pasieczny told 70 people that just behind the picturesque pharmacy or the antique store or the ice cream shop that was giving out coupons was a giant angry pickle ready to destroy their town.

They had two choices: They could dismiss it as a childish, immature ploy.

Or they could run.

End of article.

For more breaking Hampton Roads news, including pickle attacks, keep tuned in to the home of your favorite Hampton Roads new and used car stores, CheckeredFlag.com.

Weekend Road Closures Around Hampton Roads

It will be another weekend of headaches for our Checkered Flag drivers. 

Apparently, spring is the best time for road work in Hampton Roads.  Over the past few weekends crews have been shutting down main Tidewater thoroughfares and putting up so many detour signs you almost wish you would have just stayed home. 

Of course, this weekend is no different.   Here are the currently planned road closures for the upcoming weekend from The Virginian-Pilot.

By Cindy Clayton

CHESAPEAKE

Part of Freeman Avenue will be closed Saturday while volunteers work in the median and alongside the road.

The closure, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., will stretch from Bainbridge Boulevard to Interstate 464, a city news release says.

Volunteers will be working along the road, planting flowers and shrubs and picking up litter there and in nearby neighborhoods.

Drivers are being asked to be cautious in the area and to slow down or use an alternate route if possible. 

CHESAPEAKE

The Gilmerton Bridge will be closed this weekend for work related to the bridge replacement project.

The bridge will close at 8 p.m. Friday and reopen at 5 a.m. Monday, according to a Virginia Department of Transportation news release.

Water traffic will not be affected.

Drivers can use the Downtown Tunnel and High-Rise Bridge on Interstate 64 as alternate routes.

Another closure is scheduled for the weekend of May 11. 

Also, there are closures scheduled for I-664 throughout the weekend.  Keep tuned to CheckeredFlag.com for the latest Hampton Roads traffic updates. 

AAP Recommends Changes to Car Seat Guidelines

Here’s an interesting car seat safety update for all of our Checkered Flag parents.  Read ahead, then, leave a comment below. 

article source:[shine.yahoo.com]

AAP's new car seat guidelines change rear facing & booster rules

Everything you thought you knew about car seats is wrong. Okay, not everything, but things have changed and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) along with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced new guidelines today. And it's big news! The recommendation is that children rear face longer and they also changed the details for kids in boosters.

It was believed that 1 year and 20 pounds was the benchmark for forward facing babies in car seats, despite evidence elsewhere that that was still dangerously early. Now, hopefully, with new guidelines, parents and doctors can get on board and spread the word about the safest practices for children. Here are the details.

New Rear-facing Recommendation: Parents are to keep children rear-facing until 2 years old, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for the seat as noted in the manual.

Safe Kids agrees. Two years is a goal easily met, considering even some of the lowest cost seats now rear-face until 40 pounds. When your baby outgrows their infant carrier, that is when you buy a convertible seat that rear-faces longer, not a forward-facing seat, which you can put upright up to 30 degrees when kids are bigger with better head control, often making them take up less space than infant seats.

New Boostering Recommendation: Children should ride in a belt-positioning booster (that means a high-back!) until they are at least 4 foot, 9 inches, AND 8-12 years old.

Jennifer Hoekstra, the Safe Kids Program Coordinator at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, shared:

In working with parents, we educate them beyond the law and share with them the best practice for keeping their child safe. We strongly agree with the new AAP policy and support the extended rear-facing limits as well as the new booster seat advice.

It's best to keep children in their harnessed seat until they outgrow it, which is into elementary years with the height and weight of most convertible seats and even harness-to-booster seats these days. But they will outgrow it and go into a booster, and eventually they need to meet all points in a 5-point test before they're ready to sit in a car's seat without a booster of any kind. Remember that these belts are designed to fit an average adult. Best practice is also waiting until children are 80-100 pounds as well.

Beyond that, all kids need to stay out of the front until they're at least 13 years old.

While 2 years or 8 years may now be the minimums, we don't parent by minimums, do we? Buying a high quality (not necessarily high cost!) seat to start, after you do all your research to choose the best seat for your child, can easily help you meet these recommendations.

Make sure you're using the car seats correctly, too. There's a lot of intricacies for both harnessed seats and boosters. When in doubt, find a Safe Kids inspection station or event and get checked out by a tech. And hopefully more and more pediatricians, with these new recommendations, will be on board as well, and we can maybe put an end to vehicle related-injuries being the number one cause of death in kids ages 2-14.

Are you glad the recommendations are finally being updated across the board?

Looking for the perfect car, van, or SUV to tote your clan around in?  Come check out our awesome selection here at Checkered Flag.  Call (757)490-1111 for more information or to set up a test drive. 

