The economy is still down and lots of vendors are struggling to make ends meet. Enjoy browsing through our website as we have much to offer. I have many honest-to-goodness reviews in here that I have written about many of the shows we have done and I really think that you will enjoy reading. No holds barred!!! (Guide to Show>Reviews>dates)
Some of our newer reviews are the 2009 Ceres Street Fair, Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival, Los Banos Street Fair, and Manteca Crossroads Street Faire.
OUR NEWEST FEATURE. I have just created a FORUM and hopefully we will have a lot of people participating. You can tell about your shows, bitch about promoters or even tell some good stories about some of them. Anything goes. I have created a bunch of topics to get things rolling. So at least, stop by and take a look. And please contribute, okay?
I have added more adventures and misadventures to this website. Click here to read about our encounters with the snotty San Francisco Arts Commission when my wife attempted to get a street artist permit. Cruel.
The remainder of this page is rather lengthy, so if you know where you want to go, go ahead and head for the menu. An excellent place to start is by checking Your Daily Dose. In case you want to continue reading here, I'll just let you know, that I am describing many of our features down below to give you a good overview of what we have here and to give the search engines places to go. They can't read my script menus, so they have to be directed. Enjoy yourself.
I have an upcoming events page that list shows that are coming up. You might want to start things or by reading Your Daily Dose which comprises little tid-bits of information, etc,, on a daily basis. Perhaps you want to grab yourself a Philly Cheesesteak and kick back with a birch beer or a regular beer and enjoy reading what we have to offer. You can tell I'm from back East--- Joisey and MA
I have just added a Product Safety page, which includes information about makers of toys (A&C) begin required to have their products tested for lead. Also, added info about the Rio Vista Bass Festival held in October.
Be sure to check out the Blues Festivals page which is new
and will have many listings in the near future.
ADVERTISING: We are now accepting advertising on this website. Please visit place your ad for info and details.
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In July we are one of the many vendors at the
Mt. Shasta City 4th of July Celebration. Very nice
event with a parade, food, entertainment and of course,
vendors. Here's a shot of the area where we were located.... in
front of famous Mount Shasta. Click image to see larger. |
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The Morning after. Here's a shot of our booth after the rains came at the Chandler Ostrich Fesitval in 2006. The water was a couple feet deep earlier in the morning. Bad show. Never doing it again. Click here and again here to read about what happened there. |
Whiskey Flat Days in Kerville is coming up on Feb 14-18. Check out our review on this event. If you want to check out some real doozies, please read my reviews of the RIpon Almond Blossom Festival at the end of February and the Quartz Hill Almond Blossom Festival in March. These two events qualify for my 'Rodney Dangerfield Can't get no respect' award for 2008.
The Lake Havasu CIty Winterfest is coming up in February; you can read my review from 2008. I have added the International Festival of the Winds, held over Mother's Day weekend and that was a 'doozie' also.
I have gone international with event listings. Check Philippine Festivals. This lists festivals by the month in the Philippines, Many pictures of the islands. We have gone 'world' with our new pages: Ten Best World Festivals of 2009 and European Festivals, which is the most popular page right now.,
We have a numbe of pages on tips for Crafts Fairs, Garage Sales and Flea Markets. We all might learn a thing or two.
Another new page is The Desert Rat which tells about our days of selling at the Tyson Wells Sell-a-Rama each January.
Upcoming Events lists some events that are coming up that I feel would be of most interest. I have entrees for Tucson 4th Avenue Street Fair, Santa's Helpers Art Craft and Gift Faire (Napa), Suisun City. Harbor Plaza Open Market. 5TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY ART AND CRAFT SALE (San Leandro), Quartz Hill Almond Blossom Festival, Pasko Expo (Vallejo), Indio Tamale Festival , Old Town Jubilee (Yuma), The Bok Kai Festival (Marysville), Auburn Mountain Mandarin Festival , Antioch Holiday Craft Fair, San Francisco Crystal Fair, Bass Lake Christmas Tree Lighting arts and crafts fair, Bass Lake Christmas Tree Lighting arts and crafts fair
Visit our 'Guide to Shows' which includes listings of links to shows in California, Oregon County Fairs and events in Arizona. I have a new page dedicated to the dangers of inhaling helium from balloons. If you have younger children, I highly suggest reading this. I am somewhat divided upon the dangers, but I just want to advise you accordingly and provide you with enough information to you to make a decision.
I've added quite a few things to this website. Get yourself on down to the funny farm, which is my effort to amuse and poke fun at issues. Satirical humor. Other new pages include: Dealing with Telemarketers - which describes what to do with those little pests.
