Hello once again SURGE fans and welcome to the 135th edition of SaveSURGE News! Since 2002, your source for all things SURGE.

Tough Week Brings Out the Best in SURGE Fans
We did not publish an edition of SaveSURGE News last week. Instead, we shared some important letters written by myself and SaveSURGE.org Co-Webmaster Avery Lund regarding the status of SURGE and our campaign to Bring SURGE to Wal-Mart.

For those of you who missed them, our message was one that we hoped that we would never have to share. Through our sources, we were able to verify that, despite the best efforts of SURGE fans, our favorite soda would not be coming to Wal-Mart any time soon. Apparently, Wal-Mart was at least interested in the idea of selling SURGE in their stores. They contacted Coca-Cola regarding SURGE and much to our shock – Coke turned them down.

Avery & I had hoped that we would never have to break news like this to the SaveSURGE Community. However, as painful as it was, we knew in our hearts that it was the right thing to do. SURGE fans deserve to know the truth about what is going on.

We also revealed top-secret plans from December 2004. It was only a few months ago and yet it was a much happier time for all of us. There was indeed a plan to re-launch SURGE for a limited time in some specifically targeted retailers. Unfortunately that plan fell through. Convincing Wal-Mart to support our cause turned out to be our “Plan B”.

As it turns out, there is just too much difference in opinion within Coca-Cola regarding what should be done with SURGE. SaveSURGE.org has our supporters within the company but, as we were told, there are some within the company who do not want to see SURGE back regardless of how many fans request the drink.

This past week has been difficult, no doubt. However, something amazing has happened despite the bad news. SURGE fans have shown a tremendous amount of support and have pledged to keep on fighting for their favorite soda! We have received so many great letters this week and we appreciate each and every one of them. You are displaying the passion and spirit that makes SURGE fans so wonderful and unique.

In return, we at SaveSURGE.org pledge to you that we will do everything we can to convince Coca-Cola to change their mind. We will continue to provide you all with a way to make your voices heard to the world.

This fight is far from over! We believe in the power of SURGE fans. We are united with the single focus to bring back the soda we love. Thank you all for your support!

LET’S BRING IT BACK!!!

SaveSURGE.org’s Media Blitz!
What’s the best way to deal with bad news? Stand up and do something about it! We have received many great ideas from SURGE fans over the past week with ways to fight back. One of the best ones we received was to start a letter writing campaign to the media.

We present to you the SaveSURGE.org Media Blitz! The idea is simple: We’re asking all SURGE fans to write to their local newspapers, radio and television stations and tell them (politely) about the treatment we’ve received from Coca-Cola.

We’re hoping that once our story is in the media, Coca-Cola will reconsider its decision to turn their back on SURGE fans.

SaveSURGE.org has developed a form letter that you can use to inform the media about our situation.

For full details including links to media outlets, check out the SaveSURGE.org Media Blitz! at the top of our home page:
http://www.savesurge.org/

Debbie and Shirley Fight for SURGE
Fans Debbie & Shirley have announced that they have purchased a booth to support SURGE at the upcoming Country Thunder USA music festival in Florence, AZ. It will be held from April 14-17, 2005.

The ladies will be collecting signatures for their own SaveSURGE.org Local Petition and will also be spreading the word about their favorite fully loaded citrus soda. Also, they have purchased a great-looking banner with the SaveSURGE.org logo that will be hanging in their booth!

You can check out pictures at:
http://www.savesurge.org/surge/country_thunder.shtml

Watch for another report once Country Thunder USA takes place.

We’d like to thank Debbie & Shirley for their effort and dedication! In fact, they are so dedicated that there is talk of them attending the other festival being held in Twin Lakes, WI!

URGE – Now Available in the USA!
It’s been a long time coming and now you can have it! SURGE’s Norwegian equivalent, URGE, is now available to fans in the USA. We now have a contact in Norway who is willing to ship out fresh 0.5 liter bottles of URGE to fans in America. Halvor Strand is his name and he can be reached via E-Mail at: knox@halvorstrand.com.

You can find out more information, including a price list at:
http://www.savesurge.org/surge/urge_usa.shtml

Please note that Halvor is in no way affiliated with SaveSURGE.org and we do not profit in any way from the sales of URGE.

I had a chance to try URGE for the very first time this past week. I must say, it was wonderful! The taste is just slightly different than SURGE but the two drinks are VERY similar. You can read my full review at:
http://www.savesurge.org/surge/eric_urge.shtml

SURGE fan Phoenix did a side by side comparison of SURGE and URGE. Read it at this address:
http://www.savesurge.org/surge/phoenix_urge.shtml

Introducing the SaveSURGE.org Blog
It's another great way to connect with the SaveSURGE.org community! Participate in discussions about SURGE and non-SURGE related topics.
Note: You can always find the SaveSURGE.org Blog under our Features menu at the top of every page.

Visit the SaveSURGE.org Blog:
http://www.savesurge.org/surge/blog.php

Hey College Students: SaveSURGE.org now on Thefacebook!
Thanks to our friend Andy, there is now a SaveSURGE.org group on Thefacebook.com, a very popular online community specifically for college students. Registration is free! Registered users can just type in "savesurge.org group" into the site's search box and click "Join".

Visit Thefacebook:
http://www.thefacebook.com

Poll Results – You would have bought it
The latest SURGE Poll asked you: If SURGE came back to Wal-Mart for a limited time, how often would you buy it?

62.3% - Daily
27.5% - Weekly
10.1% - Monthly

Total Votes: 287

There’s no doubt in my mind that SURGE would have been a complete success at Wal-Mart.

That’s all the time we have for this week. Thank you SURGE fans for all of your support!

Sincerely,

Eric Karkovack
Co-Webmaster
www.SaveSURGE.org