Get ready! The Olympics are less than a day away, and you know what that means — commercials, commercials! and more commercials! We are talking about fast food giant commercials and election related commercials galore!

Yep, in between the occasional race and commentary, we will either get to hear an ad sponsored by a presidential candidate or an advertisement telling us where to buy our next fast food meal. Tons of money is being thrown into Olympics advertising, and we are supposed to get up and either buy those products or go and vote for that person.

I don’t know about you, but I would love to have the type of money that is needed to provide those all important commercials. In fact, I would love for my mom’s restaurant to get that kind of exposure. Instead of that nameless fast food giant that is building a multi-million dollar restaurant that will be torn down at the completion of the Olympics, why not a Beth’s right there in the heart of London. It can stand next to Buckingham Palace or, as my mom refers to it, “That place Katie didn’t take a picture of.”

Can’t you picture it! Michael Phelps walking into a Big Beth’s Restaurant and being greeted by the Louise of London and ordering a chicken salad sandwich with some potato chips. Then, Prince Pat could offer him a slice of pound cake as he leaves. Big Beth would also have to offer fish and chips to all the locals. After all, it is London!

Then, if she built her own restaurant in London, my mom would also have to invest in the commercials she would need to snap up the business to carry off building Beth’s No. 2 in London. Just think, my mom would have to create her own slogan to go with those commercials. What about “I think it’s healthy,” “Eat more mayonnaise!” or “Fried sounds good to me.” Of course, it would require a professional to come up with a better slogan.

With all the new business from Beth’s No. 2, mom would also have to start thinking about expanding Beth’s No. 1. Yep, she would have to tear down the old business and replace it with a two story mega restaurant that would draw in business all around the world. After a while, people would be so impressed with Big Beth that they would all come to Clinton just to see the place where the fortune began. A museum would have to be built in honor of my mom and her dedication to becoming a giant in the restaurant world.

OK, maybe I am dreaming. Hey, there is nothing wrong that, is there? My mom’s place has been open for 12 years now, and if it weren’t for her hard work, dedication and some dreaming, Beth’s probably would have been an abandoned gas station. So during this Olympics, I am going to mentally replace a certain fast food giant with my mom’s place. It takes dedicated people, like my mom, to keep this local economy going.

Katie Holland can be reached by email at kt_sue2002@yahoo.com.