Checkered Flag BMW New Drop Off Site for Southeastern Virginia Foodbank

Starting this month, Checkered Flag BMW will be collecting non-perishable food items at our Virginia Beach BMW location for The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia.  Please join us in helping to stock The Foodbank’s shelves by providing from their top ten most wanted items list:

Peanut Butter, Chunky Soups, Canned Meats, Canned Tuna, Canned Vegetables, Juice, Cereal, Macaroni and Cheese, Pasta, Pasta Sauces

The Checkered Flag BMW drop off site is located at 5225 Virginia Beach Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23462.  Drop off hours are 9:00am to 8:00pm Monday through Friday and 9:00am to 7:00pm Saturday. 

The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia (FSEVA), founded in 1981, is leading the effort to eliminate hunger in our community. Our service area includes a large contingency of working individuals and families, many of whom are affected by very high rates of poverty, malnutrition and related health problems. Overcrowded, sub-standard housing is the norm, not the exception, and problems such as broken families, unemployment and underemployment round out this picture of hopelessness for many of our neighbors. Many children are at-risk, and nutrient deficiencies can lead to serious health problems and poor academic performance. Additionally, the elderly population is now impacted due to the rise in cost of living expenses outpacing their fixed income. Young and old, these are the faces of hunger — the faces that we, as a community, lend a helping hand to every day.

The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia:

Provides nutritious canned, boxed, fresh, frozen, and prepared food to more than 400,000 individuals annually (18,000 unduplicated individuals on the Eastern Shore and 124,200 children). This food is recovered and secured from restaurants, supermarkets, food distributors, the USDA, farmers, wholesalers, sportsmen, and through food and fund drives.

Assembles a full-course, nutritious meal for only $.32 – much less than the price of a postage stamp! In fact, for every $1.00 donation FSEVA receives, we can assemble and distribute up to

$6.00 worth of food and grocery items.

Distributes emergency food to over 325 partner agencies and programs including soup kitchens, emergency and/or supplemental pantries, neighborhood centers, family crisis centers, and homeless shelters for adults and children. By accessing food from FSEVA rather than purchasing from commercial outlets, each of these partner agencies has expanded resources to advance their own missions.

Prides itself on the work of 4,395 volunteers who contribute more than 28,400 hours annually.

Serves those who are hungry throughout the Foodbank’s 4,745 square-mile service area including the cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Franklin and Virginia Beach as well as the counties of Southampton, Northampton, Sussex, Isle of Wight and Accomack. Even though the Foodbank is salvaging and distributing more food than ever before, census and poverty statistics clearly show that we are a long way from meeting the need. In order to meet this goal, we have instituted more programs to obtain additional food to reach more people.

Spring BMW Specials at Checkered Flag BMW

BMW customers expect the best, and they know they will find it here at Checkered Flag. We treat you well before, during, and after you’ve purchased your vehicle, giving you the best possible ownership experience.  Come see why so many people choose Checkered Flag BMW for the ultimate in car and customer car.

Visit our Virginia Beach BMW service location for the following April BMW Service Specials. 

BMW Oil Change Special

Checkered Flag BMW has the best value in town for a fully synthetic oil and filter change.

4 &6 cyl. BMW - $59.99

8 & 10 cyl. BMW - $79.99

Expires 6/30/12.  M Models and 12 cylinders excluded.  Installation and tax not included. Not valid with any other offer. Must present coupon at time of purchase. Limit one coupon per person. Coupon does not apply to prior purchases.

Offer expires: 06/30/2012


Check Engine Light Special

$69.95

A service engine light is a warning that something is wrong with your vehicle.

Basic fault code interrogation performed additional diagnosis may be required.  See service advisor for details.

Coupon not valid with any other offer. Must present coupon at time of purchase. Limit one coupon per person. Coupon does not apply to prior purchases. Other Restrictions may apply.

Offer expires: 06/30/2012


BMW Lifestyle

25% off Entire Stock

Shirts, hats, key rings, golf gloves, and more.

Expires 6/30/12. Coupon not valid with any other offer. Must present coupon at time of purchase. Limit one coupon per person. Coupon does not apply to prior purchases. Tax not included.

Offer expires: 06/30/2012


BMW Maintenance Upgrade

BMW Maintenance Plan Upgrade

Take $275 off MSRP for BMW Maintenance Upgrade Program which covers the factory recommended maintenance at no charge for six years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first, as well as items that need replacement due to regular wear and tear.

Coupon not valid with any other offer. Must present coupon at time of purchase. Price excludes tax.  Coverage on tires and wheels excluded.  Applies only to BMW vehicles.  Expires 6/30/12.

Offer expires: 06/30/2012

Call our Hampton Roads BMW center at (757)490-1111 for more information or to set up a test drive. 

Checkered Flag Scions Featured at Campus Chaos 2012

As the weather takes a turn for the warmer, our Checkered Flag fans are looking forward to kicking off summertime concerts in Hampton Roads.   

