Royal Craft Show at Castle Farms, September 3rd & 4th, 2011
See those blue skies? Nyet!
Weather is always of topic of concern & discussion. I suspect if one were the only artist putting up a booth--there would still be a lively discussion of the weather! Weather.com along with the iPad makes seeing the future a tad easier, however... It was supposed to be windy Friday night so I did not set up. However it was quite nice. I opted to set up Saturday morning at 7 AM. It was not raining at 7, but it was shortly thereafter. It was cloudy and maybe threatening all day Saturday --Sales were modest, very modest, but OK.
Sunday brought a sunny but coolish day. Nice clouds were in the sky. People were out after a slow church/late breakfast morning for the rising tourists & locals. However, sales were dismal. I'd call it a flipper day. When people do come in they flip the prints 3 or 4 at a time. They are not really looking --they are just flipping --mostly to keep their hands busy.
I meet a lot of very nice & talented vendors along the way. Don Main & his wife are in that bunch. Despite the weather & poor sales I had a very nice time both days chatting back & forth with Don. He AND his wife both make beautiful cutting boards, rolling pins, and wooden stands that sit along side a chair. One of those stands has Don's hand clamped on it in the photograph. They do shows in Michigan in the summer & some in Florida where they live in the winter. All the wood is natural (not stained), and the woods really were very richly colored.
Don Main of Onekama, Michigan
I literally got blown out of the Royal Craft Show last year. I got back Saturday morning after setting up Friday afternoon. The canopy was a tumble. I packed up, went back to the Van Roekels, ate blueberry pancakes, and then went home. I complained to the organizers, not about the weather, but about not being called that my stuff was wrecked--and Oh, by the way maybe you'd want to come up and try to recover your setup and product. They did not. As a result of my complaint they comped me the entry fee for this years show. Appreciated. Sorry, I won't be back. The phrase I heard out of several other vendors was and I quote, "Never Again!" And so it goes. For every one I've crossed off the list there are three or four that are good shows. Unfortunately there is only one way to find out.
The real attraction to going to this show was an excuse to stay with Nancy & Joel Van Roekel. They live down the road along the shores of Lake Charlevoix. I loved the house & grounds before, but now it is just simply impeccable. The house is done, I think. There is the old garage that will go from one story to two. A lot of the landscaping is done, but there is more on that score. Joel never seems short of a project, and there are ample piles of wood or stone here & there that I am sure he will turn into something lovely.
June & David Otis are friends of the Van Roekels. They live down the road a bit on property that includes their house, a gallery, and two workshops. They are both artists - potters. The Otis' gallery is easy to find along 66 south of Charlevoix. Drop by at Otis Pottery 01691 M-66 North, East Jordan. It happened to be a gathering of most of the Otis family for Labor Day. I got the invite to dinner at their house. Great food, but a greater pleasure to meet them all. Nice folks.
I met Edith & Connie last year at the Van Roekels but as I left quickly it was a short interaction. Edith & Connie live in Washington D.C. and I gather have been coming up to Charlevoix for 13 or so Labor Days. Connie & Nancy are good friends. I mention this only as it is always great to meet some new friends. Edith by the way is 80 something and a real stitch. I had a wonderful time getting to know them both a bit better.
Well it does not do Joel's 'cabin' any justice or honor but here is a photograph from the other day:
The planters at Castle Farms had morning glories. I took this photograph. I had lots of time on my hands on Sunday.
