Blog

       First, I want to mention one of the highlights of this show, at least for my wife, Lori Huff, and I. On Friday evening we were joined by AFIers Dick Sherer, his wife Jean, Steve Sawusch, and Steve Appel at the Dunraven Inn for dinner. If you’ve never dined at the Dunraven, you don’t know what you’re missing.

Pictured from L to R: Steve Appel, Weldon Lee, Steve Sawusch, Dick Shearer, Jean Shearer, and Lori Huff

Now for the review . . .

City:  Estes Park    State: Colorado

Start Date:  8/31/13             End Date:  9/2/13

Promoter:  Estes Valley Sunrise Rotary

Event Name:  Estes Park Arts & Crafts Show

Weather:  partly cloudy, mornings – cool, afternoons – hot, intermittent rain Sat and Sun afternoons. Fortunately, there was little, to no wind.

Venue:  Bond Park (located in the center of town along Elkhorn Avenue) featuring breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. The park is situated adjacent to the Municipal Court with access to restrooms and water fountains.

General Information

Event Rating. (0 is the worst, 10 is the best)

Sales:  5

       Slow at times for us with sales in the 500 to 1K range. I would guess that most exhibitors experienced decent sales. A few did exceptionally well. However, we    personally did better during the Memorial Day show hosted by the Art Center of Estes Park.

Attendance:  8

       Well attended by locals, out-of-towners, and their dogs, with roughly 100 exhibiting artists.

Enjoyability:  10

       Friendly people and friendly dogs

Public Mood:  10

       Upbeat. Everyone seemed to be having a good time

Buying Power:  7

       At most shows this year, 90-percent of our sales have consisted of (20x30) photographs in the $400 price range. However, this show was different with roughly 40-percent of our sales consisting of items under $100 (mugs, coasters, books, etc.).

Organization:  The show was well organized with volunteers frequently checking on exhibitors to offer their services. Unloading was a snap with set-up taking place all day Friday before the show. A few even set up Thursday evening. If you came early Friday as we always do, you could drive up to your spot and unload. Plus, there was someone there to help in the process. Since it takes us time to break down once the show is over, we were able to do the same thing when loading up to leave. 

     The only thing I would change would be to add a couple of food vendors. However, in all fairness, volunteers would drop by every day, take lunch orders from one of the local restaurants, and then return at lunch with the food. The selections were good and we love dining at the restaurant providing the food. I just prefer a different food selection at art fairs.

     I definitely plan on attending this show in 2014.