ATWATER FALL FESTIVAL

Saturday, September 25, 2010

 
TO THE VENDORS. When we get around to September of 2011 and you are looking for a show for the last weekend of the month, I would recommend that you just send these people a contribution instead of the booth fee.  I doubt that the economy will have changed dramatically enough for people here to spend money at the event.  People of Atwater just do not support this.  I heard that the 4th of July was good, but this show was pathetic.

Can we end up with two doozie shows in succession?  We did this event once before in 2001 on the weekend following 9-11.  This was a one-day event back then and we didn't do all that bad; not good though.  Fortunately, I had a bunch of patriotic T-shirts back then and people were buying.  They still had money, but their funds would  dwindle over the next several years.

We left home around 5:30 and arrived in Atwater just after sun-up, around 7:00.  After checking in, I had to find a way to drive onto Ralston Park.  The curbs were pretty high and a number of vendor's had to place wooden blocks in front of their path and drive up.  One of the other vendor's lent me some pieces of wood just in case I had to follow suit.  I drove around the park and found an area with no curb at one of the corners and drove up with no problem and continued over to my space.

DID NOT SEE ANY ADVERTISING along Atwater Blvd. or anyplace else. No signage. Maybe there was some but I surely could not spot it.

IT TOOK US AWHILE TO SET-UP and of course we just took our time.  I would say that there were around 100 vendors and it looked pretty much like 'anything goes.'  We had plenty of room all around our booth and I'd have to say that the Chamber of Commerce did an excellent job.  I have done shows in parks before where they have crammed the booths all up against one another.  No reason for that.  They did it right.

I DON'T THINK THAT THE CROWDS were very big.  You did have a number of people out there but it's very hard to determine the actual size of the crowd.  Whatever it was, they sure the hell were not buying.  All throughout the day, I kept thinking about the huge crowds they probably were having at the Pacifica Fog Fest along with a number of vendors making a killing.  Here I was with this conglomeration of Jerry Springer hopefuls, adorned with tattoos all over their bodies, 14-year old girls pushing their baby buggies, Budweiser Beer Bellied Bashers, etc.  Absolutely nobody with money along this entire stretch of Dieway 99.  There are some really nice people around and I will not put them in that category but this is ridiculous.  We spend all day long out there in your hot 97-degree temperatures and a bunch of you couldn't care less.  I think that more people can get their asses up from those sofa's smeared with beer and popcorn and get down and support your local events.  Very poor turnout.  Your local Chamber of Commerce and other organizations put on this fine event for you.   I heard that you people came out for the 4th of July at this same location.  Where the heck is everybody?  This thing is free.

MOTEL 6.  Staying at the one on V Street in Merced.  Went over to Sizzler and had dinner.  Wife and I had steaks, of course, but we ordered the small ones.  They were okay.  While back at the motel, their WiFi service has been down for about a month, but I was able to hook up with one of the local connections.  A bit noisy here because we are on the side with the highway about 50 yards from us.  A couple elephants up above.  Motel Six, what do you expect?

THIS 11-YR OLD chap we will call Joseph Ruffinhouser comes over to me and offers me $5.00 for one of my swords.  I said "no' to the deal.  He tries to throw in this small game cartridge as part of the deal.  "What am I going to do with that?" I asked him.  He then walks around and tries to pawn it off on somebody else.  No way.  He asks mom for three bucks.  Mom says 'no way, Jose.'  He gets a bit mad.  I still say no.  He's gone.  Probably had to go home and eat his chocolate cookies and have some milk and then take his afternoon nap.

DOES THIS PLACE CORNER THE MARKET on blond-colored hair dye.  Large group of Amish ladies here and every one of them has blond hair.  Many other's around here also with blond hair.  Is this some kind of Scandinavian community thing here?  Dunno.  Looked like they (blonds have more fun?) were having more fun anyway.

TOO FAR TO WALK TO the stinky-stalls or other toilet facilities.  Could have been placed much closer with no problem.  No big deal.
 
 

Sunday, September 26

 
WORST DAY OF THE YEAR!!!  THE DAY THEY PASTED THEIR BUTTS TO THE SOFAS AND WATCHED FOOTBALL ALL DAY LONG.

LEFT MOTEL 6 around 8:00 and drove over to get some gas and then went over to Jack-in-da-box and pick up some breakfast stuff. Nothing in Atwater or too far to go. We then drove over to the festival and opened up and ate our food.  I have no idea what time the show started today, but we were ready for action at 8:50.  What action?  Absolutely nobody around.

THINGS WERE MIGHTY SLOW IN THE MORNING and it hardly ever picked up.  The crowds here made Mike Knapp's show in Cambria last Sunday afternoon look like Times Square.  These people in Atwater are disgusting.  They do not come out and support this event.

A FAMILY OF FOUR normal sized people approach the booth.  The daughter, whom we shall name Gladys Strobenhagenster sits down on one of our small stools and then gets up.  Her mother then comments. "If you gain any weight, you won't be able to sit on it."  I looked up and responded.  "No problem.  It'll still hold her if she weighs 300 pounds."  Not too sure if Gladys appreciated the humor.   During the morning I saw a huge guy (Charlie Pantsontheground) with his trousers dropped down to his knees walk by.  Must have weighed close to 450 pounds.  I would have loved to have gotten him on one of my stools for a picture.  Just how do you ask somebody so big to pose for a picture like that. Heck, what do I do if he sits down and can't get up?  He'll block the entire front of my booth.

THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE did an excellent job with what they had to work with.  Unfortunately, there was no entertainment, which was sad.  You have a festival, and you would like to have people come out and sit down for awhile and watch the performances.  With this show, it's just in and out and that's it.  A guy from the Chamber came by to thank us (and everybody else) for coming.  I just looked at him and shook my head.  "I'm sorry.  I know you did everything you could, but I won't be coming back.  People just didn't come out and few people buying."

I GUESS THAT THEY MADE AN ATTEMPT at getting local schools to perform but they were unable to. They couldn't afford any bands or vocalists, etc.  This city is in sad shape.  I think that it has died.  The entire Highway-99 area is terrible.  Seems that a lot of these people are walking around like freaking zombies.

TEMPS WERE IN THE MID 90'S again today, but fortunately we were shaded pretty good throughout the day.

THIS TURNED OUT to be one of my worst days ever.  Only three sales all #&($&@)# day.  Can you imagine that.  There weren't too many vendors around that made much money over the weekend.  I wouldn't be surprised to find out that there were vendor's around that went 0-2.  Zero day.  Zero weekend.  I constantly pictured thousands of people walking down the street in Pacifica at the Fog Festival.  I can hear it.  Cha-ching.  Cha-ching.  Cha-ching.

WE DECIDED TO START PACKING UP AT 2:30.  I originally hoped to get out of there by 4:30.  At approximately 3:04, I saw several trucks had entered the area and people were loading up.  What a nice scene that was.  I quickly walked out onto the street and drove me van up to the corner and entered the park. I pulled up alongside my space and we loaded up.  By the time 4:00 rolled around, which was the time the show was supposed to be over, around one-half of the vendor's were gone.  I guess that speaks for itself.  We were done by 4:10 and I was so glad to leave, with no intentions of ever coming back.  No money here.

SAD TO SAY, there was no BBQ chicken for the vendors this year. Matter of fact, this has previously been a one-day event up until this year.  hasta-la-vista.  Adios, amigos. Sayonara.