All kids love getting stuff in the mail, don't they? I did. My daughter Sophie, almost 5, sure does. So I'm always on the lookout for free goodies in the mail that I might be able to send her way.

When I was a kid, there seemed to be all sort of kids' clubs and fan clubs you could join and get free membership cards, coloring books, whatever. So I was very happy and somewhat nostalgic to find that Portland's Oakhurst dairy has Oakie's Fan Club.

Oakie is the acorn mascot of Oakhurst, and when you sign up on the company Web site for his free club, your child will get mailed to them a loop-de-loop straw, membership card and membership certificate, a child-sized growth chart, and a bumper sticker that reads, "I'm Nuts About Oakhurst Milk."

Plus, on your child's birthday, Oakie will send him or her a birthday card and a coupon for a free pint of Oakhurst milk or juice.

Sophie loved her club goodies. The certificate is taped to her wall. The growth chart is on another wall, and she likes to get measured against it monthly. The bumper sticker is proudly stuck to a box of Lincoln Logs.

Her birthday is coming up, and she's already decided how she'll use her coupon: one pint of "pink" milk. That's strawberry, for those of you older than 5.

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