So today Jerry drove away in our treasured Gran Torino. While it took up space in our garages and occasionally required that we drive it, it was satisfying work getting behind that 429. So we jump from our most macho trade yet to an immaculate wedding package that is destined to make one lucky bride’s special day entirely unique and unforgettable.. “The Big” Wedding Package includes Kane Catering’s Ultimate Food Package, a $60 per plate package that offers the widest variety of appetizers, entrees and desserts. Jerry will personally prepare the food and has promised that this will be the best he can deliver. Jerry’s contribution also includes allowances that give the bride complete flexibility to select from the best local venues, wedding cake designers, ect. But that is JUST THE BEGINNING!

When we agreed to the trade with Jerry Kane on Friday, we had no idea what would happen next. Within 3 days of announcing the package to the wedding vendor community, we had over 30 businesses offering to donate their products and services. The value of the package more than doubled in less than a week! We had no idea how “Big” this package would become…

CHECK OUT the wedding package, now valued at $53,789

A huge thanks goes out to Jerry Kane and Kane’s Catering for their generous trade and a special thanks goes out to all the vendors that are making this possible. Lastly, you’re saying… How could two guys come up with such a cool wedding package, there must be some girls involved? You’re right! Ton of credit goes to Kate Braschayko, Kathryn Short and Becca Burns and of course my own lovely wife Jennifer DelDotto for all the help pulling this together. Now think… do you know someone that just got engaged?

A 1972 Gran Torino Sport with a 429 Cobra Jet engine in excellent condition, purring loudly before us… The same make, model and year of the Gran Torino featured in the recent Clint Eastwood movie with many more upgrades. The new custom-built 500 horse engine is broken in with 600 miles on it. Here’s the lingo from Tom…. The car is blueprinted and balanced, has a high rise intake manifold with a Edelbrock high performance 4 bbl carburetor, Hooker headers, 3” custom exhaust from headers to 2.5” rear tail pipes, Electric summit high performance fuel pump and fuel regulator with gauge, Detroit locker in the 9 inch rear with Summit custom-made racing axles because the horsepower would have otherwise twisted the splines off the factory axles, 76,000 original miles on the body, redone with metal patches and new sheet metal, not a bondo queen, a custom lacquer paint job, Ultra Mag wheels with all new rubber, 50 series Mickey Thompsons on the rear and new Goodyear 60’s on the front, interior black like factory new with custom auto meter gauges and tach, Hurst ratchet shifter on the floor that shifts the custom built auto transmission from jasper transmissions. One thing is for sure…. Tom knows this machine inside and out. It is truly a beautiful car without rust and in excellent condition.

As Tom showed us his Gran Torino, you could see and hear his years of passion for the car. He had put so much into it, why would he part with it for this cause? We didn’t have to ask that question…. it was perfectly clear that Tom was doing it out of selfless generosity. He was not concerned about the motorcycle he would get in return, he only wanted to make sure we knew everything about the Torino. Tom recognized the significant market value of the car but as we talked… it was apparent he was giving us so much more than a set of keys, he was giving us a part of his life. The most wonderful thing about the Big Trade Up for us has been meeting people like Tom and being inspired by their hearts for other people. Thank you so much Tom for this amazing classic! It is a huge win for the Big Trade Up and thanks to you… we are another big leap ahead! We are determined to find a new owner that will care for and enjoy this car the way you did.

So attention all classic car lovers! Here is your chance to trade for this American classic while helping a great cause. If you are interested, let us know! Please keep in mind that we will consider trading for anything of increased value and don’t be quick to rule yourself out, get creative. We are open to items, experiences, services, you name it. Either way, if you want to help keep the Big Trade Up going, please let us know because it will only be successful with many people involved. This trade brings big momentum but we still have a very long way to go!

MORE PHOTOS OF THE CAR

This black beauty is the real deal. It is in excellent condition with only 17,000 miles and is ready to roll. It is equipped with saddle bags, windshield, a new battery, an oil change adapter kit and lots of chrome. The tires are in great shape and it runs perfectly. This comfortable low-rider is just right bike for trips to the North Shore, cruising around the Minnesota lakes or even taking you out to a Twins game at Target Field. Now is your chance to get the bike you’ve dreamed of and help a great cause! If your wheels are turning, just let us know. A huge thank you goes out to Scott and Lee McNurlin!

The McNurlin’s generosity is moving and if the trade was not enough, Lee gave a wonderful testimony…. “When I was contacted by Tony about the Big Trade Up, I did some research on www.mindthefuture.org. I was touched by what I read and saw. The video clip on the military officers receiving black lab puppies almost made me cry. I realized if I joined this effort and became a part of the Big Trade Up, it would bless more than just inner city kids who have the desire to go to college. (though that reason is enough) I realized I wanted to be a part of something that would spread blessings far and wide. I already feel very blessed by my decision to trade my motorcycle, and I hope and pray each person involved in any way with this organization will have a sense of peace and blessing for the part they have played in keeping the Big Trade Up going!”

In addition to announcing this wonderful trade, we would like to unfold a new way for you to get involved with the Big Trade Up. We’ve heard from many people that would love to help but considering the significant increase in value, are now less likely to trade an item worth thousands of dollars. So here’s the new way you can help. With each trade, we are now welcoming the donation of ancillary items that will help “sweeten the pot” and increase the value of the item up for trade. For example with the motorcycle, please consider offering contributions like a helmet, jacket or boots, etc… maybe we find an artist to custom paint the motorcycle as a donation to the cause. It could be anything of added-value. The contributions will increase our jumps in value and improve our overall chance of success. So if you have something of value that is collecting dust, let us know…

So Trade #15 is a big leap for the Big Trade Up. Tony agreed to trade a 4-night round-trip package to the CMA Country Music Festival (June 10-13th, 2010) in Nashville, TN. This $2,000+ package includes an airfare allowance for two, four nights lodging at the famous Opryland Hotel and two “floor seat” tickets to see Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts and many more artists over the four big nights at LP Field. This “BIG TICKET” package is a country music fan’s dream as it also includes VIP access to daily concerts at Riverfront Park, a ticket to the Grand Ole Opry matinee, a ticket to the Country Music Hall of Fame, a tour of the historic Ryman Auditorium, a flatboat ride inside the Delta Atrium at the hotel, autograph opportunities, block parties, the list goes on and on… This four-day festival is possibly Nashville’s biggest event with over 400 country artists and celebrities attending.

