Millionth Visitor Video Blog!!

1 Millionth Visitor Press Conference

Today was a very important day here at the Dr Pepper Museum! In anticipation of the arrival of our 1 millionth visitor, we held a press conference for local news media and had a great turn out! See the pics below for fun details, and if you are a Waco local, make sure to watch the news tonight!

Waco Tribune-Herald Video!

Click the link below to see Jessica Harris give a guided tour of the Museum to Trib reporter Erin Quinn!

In Like Quinn

August FAN OF THE MONTH!

Congratulations to our August FAN OF THE MONTH DeAnn H.!! Here is what DeAnn has to say about her history with Dr Pepper:

"I am 29 years old and first started drinking Dr. Pepper in about the 6th grade. I was away at camp when I discovered that Dr. Pepper was the best drink EVER! Very recently, for the first time, I had a Dr. Pepper made with real sugar. It was absolute bliss. Unfortunately, they are hard to find in my part of Texas but I'm always on the lookout!

I recommend enjoying Dr. Pepper ice cold. I love to put a bottle in the freezer and let it get so cold that when you take it out and remove the lid the top layer turns frosty : delicious! If you are feeling adventurous, add a twist of lime, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

I am now passing my love of Dr. Pepper on to my daughter who enjoys it almost as much as me!"

Thanks DeAnn for your love of Dr Pepper!!

6th Video Blog is HERE!!

August FAN OF THE MONTH Nominees?!?!

Well, because things have been crazy around here, I am just now, on the 2nd of the month, getting around to trying to find an August FAN OF THE MONTH. If YOU want to be our August FAN OF THE MONTH, or you know someone who deserves to be the FAN OF THE MONTH, email me at collections@drpeppermuseum.com. Martin Z. was our July FAN OF THE MONTH, and his devotion is certainly going to be hard to live up to! Anybody who thinks they are up to the challenge, shoot me an email and let me know!

1 Millionth Visitor!!! The Time is Drawing Near!

OK, people here is the deal. The Museum staff are SO excited because in about a month our 1 MILLIONTH VISITOR will walk through the doors. This is a huge deal for us because we are a small operation here at the DPM, yet people from all over the world continue to hunt us down in order to learn more about Dr Pepper. We would like to recognize all of the locals, tourists, school groups, reluctant teens who were dragged here by their parents, and everyone else who has made this milestone possible. We are about to pass the 996,000 mark either today or tomorrow, and the lookout will begin for our 1 millionth visitor. We encourage all of you, our loyal fans, to come to the Museum and help us reach the 1 million mark. Who knows, maybe YOU will be the 1 millionth visitor!!

A few sneak peeks at the perks of being the 1 millionth visitor:

~gift certificates
~t-shirts
~Dr Pepper (just maybe!)

And so much more... You will just have to find out for yourself when YOU become our 1 millionth visitor!

Our MySpace Friends are the BEST

Below are two pictures taken by our very talented MySpace friend Ali from San Angelo, TX. She took them as part of her photography class, and we all think they are fantastic. Thanks Ali for the great work!

JULY FAN OF THE MONTH!

Hello Dr Pepper Museum blog friends! The time has come to announce our first ever FAN OF THE MONTH! Our first fan is Martin Z. and he is receiving this honor because he was kind enough to come to the Museum and see us! He was in Texas for Dublin's birthday celebration, and made a special trip down to Waco to see his internet friends! We asked him to tell us a little about himself and why he loves Dr Pepper...

"I have never known life without Dr Pepper. My father enjoyed Dr Pepper immensely so I grew up with it in our household. Throughout my years of trying various soft drinks and attempts at mimicking the king of beverages, Dr Pepper has remained my favorite soft drink.

I began collecting Dr Pepper items in high school. As friends and family became acquainted with my increasing joy and enthusiasm for Dr Pepper I began to receive various collectibles throughout the year. My collection has steadily grown from cups and bottles to grocery store marketing items, t-shirts, hats, bottle trays, picnic baskets, blankets, a neon sign and other tin signs. The Dr Pepper Museum in Waco has also provided access to many other items that fit my personality.

