[June 28, 2011] The Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Reporter's Notebook column Tweet Jun 09, 2011 (The Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Carlisle Garden Club recently planted 48 large planters with geraniums, sweet potato vines, impatiens, and marigolds for placement in Downtown Carlisle as part of the Bloomin' Carlisle Beautification program. Seven garden club members planted the flowers with assistance from the Downtown Carlisle Association staff on Tuesday afternoon at Mountain Lakes Nursery in Carlisle. "It is a great way to beautify the building facades and show that downtown Carlisle is alive and vibrant," said Glenn White, DCA executive director. The Bloomin' Carlisle Beautification is sponsored by DCA and is a complimentary project to Carlisle Rotary's downtown hanging flower baskets. Now in its second year, Bloomin' Carlisle is hoping to get 48 of the extra-large flower pots to downtown businesses and residents. "Last year we sold out of the flower pots, this year we are almost sold out," White said. Flower pots are for anyone who has a business or lives downtown. The flower pots are delivered planted and later in the year, picked up and stored for the winter. Bloomin' Carlisle flower pots are $60 each and can be ordered by calling the DCA at 717-245-2648 or emailing [email protected]. Money saver Beating the summer heat and keeping cool when the utility bills arrive got easier for central Pennsylvania residents who sign up for new offers from Alphabuyer, a new group buying service for consumers. Alphabuyer offers online consumer discounts for monthly bills and is available at no cost to customers of PPL and UGI Gas in central Pennsylvania and Duquesne Light and Columbia Gas in southwestern Pennsylvania, according to a press release from Alphabuyer's new offers are available through June 20 or until the maximum number of sign-ups is reached. Alphabuyer's offers to save on utilities were introduced to central Pennsylvanians in May. Those who joined are among the nearly 1,700 households in areas served by this new group buying site, the press release states. Alphabuyer negotiates with suppliers to offer groups of consumers the most competitive rates on utilities such as natural gas and electricity. While the first offers are for savings on utility bills, the company is planning to expand the group buying concept to gasoline, cable, Internet and mobile phone service, among others. To sign up, users visit www.Alphabuyer.com and enter their zip code to view offers in their area. They can then compare different plans and prices, estimate potential savings and review the details of the offer. As more people sign up and the size of the group grows, the savings increase. Once the offer closes, everyone enrolled enjoys the same discounted price. Each offer is available for a limited time period. Alphabuyer charges no fees to switch. Consumers continue to receive only one bill from their local utility since that company continues to deliver the energy to the consumer's home with no interruption. As an advocate for consumers, Alphabuyer negotiates for the best locked-in rates and also for the best options and features such as no cancellation fees, upgradable agreements and no hidden fees. Located in Paoli, Pa., Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission-approved Alphabuyer is an Internet-based group buying platform that helps customers get the best possible rates, options and terms for services they pay for each month, the company claims. Alphabuyer focuses on group savings in areas where customers are already spending such as energy, mobile phone, cable/Internet, insurance, banking, credit card, transportation vehicles and home services. ------ Lauren McLane covers the Borough of Carlisle, Dickinson Township, Penn State Dickinson School of Law and Dickinson College for The Sentinel. You can read her Reporter's Notebook covering news and events on his beats every Thursday. You can contact her at [email protected]. To see more of The Sentinel, go to http://www.cumberlink.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]