June 19.  After zig-zagging our way through the streets of Martinez, we were able to find the park where this event was being held.  We arrived there around 7:15 and there were already 15-20 vendor's setting up in the large park, which seemingly was a nice venue for an event.  After searching the grounds for our space, we managed to find our spot and began setting up.   By the time we had set up the canopy and the metal grids, there were many other vendor's pulling into the area and preparing to set up their booths.  After emptying everything from our van, I quickly drove away and parked in the lot which was designated for vendor's.

 

The show began at 11:00am but there were a few straggler's that were wandering around a bit earlier.   By the time the show officially started, there were a huge number of vendor's and I was a bit worried about that.  Gosh, this show cost $250 and I could picture a large number of the seller's not making very much money; some would not even make their booth fee's.

 

THE CROWDS WERE LATE IN ARRIVING and it looked like they mostly headed over to the food area.  Sale's were few and far between for us and the other vendor's and I knew that we were in BIG trouble by 1:00pm; as we had only made around $40 by then.  Not good.

 

I HAD SOME KIND OF FARMER'S INSURANCE group in the space beside mine and they were offering an ID program for kid's.  However, we had a problem with these people.  Three people there were soliciting people our in the aisle.  That is a big No-No. They were running in front of my booth and grabbing passer's by.  One of them was standing just to the left of my display up front, visually impairing it.  I've really had too much of this happening over the year's and I have pretty much declared war.  It's unfair and inconsiderate.  You don't see ME running out in the middle of the aisle. I watched people approaching these solicitor's and I can see that they do not want to be bothered and many try to avoid them at all costs as they are distracted away from my booth.  I went to the promoter's of the event and they appeared shortly afterward and curtailed them from doing this.  Uh uh uh.

 

LINESMAN NEEDED  to mark off 10x10 spaces in Festivals and Events.  Promoter's are unable to measure vendor spaces EVENLY and in this show in particular, my space was 10 feet 4 inches wide; my neighbor was 12 feet wide; some were 11 and some were exactly 10 feet.  Crazy.  I paid the same amount for my space that people with 12 feet paid.  By the way, my space at the Zucchini Festival was 8 feet wide (but took care of it).  We need to create a position of LINESMAN and this is to be regulated by the county.  What are these people doing, having the homeless people do it for a cup of coffee?

 

PUNKSVILLE.  Had two 14 year old punks come over to my booth and started playing with my things.  One of them starts giving me the third degree.... "Do you make a lot of money in these shows"  "No.  I don't.  "Is this a good show?"  "No," I said.  And then one kid asks me "What are some good shows that you do?"   "They all have been pretty bad lately."  Then the kid says "If you hate doing these shows so much, then why do you do them?"  I looked at him.  "I never said that I hated doing it.  Actually, one of the biggest problems is that kid's like you come into my booth with no money and no intention of buying things.  They pick up my things and play with them and break them and then they walk on over to the next victim."

 

THE FOOD.  There was a booth across from us selling Garlic Fries.  They were pretty good.  My wife said that they were the best one's that she has ever had.  Pretty much so.  There were long lines at several food booth throughout the day and there were loads of people walking around with beers in their hands.   

 

Violation 345.593a.  I had one of my grids extending a couple extra feet outward and was told to move it back in.  Fined $500 and 60 days in jail.  They were very tight on this.  Gosh, you have this huge park and I am cramped up into a rather compressed 10x10 space.  Why don't they put these booths in quads, where everybody has two sides open.