So what does Dr Pepper mean to me? Here's a story that should illustrate my love for the best soft drink on the planet! A decade ago I began my higher education at a university in Southern California. Though university meal plans were not very spectacular the cafeteria provided many different soft drinks for us. Dr Pepper was one of them. Heaven! During the summer of 1995 the catering company decided to switch vendors. We returned from a glorious summer only to find that Dr Pepper had been removed, replaced by a competing vendor that will not be named. Nooooo! This could not be! Could I switch schools? No, too drastic! Motivated by this sad turn of events, some fellow Dr Pepper fans and I began a petition campaign to encourage the catering company to seek a special exemption for Dr Pepper. We continually left voice messages, cafeteria notes, and other items to illustrate the loss that we felt. Above and beyond this I gathered together some good friends who loved Dr Pepper and we began the groundwork to form the Biola Society of Dr Pepper Drinkers, commonly known as the Dr Pepper Club. With over 100 people "signed up" for the club we provided additional leverage to bring our friend back to college with us. Our efforts succeeded! On September 26, 1995 at approximately 2pm in the afternoon, the catering company installed Dr Pepper in the soft drink fountain! As fate would have it, later that evening we held our first official meeting of the Dr Pepper Club. It was a magnificent occasion and we celebrated with a toast to Dr Pepper! Go team!

My love for Dr Pepper has not diminished. I bring my enthusiasm for Dr Pepper wherever I go and wherever I work. I encourage fellow Dr Pepper drinkers and look for opportunities to introduce others to the joy that is Dr Pepper."



Thank you Martin for your support of Dr Pepper and the Dr Pepper Museum!!

3 New Things to Watch For!!!!!

Hello Dr Pepper Museum blog fans! Here are three new events/items for you to partake in in the coming months!! To contact us about any of these things, please email us at collections@drpeppermuseum.com!!

#1 Fourth of July Military Appreciation Day!

On July 4, 2007 all visitors who show a valid military ID will receive free admission to the museum! Please also remember to purchase a Victory Float in the soda fountain in our souvenir cups featuring toy army men and green straws! The week of July 2-6 is also the last week to see the Dr Pepper and the Military exhibit! Soft Drink Sweethearts will be making its debut the very next week, so don't miss out on a chance to learn all about Dr Pepper's long relationship with America's armed forces.

And remember... The Dr Pepper Museum is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Saturday and 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Sundays. THE LAST TICKET TO THE MUSEUM GALLERY IS SOLD AT 4:15 ON ALL DAYS. The gift shop and the soda fountain are open until 5:00.

#2 The Arrival of our 1 Millionth Visitor is Fast Approaching!

August/September is when we expect our 1 millionth visitor to walk through the door, and a celebration is in order! The 1 millionth visitor will receive a life membership to the Museum, Dr Pepper/Cadbury product, gift cards to both the soda fountain and gift shop, flowers, and will be featured in press releases sent out to both local and major publications. Their picture will be proudly displayed in the Museum, and there will be fanfare in general. We look forward to this momentous occasion, and the sooner we get there the sooner we can celebrate and start working on the next million. Please visit our website to plan your trip to the Dr Pepper Museum!

#3 FAN OF THE MONTH!!!

We are adding a new feature called FAN OF THE MONTH where YOU tell us why you should be the the Dr Pepper Museum FAN OF THE MONTH!!! Each FAN OF THE MONTH will get their own blog post where they get to write in about why they like Dr Pepper and the Dr Pepper Museum! We will also ask that you send in a picture for the blog and for us to put up in the Museum! We will be drawing mainly from our online fan base, but will also go through the guest registers that you sign when you come in the Museum. Would you like to be our next FAN OF THE MONTH?!?!? Email us at collections@drpeppermuseum.com and let us know!!

New Things are Happening

Craziness has erupted here at the DPM! We are in the middle of moving our collection into a new storage facility, and anyone who has been in the middle of a move before KNOWS how crazy it is! To see a tour of the new facility, press PLAY below. We also did a new podcast, so make sure you check that out to find out all about the move, cell phone tours, and a few featured items.



CELL PHONE TOURS ARE HERE!! Please try them out when you come to the Museum. They are FREE!! Also, don't forget that you can download the tour to your MP3 player before you come!! If you can't come to the Museum but you still want to learn a bunch of fun stuff about Dr Pepper, make sure you check out the podcast.

FUN INTERACTIVE!!

As some of you may know, but most probably do not, we send out occasional gift shop email newsletters that contain new items plus good discounts. They are the BEST way to find out about new merchandise here at the Dr Pepper Museum Gift Shop!! If you would like to be on the mailing list for the gift shop email newsletters, please let me know by emailing collections@drpeppermuseum.com from a valid email address with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. We are about to do a new one, so don't be left out! Email us today!

Diet Coke You are Insulting My Intelligence

nataliedee.com

New Vlog!!!

New Podcast!!

Did you know you can create your own soft drink here at the museum? If you didn't, listen to our podcast and find out how to do it. Come on people, get involved. It's fun!!!

