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Community Corner

Springfield Index: Father's Day Presents For $100 A Pop

Still looking for gift ideas for the head of the family? Head out to 22 or Morris Avenue and grab one of these finds.

Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. It's a wonderful time of the year—the days are long and the weather has finally warmed up.  Families get together and make 'greeting card' memories at barbeques, around pools and parks. The Index is feeling sentimental this Father's Day (we were actually * ahem * born on Father's Day). So instead of checking for low-priced bargains for The Index we decided to see just what kind of manly presents we could find in the Springfield retail corridors on Route 22 and Morris Avenue for around $100.

Sports Authority, Route 22 eastbound:  Our first thought was to look for a bicycle, but we were dreaming with prices starting way out of our range. We did see some nice retro-style bowling balls for $50 or so. You can throw in a bag, some gloves and a towel and be on budget. There was a good selection of tennis racquets in the $90-$100 price range, right next to a display of bundled tennis balls for $14.99.

Sam Ash, Route 22 eastbound.  Maybe your dad is a musical dad. There's plenty at this Springfield institution to please a weekend musician. We liked the large Casio keyboard on display, it looked easy to use and fun – pre-loaded with music or he could make his own.  If the dad in your life is more of a hipster, check out the cool bongo drums. He'll love 'em.

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Sixth Avenue Electronics, Route 22 westbound is great for the gadget-crazy dad.  There were a set of outdoor speakers on sale for $99, just think of how nice it would be to pipe 'real' music outside during a barbeque. We also saw a couple of portable DVD players, which make a great gift if the dad in your life is frequently on the road. We know that Android and iPhones can stream video but those screens are mighty small.  Portable DVD screens are about twice the size and then he can save his PDA's battery to call home.

Wine Library, 586 Morris Avenue. We love to pop into Wine Library to see what's new and delicious to eat and drink, but have to confess that our purchases usually net change back from a twenty-dollar bill.  We wondered exactly what wonderful thing our Benjamin would buy here. We headed upstairs to browse the single malt scotch. We're more a white-wine spritzer type of drinker but have heard that that's pretty terrific stuff that a lot of people like.  As we gazed at the selection of Lagavulin and Glenmorangie single malt we overheard some guys kibitizing.  "These bottles are really great to see" said one. "And better to drink" the other retorted.  Priced from $74.99 to $109.99 this scotch was pretty much on budget.  On the way out of the store we price-checked Patron, an Anejo tequila that we're pretty sure is very popular. A big bottle is on sale for $94.99. Frozen margaritas anyone?

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Bed Bath & Beyond, 715 Morris Avenue. With frozen margaritas on our mind, we headed across the street to see how much a margarita maker would set us back. The one we liked was about the same price as the bikes at Sports Authority. A "plan B" to keep Dad in the peak of health is the Jack LaLanne Juicer.  It's priced at $139.99 but if you use one of the ubiquitous BB&B twenty percent off coupons, you're back in the right price range.  If dad is more likely to quaff coffee than carrot, apple, ginger juice you can snag a Keurig system for around $100 (less with coupon). This coffee-maker uses pre-packed pods and guarantees fabulous coffee – one cup at a time -- with no muss or fuss.  It's a great gift for dad to take to the office -- help him break the barista habit.

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