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Hello All,

I have not been on much. We are approaching the end of the semester and anxiety levels are going up with students and teachers. We are still preparing for Fernandina in three weeks. A canopy lighting system and portable power are our most immediate need. We have not taken care of the floor covering for our booth either. We walked the Four Bridges show in Chattanooga, TN yesterday. We received some very helpful information from some of the artists. We also saw demonstrations of things to do or definitely not do. Smoking in or around a booth kept me away from at least one booth. I spent too many years in the bar business working in a haze of cigarette smoke, so I do all I can to avoid it now. I would also recommend a few artists work on just being NICE!!!!!!!!. Sherry was ready to buy something from an artist whose work had captivated her. When she went to speak to the artist, the rudeness was an immediate turn off. Sorry about that, I think manners are important. This cost this artist a sale. There were also a few artists whose facial expressions seemed to indicate that they would rather be anywhere else but there. Even on the days I wearily drag myself into class, I still model enthusiasm for my students (read customers). There is a lot to be said for smiling and keeping your sense of humor. Anyway just my two cents from an observers point of view. I do want to say that these negative examples were the minority. Most of the artists and patrons were friendly and seemed to be enjoying themselves

We loved the Four Bridges venue, The organizers and volunteers were friendly and helpful and the show seemed well-organized. Everything being inside the pavilion is also a huge plus. We were too late to apply this year, we definitely will be applying for next year. We did not see a lot of buying, but we arrived shortly after the show opened and we only stayed about two hours.

We also are looking for one or two directors chairs. We would love to have some suggestions on that topic.

So now the question. We are preparing an application for Marietta, Georgia for Labor Day. They are requesting a picture of Sherry's studio. Am I correct to assume they mean the studio she works out of here in Oliver Springs?