Follow Up of the Art in the Orchard Festival

The Art in the Orchard Festival last week was a success! I survived the heat (90+degrees), the wind and the porta-potties. I also sold 60 bracelets at $10 each, so my investment in beads over the last 6 months was repaid to my Visa account! Yea!

There were 75 booths arranged around the perimeter of a grassy field. From the parking area for visitors, booths lined the walkway to lead folks down a little hill right to the field. The visitors were mostly families with small children so it was quite a parade of shaded strollers, assorted wagons and backpacks coming past our booth. Luckily, a few of my local friends stopped by to say Hello, gave me hugs and even bought bracelets…just the confidence boost I needed!

Toni’s crafts of various framed pieces (collages…or “assemblage art”) were lovely unique pieces along with many items made with all sorts of sparkly beads drew people into the booth.

A favorite piece that made everyone smile was this mosaic table:

My table was right by the entrance and did not take up too much space. Folks were either interested or they weren’t. I certainly learned a lot about how to “sell” the bracelets. My best customers were young people who already had several bracelets of some kind on their wrists. Even older adult women were interested…often they were already wearing various bracelets. All of the people who stopped by seemed to be drawn to certain colors and would begin shuffling through the bags of bracelets in the baskets.

This was my opportunity to suggest they find out what size would fit so their search was more focused. My set of “tester” bracelets really helped break the ice and t hey didn’t feel I was pushing them to buy. Then I showed them the tags that each had that described the stones and what they mean. I’m glad I had the printout with the whole list of stones I use and their meanings so they could take it home.

My camera must be tilted…it makes the small look bigger than the large!

Over the three days of the festival, we watched a guy make a huge sand tractor with a basket of apples…appropriate for our location…Way Fruit Farm is surrounded by apple trees!

A huge sand pile was dumped in the middle of the field. We weren’t sure what was going to happen with it. Kids played in the sand pile the first day. On Day 2 most of the sand had been shoveled into a wood framework and was being soaked with water. The leftover sand was enjoyed by kids nearby. By the end of the third day, the finished display was impressive. (You can see our purple tent on the right across the field. We had to walk up the hill to see the side he was working on.)

After three days of the festival, we were exhausted and grateful that we didn’t have to clean up after a rainstorm. Packing up was easy for me…all my stuff fits in a small bag. Toni had a much bigger job because she brought the tables, tent and bins of her art. Thank goodness the young man and his friend in the booth beside us was willing to help us load up everything in Toni’s car. Whew!

Of course, being away for three days just as the beans were ready to pick was frustrating. I managed to get out there early yesterday and today to get them picked. No wonder farmers don’t get a summer vacation!

My lasting memory from this festival will be gratitude that there are others interested in my gemstone bracelets. Besides pretty colors, the descriptions that say the stones help you sleep or lower your stress level were interesting to many. It’s kind of like putting a Native American Dream Catcher in a child’s room to help ease nightmares. I need to get better at explaining how to set an intention to experience what you need.

So that’s my experience with my first Arts Festival! If you frequently go to festivals like this, be kind to the vendors…they have invested time and money to make lovely things for you to enjoy!