Cartel IS Band in the Bubble

Here are some promotional pictures of Cartel, who will become the Dr Pepper Band in the Bubble on May 24th. On June 12th the bubble will literally burst and they will debut their newest album which will have been written entirely in the bubble. All of it is going down in Times Square, NY. Check em out!






All information provided by Dr Pepper and M80.

Press Rlease for Band in a Bubble

PLANO, Texas and NEW YORK – April 23, 2007 – Dr Pepper, MTV, and Epic recording artist Cartel are giving music fans more of what they want this summer…a first-time, real-time look into the making of the band's newest album during Dr Pepper Band in a Bubble. In what is sure to be the most talked-about music event of the year, Cartel will be sealed inside a huge transparent bubble on Hudson River Park's Pier 54 in New York City from May 24 through June 12, and every move they make will be live for the world to see as they eat, breathe, sleep and record the follow-up to their breakthrough debut album, CHROMA .

Dr Pepper Band in a Bubble, produced by Mediaedge:cia and True Entertainment, an Endemol company, is an interactive multimedia event that will bring new meaning to “up close and personal.” Cartel will enter the bubble during a live MTV broadcast on May 24 and stay there with no escape until the bubble “bursts” on June 12. While the band is in the bubble, the drama and excitement of Cartel's recording process can be viewed in-person, on-air and online.
Dr Pepper Band in a Bubble Web cams will stream live on www.drpepperbubble.com and the event will air as a music special with four 30-minute episodes on MTV, which will also be available on-demand at MTV.com.

“Dr Pepper Band in a Bubble is an authentic mix of music and pop culture that only Dr Pepper can deliver. There's always more to Dr Pepper and only Dr Pepper will give consumers exclusive access to life in the bubble,” said Andrew Springate, vice president of marketing,
Dr Pepper. “We're going to have cameras capturing every moment, from every angle, so the fans can watch it live as it happens. This is going to be a unique experience for the band and their fans and the biggest event of its kind.”

"This special event, Band in a Bubble presented by Dr Pepper , will be a fascinating and intimate forum for our viewers to witness the process of creating music first-hand from one of today's most promising bands, Cartel,” said Tim Rosta, senior vice president, integrated marketing, MTV. “These unique music specials are yet another great example of MTV's ongoing commitment to deliver compelling and engaging content alongside our advertising partners to present the music and artists that our audience loves in innovative ways on-air and online."

Cartel: The Band in the Bubble

Cartel will literally be THE Band in the Bubble. The five-member group, consisting of singer and keyboard player Will Pugh, guitarists Joseph Pepper and Nic Hudson, bass player Jeff Lett, and drummer Kevin Sanders, will share the ups and downs of the creative process with their fans – giving them an inside look at what it's like to make an album from start to finish. The band's new album will be available on July 24 – just six weeks after the bubble bursts.

“We're doing something that's never been done before and that's exciting,” said Cartel frontman Will Pugh. “Making an album is a very personal and emotional experience, and in the past we've never wanted anyone around when writing or recording. But given that this is probably the biggest opportunity we'll ever have to show the world what we're made of, we can't wait to invite the fans into both the studio and our lives.”

Atlanta-based Cartel, recently highlighted as a “Breaking Band” in Rolling Stone , is generating major heat thanks to the success of Epic Records debut CHROMA and hit lead single “Honestly.” While the song garnered airplay on radio stations nationwide, its companion video went into rotation on MTV, MTV2 and Fuse. In addition, the group – dubbed “A Band You Need To Know” by Alternative Press – has blanketed the Internet, winning Yahoo! Music's “Who's Next” competition, nabbing the AOL Music Breaker Spotlight and racking up millions of streams on MySpace. In addition, Cartel performed on TRL, was highlighted on MTV's “Discover & Download,” spent the summer on the Warped Tour, made their national TV debut on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and appear on the soundtrack to the mega-popular video game, “Madden NFL ‘07.” The band will appear on an upcoming episode of MTV's “Cribs,” and just concluded their first-ever headlining tour.

"Cartel has always maintained a special relationship with their fans and this is an opportunity for the band to tear down that final barrier and literally allow their audience a window into the creative process. I admire their courage to do so,” said Doug McVehil, vice president, digital media marketing and promotion, Epic Records. "We're excited to team with such creative partners on what's sure to be a truly unique and memorable music experience."