At Old Dominion University they're getting the party started early during the end-of-year Campus Chaos at Webb Center.

Checkered Flag Scion will be on hand to lend an element of flare to the festivities.  Your favorite Virginia Beach Scion is gonna be showing off a few of their most awesome Scion models including the Scion tC, 2012 Scion xB, Scion xD, and the all-new 2012 Scion iQ.

Music will be playing, good food is all around, and Checkered Flag Scion will be giving away fantastic prizes starting at 11:00 am!  Come to check out the Checkered Flag Scion models then hang around for the big ODU Campus Chaos concert at 7:00pm featuring multi-genre acts  from Theophilus London, to Carolina Liar, to Flosstradamus, to Brett Eldredge, to Audiostrobelight.
 
Tickets for the concerts are $15 for the general public and $5 for all ODU students and faculty. 

For more information on all Scion models call Checkered Flag Scion at (757)490-1111 or visit our Scion location at the Toyota Scion on Virginia Beach Blvd. 

Image source: [style.com]

2012 Honda Accord Deal at Checkered Flag Honda

Looking for the deal of the year?  Well, you've found it. 

Right now, at Checkered Flag Honda, you can pick up a 2012 Honda Accord LX for $18,990*.  That’s nearly $4000 off of MSRP!

We have a handful of 2012 Honda Accord program cars that belong to Checkered Flag, each with under 50 miles on the odometer, that we are offering at this incredible price.  Each Accord features:

Automatic Transmission, Air Conditioning with Air-Filtration System, Power Windows and Locks, Cruise Control, Illuminated Steering Wheel-Mounted Audio and Cruise Controls, 6-Speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 Audio System with USB Audio Interface, and Full Factory Warranty

That all along with a Honda Accord 34 mile-per-gallon highway fuel rating means they will not last long. 

For more information, or to set up a test drive, call Checkered Flag Honda, your Norfolk Honda dealer, at (757)490-1111 or stop by our Honda location on Virginia Beach Blvd. 

(*plus tax, title, licensing and $499 processing fee)

First Hampton Roads Cars and Coffee of 2012

The spring sunshine is warming things up here in Hampton Roads, and Checkered Flag fans are gearing up for the first Hampton Roads Cars and Coffee Event of the year!  Right now we're on for 8:00 am to 11:00 am April 21st.  The weather should be perfect; clear with temperatures in the 70's.

Over the past couple of years, Hampton Roads Cars and Coffee sponsored by Checkered Flag, has become a local hit!  Tire kickers and car enthusiasts come from all seven cities and beyond to sip a couple of cups of Joe, sample a few snacks, and share their beloved rides and racers with other local auto enthusiasts.

All Hampton Roads auto and/or java lovers are asked to bring their own hot rods, classics, exotics, and even motorcycles to the gathering, which has been known to draw crowds of hundreds!  In addition, Checkered Flag will be rolling out some of its finest sets of wheels for your perusal.   Don't expect to see your everyday ordinary stuff here people, we're talking the goods!  Vehicles from Checkered Flag Jaguar, Porsche, Audi, BMW, and Virginia Beach MINI are all expected to make an appearance. The entire event is free, including the coffee and snacks, so bring out your friends and family and as many vehicles as you please.

The address for all Cars and Coffee events is 5070 Virginia Beach Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23462.  If you need any additional event information, just call (757)687-3447

We look forward to seeing all of our proud Tidewater drivers and Checkered Flag Winners there bright and early this Saturday morning!

100th Anniversary of Titanic: Survivor with ties to Norfolk

Image and article source: [pilotonline.com]

When I was a little girl, I bought a book about RMS Titanic from a school sale. Ever since, I have been obsessed with the tale.  I stood in line for hours at the Commodore theater in Portsmouth to catch the Leo and Kate live out the tale.  My Nana took me to the Titanic Tea Party at the Mariners' Museum in Newport News.  I watched every PBS special ever made on the unsinkable ship.  And, even as I write this, I'm watching a new network production commemorating one of the most memorable disasters in the last one hundred years. 

Today is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. 

Local Titanic survivors who lived to tell
By Denise Watson Batts
The Virginian-Pilot

Leah Aks and her 10-month old son, Phillip, boarded the ship in Southampton, England. Selini Yasbeck, a 15-year-old newlywed, stepped onto the luxury liner in France, heading to her new home in America.

Years later, the three would become Norfolk residents, but they were first linked by what would happen on April 14, 1912. They would become survivors of the Titanic.

The three have since died - Yasbeck, who later remarried and Anglicized her name to Celiney Decker, passed in 1966; Leah Aks in 1967; her son, F. Phillip "Filly" Aks, in 1991. Over the years, the three would often tell their stories so that people would not forget what happened during that fateful night.