In addition to this trade, Tony Winkler and The Last Ride Band put on a great show to a packed bar of Big Trade Up supporters at Dixie’s on Grand over the weekend. Thank you to everyone for coming out and thanks again to Tony Winkler for this exciting CMA Country Music Festival trade. Like all of our trades, we have absolutely no idea who will step up next. If you are interested in this amazing trip, please email us at mytrade@bigtradeup.com.

We have been invited to promote the Big Trade Up and this event on KSTP channel 5 at 8:10 AM that morning (Sat, April 3rd), so be sure to tune in…

UPDATE: Watch Big Trade Up on KSTP Channel 5

Stacy got off the phone with me and send an email to the President of the Minnesota Twins, David St. Peter with the message “call me”. Within 10 minutes, she received a call from David and she pitched him on the idea of him trading a “personal lunch with him” and tour of Target Field to make it possible for the Puppy to be given away to a deserving war veteran. He loved the idea and agreed to help! We did too. So we gave Stacy the green light to help us find a deserving veteran that could provide the perfect home for Puppy. Stacy broadcast the puppy opportunity to the 50 veterans and received 5 heartfelt letters from veterans on why they would like to be considered. Stacy shared the letters with me and we couldn’t believe it. She personally interviewed each of them and we realized we had found 5 perfect homes for one pup. How could we ever choose just one? With less than a week to the big event, the idea of getting more puppies seemed farfetched but we also knew there was no way we could send the other 4 heroes home entirely empty-handed.

I couldn’t resist and made a call to local breeder Kruchek Retrievers. It was a long shot but I pitched the idea to owner J.J. Kruchek. To my amazement, I learned that J.J. is also a military veteran and happened to have 4 nine-week old black lab puppies left in his litter (almost spooky!). Like Puppy #1, these 4 come from field champion bloodlines and are highly valuable. J.J. was all over the idea of surprising the other 4 veterans and offered a significant discount to make it possible.

As we broke this news to many of you, the donations poured in. We received over $1,400 in 4 days and it set up one of the most remarkable surprises I’ve ever been a part of. Today in room full of 50+ war veterans along with friends, family we honored Colonel Dirk Kloss and his family with Puppy #1. Colonel Kloss just returned in February to his wife Morgan and 3 year old son Max after his 1 year deployment in Basra, Iraq. Colonel Kloss lost his 8 year-old lab just before their son was born and has looked forward to the day he would settle down with his family and a new puppy. Today was that day.

As the other 4 soldiers sat through the Thank you video, they were blind-sided when Chad, Frank, Stacy, J.J. and I rolled into the room today with 4 more puppies. It played out perfectly and reactions from everyone were overwhelming. Many tears as we saw the joy brought to these brave men that have sacrificed so much. It was a small gesture in light of what they have given to us but it was one I don’t think anyone in that room will ever forget.

Below is the video of Puppy #1 being awarded followed by the “Thank you” video and then the surprise…

WCCO channel 4 news covered the event and it will air on the 10:00 PM news tonight and likely again 10:00 AM tomorrow. There are endless people to thank for making this happen but especially Stacy Dvorak and David St. Peter who are at the top of the list. It is so interesting how 1 phone call can impact so many lives.

So now available for trade…. a personal lunch with the President of the Minnesota Twins, David St. Peter and a tour of Target Field. How timely with the season opener days away!

So with much assurance that one of his favorite pups would be in good hands, we introduce you to Puppy. In addition to champion hunting bloodlines, this 61 day old (8 ½ weeks) male black lab would be the perfect family dog. He is fluffy like a little bear cub, extremely mellow with a gentle personality but don’t get me wrong… very playful too. He has all of his shots, dew claws and vet examination taken care of. We have all of AKC paperwork, vet exam info and registration that will make it easy for the new owner.

So where is Puppy you might ask? Much of the appeal to Justin was one less puppy in the Justin house, that means Puppy’s very temporary playpen has become the DelDotto house. While it is fun to have a little buddy for our own lab and kids to play with, dad has picked up many chores like cleaning accidents, unlocking the puppy jaws of life from screaming kids, picking up broken glass and of course trying to get Puppy to go to the bathroom outside in the middle of the night. So help us find this guy a perfect home where these puppy chores can be enjoyed as a long-term investment going towards the best pet you’ll ever own. Plus Puppy needs a name, we’re saving that for you!

If you are interested please send us your offer but more importantly tell us about the home he would be going to, do you own other pets, have you had pets in the past, ect. While I joke about the extra chores, there will be no rush to find Puppy a new home and we will be very selective to make sure he finds the perfect home with his rightful owner. Puppy comes with a new 24″ kennel, a 15 lb bag of food, his blaze orange collar and a toy to get you started!

Betsy thought hard about what to trade and came up with something all girls love – Jewelry. She had this amazing cross necklace hand crafted specifically for this trade. It is especially meaningful to her as the original design came from her loving father who has given all of his girls their own uniquely crafted cross. So we celebrate a cool family tradition, help fuel her passion for flying and knock down trade #12 of the Big Trade up.

Thanks to Betsy for this thoughtful trade!