Bringing More to the Consumer

Dr Pepper Band in a Bubble is a multi-platform initiative that reaches consumers nationwide through online and offline channels including television, online, radio, in-store and on select Dr Pepper products. Purchasing Dr Pepper gives fans deeper access to Band in a Bubble, including opportunities to interact with the band, obtain exclusive views inside the Bubble and to download free Cartel ringtones and wallpaper.

Dr Pepper is also offering a sweepstakes for a chance to win a variety of prizes, including guitars signed by Cartel and VIP trips to New York to see Cartel's concert when the bubble “bursts” on June 12. The event will officially kick-off Hudson River Park 's RiverRocks summer concert series and will be free and open to the public. Dr Pepper Band in a Bubble will live online at www.drpepperbubble.com , allowing Dr Pepper consumers to view unique content for up to 23 continuous days, including the 20 days while the band is in the bubble, and three days of special wrap-ups and outtakes.

Taking the Bubble to Television

Throughout Cartel's days in the bubble, MTV will capture the most interesting and outrageous moments. The show, Band in a Bubble presented by Dr Pepper , will air during four 30-minute music specials on MTV and MTV2 in May and June. The first show will air at 11 p.m. EDT on May 24 as Cartel prepares for and enters the bubble. The final episode will highlight the band's days in the bubble and culminate with coverage of the bubble “burst” concert. Footage from the bubble will also be available online at MTV.com, where viewers will be able to check out additional content and episodes on-demand.

Building the Bubble

Currently being constructed on Hudson River Park 's Pier 54 in New York City , the bubble is a 40-by-40 foot state-of-the-art recording studio equipped with everything Cartel needs to record their next album. Designed by international firm TPG Architecture, the 2,000-square-foot structure will consist of 55,000 pounds of steel truss and quarter-inch-thick fireproof rigid fiber glass. Three semi-circular steel arches will loop the bubble and act as light trusses to provide a glowing effect. While in the bubble, Cartel will have access to a custom kitchen and dining room, a casual lounge area and a spa-like bathroom as well as a “Sleeping Bubble,” or mezzanine level, which will be a giant pod elevated nine feet off the ground and hung in place with airplane hanger cables, that will house the band's sleeping quarters.

The bubble will feature interactive Web cams that will stream every moment live so fans can watch on www.drpepperbubble.com. These cameras will capture everything from the band members' waking moments and creative differences to their jam sessions and appearances by special guests. Special two-way microphones built into the window of the bubble will provide opportunities for the public to speak to band members on a daily basis.

Update on Collections Move

So here at the DPM we are on hold because of construction delays, which means that we have yet to start moving the collections to the new building. We really like our contractor and understand his situation, so Jessica and I have been busying ourselves by putting together our new office furniture. We LOVE putting together stuff because we love directions and other organizationally-oriented things, so it was fun. There were three desks and two rolling filing cabinets that needed to be assembled. Our new office will be in the biggest of the three collections rooms, so here are some pics of us with the final product!

New Podcast!!

Jessica and Mary Beth recorded a new podcast! Make sure to check it out on this page, our MySpace page, etc. Find out all the new happenings!

Random Musings of a Director of Exhibitions and Collections

Hello out there in blogger land! Just thought I would do a little free writing and spill what's going on over here at the DP Muse!!!

I just posted our second video blog and I think it's pretty good, especially our commercial. Check it out below this entry!! We also did a blooper reel that to Mary Beth and me is HI LAR IOUS!!!

What else is going on! The Collections Department (Carrie, Mary Beth and I ) are semi-twiddling our thumbs waiting for doorknobs/locks and the security system to be installed over in the next building so we can start moving our collections into our beautiful new storage facility. The guys are doing a fantastic job but we are getting anxious to get over there!!! Here are a few pictures of the almost completed area:

Mid-construction (note the lights)

Looking better!

Awesome!!! (note the lights!!!)

Now I need to mention that most if not all the ceiling tiles are in place and the floor is being painted.

Two weeks ago we had these great guys come over from Southwest Solutions Group to install our Spacesavers. Spacesavers are mobile shelving units that lay on a track. They have been sitting in the building for several years collecting dust so Mary Beth and I had to clean them off. It was pretty disgusting.

Jessica and Mary Beth wearing protective gear!!!


Mary Beth demonstrating Spacesavers

We are totally stoked about these things because it condenses the space and allows for more storage capacity. Woot woot! (and I've just been informed that Mary Beth has already blogged about this...but I don't care...it's a big deal!!!!)

Ok. How about Dr Pepper news!!! There is a new promotion/reality TV show on MTV called Band in a Bubble. You have GOT to check it out!!!

BAND IN A BUBBLE!

New Video Blog!! #2