Leah Aks, then 18, paced one of the Titanic's decks around 10:30 p.m. on April 14, her mind on her future. She would be joining her husband, Sam, who had settled in Norfolk and was working as a tailor. Weeks before, he had sent her the money for passage on another ship, but her parents did not want their only daughter and grandchild to sail yet. They wanted them to travel on the ship that they heard was unsinkable.

The cold drove Aks back to the cabin that she shared with another third-class passenger and Filly, who had been asleep. She was in bed by 11:30.

Assigned to a nearby cabin on the same deck, Yasbeck was traveling with her husband and 18 other friends and relatives from Lebanon. Her husband, Antoni, had been to the United States before and was part owner of a business in Pennsylvania. He had traveled back to his homeland to marry Selini.

The 15-year-old was asleep when the Titanic hit the iceberg at 11:40, but, according to newspaper articles, the sound piqued more curiosity than fear. She and her husband dressed and went out on the deck to see what was going on.

Aks had finally begun to doze when she heard "a crushing sound."

"The ship didn't lurch. It only seemed to pause briefly. That was all. I thought nothing of it and had started to try to sleep again when someone knocked at the door."

Then came a man's voice. "Quick. The ship is in danger."

Yasbeck, who spoke little English, could not understand what was going on.

"Everyone seemed to shout and dance and the band played music," she said in a 1951 Virginian-Pilot article. "People seemed to sing and laugh at first."

Then water began to flood the deck. The couple turned to go to their cabin to grab some money and belongings, but the water was soon waist deep. Then lifeboats were being lowered, and the call for women and children first ripped through the crowd.

Aks grabbed Filly and rushed into the passageway that was dark, except for a few lights ahead. She could feel the cold water on her feet. She and Filly had only nightclothes on, and from somewhere Aks grabbed a shawl to wrap around her son.

The stairs were packed with screaming passengers, and in the frenzy, someone grabbed Filly. He was gone. Aks pushed her way to the deck, where women were being pulled from their husbands' arms and shoved onto boats along with children, and men, who were storming the lifeboats, were being pushed back by officers waving pistols. Aks couldn't find her son.

Yasbeck got into a boat and turned to look at her husband, who watched as she and others were lowered to the sea.
Aks wasn't thinking about getting off the ship; she was searching the hysterical mob for her child.

"My mind became paralyzed and I began to be glad that the baby was not there," she said in a 1951 article. "If he had to die, I didn't want to see it."

Then, as the last lifeboat was being lowered, a woman got out to kiss her husband one last time. Someone picked up Aks and put her in the woman's seat. The boat began to descend.

The woman never made it back into the lifeboat.

Both Aks and Yasbeck remember drifting from the sinking ship and hearing the screams mingling with the music.

Of the 2,200 on board - 1,300 of whom were passengers - about 1,500 died in the early morning of April 15.

Survivors were picked up by another ship, the Carpathia, which heard the Titanic's distress signals.

Of Yasbeck's family and friends, 15 died, including her husband and 4-year-old nephew. She didn't remember much of her time on the Carpathia as it headed to New York. Neither did Aks, who was still numb four days after the sinking. She could not even remember that she had a son, but was sitting on deck one day when she heard a baby crying. Something about the cry sounded familiar.

The child was sitting in another woman's lap but was straining to go to Aks. Aks slowly recognized that it was Filly, but the woman who held him said he was hers.

Yasbeck heard the commotion surrounding a girl saying someone had her baby.

The captain was called. Aks was able to identify Filly by a birthmark, and, considering that the Aks family was Jewish, Aks told the captain about Filly's circumcision.

She was also able to nurse, while the other woman could not.

The woman later said that Filly had been tossed into her lifeboat and landed in her lap, unhurt. She thought he'd been given to her as a miracle.

Aks' husband picked up his family and brought them to Norfolk. Yasbeck and some of her relatives lingered in New York, hoping for truth in rumors that other survivors had been picked up by other boats. Yasbeck then moved to Pennsylvania, and later married Elias Decker and they moved to Norfolk. Even after marriage, she was still often remembered in stories of the Titanic as the 15-year-old bride, her last name often spelled differently.

The husbands both went into the salvage business, and Filly followed, but the women did not meet until April 1951, surrounding the 39th anniversary of the sinking.

The women realized then that they had so much in common, including living only blocks from one another in Norfolk for years.

A hundred years ago Sunday, in the icy waters of the North Atlantic, a supposedly unsinkable ship went down, taking more than 1,500 souls with it. The sinking of the Titanic - a drama that unfolded in less than three hours - remains the benchmark of disasters. In fact, ever since that April night in 1912, you might say that we've been hooked on disasters in general and the tale of the great luxury liner in particular. "The story is ageless, like all great stories," said James Delgado, director of maritime heritage at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.