Road Hazards describe hazards that I have come across while driving...cars stopped in lanes, tires bouncing in front of me, plywood flying toward my car, etc. I think that you will find these rather interesting as these are things the I have actually encountered while on my way to events. This is why you are supposed to pay your utmost attention while driving. Those extra split-seconds might just mean the difference between life and death.
Also, you can learn how tobacco is picked, etc. back in Connecticut and Mass. where I describe working in the tobacco fields there when I was 15 years old. And that was My First Job.
I now have a lot of reviews included in this website and for many of them, I have been able to include google maps showing their locations. Read about our money-losing trip to the EOS Winery in Paso Robles and also the Monterey Columbus Day Festival and the Richmond Homefront on the Bay.
After you have finished reading this page, I'd like you to stop on over and get 'Your Daily Dose.' You'll need it to get through the day!! I have added a page that lists the Bay Area Flea Markets with info, phone numbers, etc. DeAnza, Laney, Chabot, Coliseum, Ohlone and several more. Very helpful.
Be sure to visit our FEATURES PAGE where each and every page of this website is described, ec. Excellent. This is where you can grasp a good feel for the website.
I created STARVING VENDORS last year through which we can share our experiences and to provide information on many issues regarding vendors and events. Together, we can spread the word about good and bad events and we can laugh or cry together. Sometimes things can get very frustrating and we all just have to hope for the best and ride things out. You probably have noticed that there has been a lot of changes and additions to this website. I have added several new pages that will prove to be quite interesting. I have dedicated a Features page explaining all the pages in the website and you can use it as a guide to see what we have here. I now have a Food and Travel page and will be listing various places to eat and to visit. Check it out. I only have one entry there so far.. The Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich.. and if you come from back east, then you know how delicious these can be. I now have a Philly Cheesteak blog, which has recipes and a whole lot more.
I have added a lot of information, features, etc. I have written quite a bit about events, etc., and we all can take a close look at the realities and the hard, cold, serious facts of doing events. I have numerous reviews of many events...some good, some bad, some totally horrible beyond imagination.
In this website, I make (playful) fun out of a number of promoters, vendors, organizations and I want people to laugh and to fully enjoy reading this website. I am also providing a lot of useful information and if you like tongue-in-cheek, satirical humor, you will find some kind of escape for yourself and laugh along with everybody else...except the sourfaces, who's faces would crack if they ever grinned.. So, take your shoes off, put your feet up, grab a beer and some pretzels or whatever and enjoy yourself.
I am creating a 'Show Guide' which will eventually include listings for Arizona, California and Oregon.
and other areas as well. I have been providing a number of reviews for shows I have done. Enjoy reading about Yuma, the Central Valley Pizza Festival, Oakdale Chocolate Festival, Taking the heat at the Oakdale Chocolate Festival, Orinda Holiday Bazaar, Mt. Shasta 4th of July Celebration, Daly City 14th Annual Fil-Am Festival.
You can read about some of the old shows we have done on the Old Shows page of this website. Listings include the Stockton Barrio Fiesta, Manteca Crossroads Street Fair, the Bok Kai Parade and Festival (Marysville), San Francisco Crystal Fair, the Ripon Almond Blossom Festival,
Festa Italiana de San Mateo, the Delicato Grape Stomp in Manteca, Strawberry Festival in Arroyo Grande, Lockeford Street Faire, Lodi Street Fair, Atwater Fall Festival, Cherry Festival (San Leandro), Lambtown Festival in Dixon, Castroville Artichoke Festival (we shall be returning in May 2009), Brentwood Cornfest, Parker Bluegrass Festival (now in Lake Havasu) and the Tomato Festival in Fairfield,
There are a number of vendors out there who are doing exceptionally well, but those are few and far between. Gas prices have skyrocketed, cutting into our profits and the economy has gone sour, forcing people to hold onto their. The business of doing shows and festivals, etc., is about in the same shape as everything else. Just take a chance and hope for the best.
I just don't know what to do sometimes, but through this website I can bring a lot of issues out in the open and other people will realize 'hey, I'm not the only person who sees this....other people are getting screwed too'.
Please read my reviews and daily logs of the events we just completed in Oregon. Coos County Fair in Myrtle Point, Winchester Bay Oceanfest, Deschutes County Fair in Redmond and the Douglas County Fair in Roseburg.
Additionally, I have include some shows that were real doozies or disastrous in one way or another; Chandler Ostrich Festival, Tucson 4th Avenue Street Fair (Dingwell's sandy and muddy lot)
Check out the review of The Hayward Zucchini Festival. Pittsburg Seafood Festival, Castro Valley Fall Festival, Casa de Fruta A&C Show.
