Picture idea proves to be 'wheel' success

How about this for an idea?

Invite people to take their local newspaper with them on vacation and have a photo taken with the newspaper.

After they return home, they give the photo to the newspaper and the newspaper runs the photo of the subject while they are on vacation.

I started asking readers to take the Bonners Ferry Herald, Priest River Times and the Bonner County Daily Bee with them on vacation back in 1993.

I had asked my Dad, who was working in Dubai at the time, if he could have someone take a picture of him with the Herald in some exotic locale.

He did and the photo ran in the Herald. A funny thing happened after that. More people started sending in photos of them with the newspaper in points all over the globe.

In all, more than 500 photos of people holding up the Herald, Times and the Bee have been turned in over the years.

In Bonners Ferry, nearly the entire back wall of the office is covered with people holding up the Herald.

Every continent is represented - yes, Antarctica is even there.

There are underwater photos of the paper taken in Hawaii. There are military folks posing in front of artillery in many foreign hot spots.

If you can imagine it, the Herald has been photographed there.

The Sandpoint version, called "I took the Bee with me" has also been a resounding success. Although, one difference I notice from the Sandpoint readers is they are more likely to take the Bee with them to the lake, Scotchmen's Peak, City Beach and other closer to home vacation spots.

In Priest River, they have had contests to encourage readers to submit photos. It has been a success there, also.

Two weeks ago, I was in Philadelphia attending a North American lottery commission meeting. Of course, I packed along the Bee.

I talked Marlisa into taking my picture in front of the Liberty Bell with the Bee. I talked her into holding the Bee in front of Constitution Hall.

The funny thing about holding up your newspaper, is that it is a great ice breaker. People almost always come up to you and ask about where you are from and what you are doing with the paper.

This leads us to Vanna White.

We have had a few celebrity types hold up the paper. We have a picture of George Will holding up the Bee from the same trip but wisely thought that Vanna would help sell more newspapers than Will.

Drexel Love, a friend in Bonners Ferry, has stalked many performers at the Coeur d'Alene Casino and had them hold up the paper. She has Rita Coolidge as her top paper holder.

At the Republican National Convention, Jack and Mary Jo Ambrosiani, were in hot pursuit of Sandpoint-born Sarah Palin or John McCain for a Bee photo.

They called in a few times to let us know that they had passed off a Daily Bee to Sen. Mike Crapo and he was closing in on the last day of the convention. Then nothing…

My worst fear was that either the Ambrosianis or Crapo were grabbed by the Secret Service as they approached Palin with what looked like a newspaper and were escorted to a cell in Guantanamo Bay.

So what is with the photo of yours truly and the 51-year-old letter turner?

Vanna White was the center attraction of a scientific games display that featured a Wheel of Fortune game for state lotteries in Philadelphia.

I was lucky enough to answer a question and get picked to stand next to her on stage. With the Bee firmly in hand I got in line and waited to stand next to Vanna.

"Would you mind if we hold up this copy of my hometown newspaper in this picture?" I asked.

"Of course not," she replied.

She liked the idea of the Bee photo and asked me about the history of the photos. OK, I might have been nervous, but I fought every urge to have a vowel movement.

Kim Woodruff said Vanna White is every middle-aged man's dream girl. Gina Woodruff couldn't be reached for comment for this column.

We are gladly accepting photos of readers with the newspaper. Please keep sending them in.

I will also make this promise that the first reader who can have a presidential - or vice presidential - candidate hold up the hometown paper, that photo will also run on Page 1 of the Bee.

Keep taking those photos!

David Keyes is publisher of the Daily Bee.