Monday, June 19, 2006, 01:18
Three Strikes?
The arts & crafts sale in Amery on Saturday was disappointing, to say the least. One of the other ladies, who was set up as a vendor just across the paved bike path in the park from me, said she has been coming to this sale for years (this year was the 29th annual), and she has never seen it as poorly attended as it was this year. She said in the past, so many people attended the event that is was difficult just to move around.
At first it seemed like a fair number of people were wandering around looking at the booths set up by more than 100 vendors. But then after awhile, I noticed the same people, over and over again. Sometimes they went past my table 3 or 4 times.
The event organizers must have been disappointed, too. They had huge food tent set up -- a place with picnic tables where people could sit and eat and get out of the sun or out of the rain if a thundershower came up. The tent was 3 tents set up together and must have covered maybe a hundred feet.
At any one time, 20 or so people occupied the picnic tables under the tents.
I know the gentleman at the food stand run by the Lions Club was disappointed. He started packing up shortly after noon and left around 1 p.m..
A few other vendors started packing up at 1:30 and left shortly thereafter. The event was scheduled to run until 4 p.m., and I stayed until 4 p.m. After driving 43 miles one way and sitting there for 6 hours -- I sold 3 books. Which was better than the Dairy Days event!
One of the vendors set up next to me said she had talked to another lady who had sold a grand total of $7.50 worth of merchandise for the day.
The gentleman on the other side of me, who made metal bird houses (out of scrap metal it looked like) was disappointed with his sales, too. He was from southern Wisconsin, and he said he doubted he would come back to Amery again. Too far to drive for too little return.
Other vendors mentioned that they had set up the night before and had stayed in a motel overnight. Presumably many of them drove quite a few miles. The gas expense, plus an expense for a motel room -- combined with poor attendance and few sales must have put them seriously in the hole for the weekend.
I'm thinking this is not looking good for the Cheese Curd Festival next weekend in Ellsworth. I would rather not completely lose my $50 entry fee, though, so I suppose I ought to go. The Cheese Curd Festival is a two-day event. If the first day is quite poor, I won't make the trip for the second day. Why waste the gas?
In view of going to the Cheese Curd Festival next weekend, I made another table cloth today. Randy and I went to town and bought a butter yellow double sheet -- and I found some really cute block letters made out of foam. I attached them with velcro.
We set the table up outside and put the tablecloth on it. The wind was strong today, and I wanted to see how the letters stuck on with velcro would hold up. They stayed on quite well. At one point, to keep the tablecloth straighter, Randy grabbed one corner. Didn't help much because then that pulled the other corner down. But still, I was pleased that the letters stayed where I had put them.
Randy also is working on making a sign for me out of plywood painted white with black cow spots (like the cover for *Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam*). He has just started on that though and has only gotten the cow spots painted on.
One of the ladies from the womens' club in Amery (the arts and crafts fair is organized by the womens' club) suggested that I sit by my table and read chapters from my books. Perhaps I ought to invest in a bull horn. I'm afraid the other vendors would probably kick me out. Might be worth a shot, though . . .
Stray Cat -- Of all the things we don't really need around here, it's another stray cat. Poor kitty. It's a gray and white tom cat. And un-neutered tom cat. He has a white bib and a white face and a dark gray nose. Quite attractive. And he seems to like people. He's friendly and bumps and rubs on my ankles. Unfortunately, he is starting to pick fights with my kitty cats. It's not fair that my kitty cats walk outside, get jumped on, and then find themselves in the middle of a cat fight. I have informed the stray tom that if he can't behave himself, we will take him to the humane society (it's a no-kill shelter). I have called around to the neighbors, but he doesn't belong to any of them -- and they don't know where he might belong. I suspect someone dumped him off along the road. That's how the one neighbor said they ended up with their kitty cat. Someone dumped her off on a below-zero night in December. The kitty was crying pitifully, so they let her stay on the porch so she wouldn't freeze to death. One thing lead to another, and now she's their house cat.
LeAnn R. Ralph
Sunday, June 18, 2006, 03:16
Delightful Day
We've had a delightful day here at Rural Route 2. Our iMac crashed, and I have pretty much lost everything. Or everything of certain things, at any rate.
If you are reading this blog and you signed up for my newsletter, Rural Route 2 News, within the last month, please send me an e-mail to let me know that you still want to be on the list.
Thanks!
LeAnn R Ralph