You can also read about Newark Days in California and you can read about out terrible experiences at the Quartz Hill Almond Blossom Festival, just south of Lancaster, CA
I have a number of stories about problems we have had with the wind and you can read about them on the following page: Year of the Wind - Watch out for flying canopies along with stories about the pitiful Vacaville Harvest Days. I have write-ups about The Good Ol Days in Pacific Grove. and the Manteca Street Fair. I have written about problems at the Ripon - Almond Blossom Festival and also tell about the weather at the Ripon Almond Blossom Festival. There were high winds at Harvest Days in Vacaville, winds in picturesque Pacific Grove, Oceanfest in Winchester Bay, OR.
I have some websites and blogs which I think that you people would enjoy. Our main sales on-line is DandL CREATIONS, through which we offer custom-sized hand made shell and semi-precious necklaces, etc. We have numerous products there that we sell also, but I won't go into detail. I have our show listings there and I have reviews for ALL the events I have done for the past 3 years. I have a couple blogs This Ain't Paradise which includes info, etc., about doing shows, etc., with reviews of the BAD SHOWS. Also, I have a number of resources....suppliers, links to shows, listings of places to eat, gas prices, motel info, etc. I think that you will enjoy a visit there.
Check out my BITTER BUSINESS BUREAU and our membership list which includes the Ripon Chamber of Commerce, Lee Baron and the Quartz Hill Chamber of Commerce, Brown's Amusements and the Chandler Ostrich Festival and the Ostrich Chamber of Commerce (whoops, I meant Chandler),Vacaville Chamber of Commerce and Harvest Days, Newark Chamber of Commerce and Newark Days.
Don't forget to check out The News for latest info, etc. on our events in Oregon and the Pink Hat gang of Myrtle Point, OR; the Winds of Winchester Bay and general Vendor info regarding increasing expenses and higher booth fees.
How about some Tales of Woe. I have written about several events that were just total nightmares. There was the ill-fated Chandler Ostrich Festival several years ago when the heavy rains turned the vendor area into a large lake with two feet of water. There was our trip on Highway 126 up in Oregon between Eugene and Redmond, which was a huge problem as we entered the Twilight Zone in the town of Sisters. Had problems with my GPS and it was sending me all over the place. Stopped by a Chevron Gas Station where I was told by the attendant (who pumps the gas) that a lot of people said they had problems also with their GPS.
Read about our nightmare in Tucson and the Fourth Avenue Street Fair where we had to deal with Highway 10 construction, sending us well past our motel exit; unusual rains which created huge puddles and mud near our booth at Dingwell's Lot.
Last but not least was our Memorial Day Weekend 4-day show in South Lake Tahoe. It's so nice to have a show up here when it's sunny and warm, but that was not the case this time. I never experienced so many problems with the weather in all the years we have been doing shows. It snowed. It rained. Strong winds. We had everything for several days and had to leave on Monday because my wife was quite sick. It was cold in that booth with the wind sweeping through. Been told that it can snow anyday of the year up there. I do believe that.
I have created a 'Mini-Review' page on this website which consists of smaller reviews of other shows we have done this year. I have reviews of such shows as the Chabot College Flea Market in Hayward; Cambria Arts & Crafts Show; Hercules Cultural Festival; the Apricot Fiesta in Patterson; the Millers-Y Craft Show in South Lake Tahoe; International Festival of the Winds in Marina; the Ceres Street Fair; Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival; Los Banos Street Fair; Clovis Big Hat Days and The Craft Fair at Casa de Fruta in Hollister, CA
I have a nostagic 'Do you Remember' page now and this describes shows we have done previously, but are no longer in existence..... MID TOWN STREET FAIR, Sacramento SOFA STREET FAIR, San Jose, CA FAIRGLEN ART FESTIVAL, San Jose, Ca FOSTER CITY 4TH of July CELEBRATION, Foster City, CA NEW AGE RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL, San Jose, CA PINOLE SPRING FESTIVAL, Pinole, CA HARVEST DAYS, Vacaville, CA BURRITO BASH, Watsonville, CA VACAVILLE BIZARRE BAZAAR, Vacaville, CA. Some were very good and others..well, they were doozies.
We have added a food & travel section and we have an explanation of The Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich, Locations in Northern California, Central Coast and Southern California where you can get them. Also, we have describe a great location where you can purchase live Maine Lobsters, Beals Lobster Pier (Southwest Harbor, ME) in case you feel like having some of these shipped to you. We have done it several times. Of course, we are in California where we do have an abundance of seafood, but for special occasions, we like to have a real treat.... Beal's Lobster's.