Hello once again SURGE fans and welcome to the 80th edition of SaveSURGE News! We give that tasty green soda its one true home on the ‘net.

Sightings Report
Once again there were no new SURGE Sightings since the last edition of SaveSURGE News. This is becoming a sad, sad trend.

Even more sad is that there were 2 deletions this week in Littleton, CO and Orange, CT.

Currently, there are 143 SURGE Sightings listed. Thanks to those of you who keep an eye out for SURGE wherever you go!

Visit SURGE Sightings at: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/sightings.shtml

As the Sightings have been coming in at an increasingly slower rate, it is becoming clear that Coca-Cola bottlers just aren’t offering the syrup to its customers as an option. This week we heard from SURGE fan Sean who has been in contact with a local restaurant chain in New York state called Hot Dog Charlie’s. Sean spoke with the owner and requested that SURGE be made available. The owner was nice enough to give his Coca-Cola supplier a call to request SURGE but was told that our beloved soda wasn’t a big seller and it wasn’t a good idea to put it in his restaurant. Sean says he will continue his efforts to bring SURGE to Hot Dog Charlie’s and we commend him on his effort.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time we’ve heard a story like Sean’s. In fact, it is the second time this week we’ve heard one. We also heard from Dan who told us about the AMF Bowling Lanes in Orange, CT. They recently ran out of SURGE and were trying to order more. Dan gave them a call to check the status of their fountain and reported to us that “…they said they were unable to obtain more SURGE, Coca-Cola isn't distributing it, the manager said it was very successful there and they are very unhappy to lose a drink the people like”.

All too often, a Coca-Cola fountain customer requests SURGE and is told that they cannot purchase it. If they won’t sell their best product, then it’s up to us to convince them to do so.

SURGE fans, please contact your local bottlers on a regular basis and ask them to bring SURGE back to the store shelves and back to the fountains. You may occasionally run across an employee who thinks the syrup is discontinued, but tell them that The Coca-Cola Company does indeed produce SURGE syrup. The bottler simply needs to order it from them. By all means, be friendly, but let’s also bug them as well! If they get enough calls and letters they may just realize that there truly is a demand for SURGE.

I have to wonder what Coca-Cola headquarters thinks of all of this. Don’t you think it might bother them that their bottlers are telling paying customers that they can’t purchase SURGE for their fountains even though the syrup is still in production?

You can find your local Coca-Cola facility by visiting our Coca-Cola Directory:
http://www.savesurge.org/surge/help_coke.shtml

SaveSURGE.org Birthday Greetings Contest Rolls On
As we are about to enter the third week of the Birthday Greetings contest, let us remind you that the deadline for entries is Saturday, January 24. We’ve already received some excellent entries from SURGE fans and you only have a few weeks left for your chance to win some great prizes from the SaveSURGE.org Store!

For more information, along with the contest rules and entry guidelines please visit:
http://www.savesurge.org/surge/birthday_greetings.shtml

Hall of Famers Notified
The latest round of SaveSURGE.org Hall of Fame inductions are set for 2/1/04 (also our second birthday!). The new inductees have been notified via e-mail and are eager for their permanent enshrinement as some of the most dedicated SURGE fans ever.

Didn’t make this time around? Don’t sweat it! There are so many of you out there who deserve a place in the Hall and your day of glory will come. Thank you everyone and keep up the great work!

Alexis was on a budget – and SURGE was there
We received an excellent story this week from Alexis. She tells us of her days in college during SURGE’s initial launch back in the mid-90’s when the budget was too-tight for soda, that is until she discovered a Fully Loaded Citrus Soda!

Be sure to check out Alexis’ story in For the Love of SURGE:
http://www.savesurge.org/surge/alexis_story.shtml

Tell Subway to Feed the Rush
SaveSURGE.org is continuing to request that Subway Restaurants begin serving SURGE as part of their new agreement to serve Coca-Cola products in its more than 20,000 stores worldwide. We are asking each and every SURGE fan to contact Subway and let them know how much we would like to purchase our favorite soda from them.

There are several ways SURGE fans can spread the word:

You can write to Subway via their website at:
http://www.subway.com/subwayroot/Applications/CustServ/frmCustomerService.aspx

Find your local Subway and let them know how much you want SURGE:
http://subway.com/Applications/locator/index.aspx

You can even call them, toll-free at: 1-800-888-4848

We can make a difference, but we need your help!

Poll Results – 2004 will be the Year of SURGE!
The latest SURGE Poll asked you: Will 2004 be the year that SURGE comes back?

73.9% - Yes
26% - No

Total Votes: 123

The vast majority of you believe! You know what? I believe too! We just have to keep up our efforts to ensure that Coca-Cola and its bottlers know that we want our SURGE!

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

Sincerely,

Eric Karkovack
Co-Webmaster
www.savesurge.org