weather (12)

It’s been a lousy couple of weekends in a row. Riverfront in Columbus, Ohio, was pretty bad with only $175 in sales, and who would have thought St. James would get worse? Hell, not only was it worse, the damn thing spiraled down in flames right through the rain and into the soggy ground. It was one of the worst shows for me in 25 years.

We’ll get the “Nels Stats” out of the way first, though. Set up would have been easy if you showed up early at 11:00 on Thursday morning. I didn’t and neither did half of the artists in the show who showed up about 5:00 in the afternoon, so I and others had about a 60-75 minute wait to go in line from Gaulbert up to Hill Street. After being on the road for about two and a half hours plus starting the wait time, my bladder was working overtime. Several of us folks jumped from the vehicles and hot footed it over to the bar at Gaulbert and Fourth to avail ourselves of the porcelain facility. Thank heavens the bar was open :-)

After we got into the artist zone, the place was packed with vans and trailers, and good luck, which was non-existent, on getting in front of your booth. Out came the carts and you started trollying things to your space and weaving between parked vans. Supposedly we had two hours to unload and set up before moving the vehicles, but by that time, the official set up time was over so you just kept on working. The smart thing was to use shims to level the Propanels, and mine were 2x4 blocks on the first panel from the curb. The curbs are crumbling badly at the edges and the best bet would have been to bring either 2x6 or 2x8 ten foot boards to bridge the curb from the street. There’s a hell of a crown on the street and almost a 6 inch drop from 10 feet out in the street to the drop off at the curb. A ten foot board is just about right to keep everything level. Too bad I didn’t bring mine.

Space behind the booth is ample to set up an awning that can go 7 feet behind the booth. I use adjustable painter poles, 3-axis corner connectors, and a couple of Flourish upper Sta-bar clamps on my EZ-Up to mount an awning frame work. It came in mighty handy when the Great Deluge hit on Saturday. The neighbors to either side had to contend with telephone poles and squeezed inward toward me so there was very little clearance between tents but still enough. Barely. Tubs can be stacked along the retaining wall at the back of the sidewalk or on top of the wall and still leave adequate room to walk through. Signs were out in force, along with pedestals and plastic chains, indicating that only artists and show staff were allowed behind the booths. Didn’t do much good as people still walked back there.

Power is not available unless you find a friendly resident and I assume a reasonable exchange of funds is done and you can plug in an extension cord. One artist about 6 booths further up did that. I brought the boat battery but thought there was enough charge in it. I was wrong and only had about 5 hours operation out of it. Lights are needed as it’s dark under those trees.

Friday showed up nice and clear, and people were wandering the show about a half hour early. Crowds picked up a little but not the hordes I’ve seen in past years. The TV stations were telling everyone to go on Friday or go on Sunday when "bargains would be available”. If someone can find that WAVE-TV dumbass reporter, be sure and pimp slap that twit until her ears ring. That kind of crap we can all do without.


I had a smallish number of people come into the booth, relative to the numbers out in the street. I had lots of oohs and ahhs, and compliments on my "eye". At least no one asked what camera I used. Unfortunately, no one bought anything on Friday despite that being rumored to be the best day. I guess they were planning to come back on Sunday and try to get that "deal" the TV station was talking about. Luckily I was staying with relatives and had supper with them or I would have been tempted to drown the disappointment of a zero day with excessive amounts of alcohol. Those compliments may be nice, but there is no currency conversion rate to turn them into bucks in the bank.

Saturday rolled around, and I left early in order to get a close parking spot again. Turned out to be a very good idea the way things turned out. Low lying areas were fogged in as we drove in from the south side of the county. That was a harbinger of bad s**t to happen later that day. We get in early, I set up the rear awning and wrap a couple of extra side tarps around the sides and back of the awning and close it in. Damn good thing as a few hours later it started to rain. And rain. Then rain some more. People were out with umbrellas. Some were wearing trash bags. Some were just wet. I still wasn’t selling anything. Finally someone comes in and asks if I had a small print of a larger framed piece I had. Nothing in the flip bin, but I did one out the print box I keep in the back. Sold it as is, no matte, tossed it a bag with a foam-cor backer for $20. That was my sole sale at St. James this year. A grand whopping $20. Damn, just kick me for good measure.

This was to be my make or break year at St. James. It’s broken; I ain’t going back. No way in hell. The staff and volunteers are great, they bend over backwards for the artists, I’ve got no complaint with them. I wish they ran other shows I’ve been at. I do other shows in Louisville and do much better with a lot less expense. My local relatives, who used to live in the middle of Old Louisville where the show is, tell me the show has become too unwieldy and large, and it’s difficult because of the size to find specific art you’re interested in. The cachet of finding something at St. James seems to be for lower end price points according to them. I don’t know, as all I know is first year was break even, my sales went up the second year and made some profit after all was said and done,and  last year I lost money although not as much. This year marks one of the worst shows in 25 years for me.

The crowd, for whatever reason, is not my crowd. My prices are middle of the road, not the lowest and not the highest, and it does sell occasionally. Damn near getting skunked is not a pleasant experience, and the time has arrived to pull the plug on it. Unlike other shows that did poorly, I can’t point a finger at the promotion or the way things were run. What I do and the prices I ask just don’t seem to be the right fit for this show. I read earlier on a thread that was deleted that several people had very good shows, and there are always some people who will do very well just as some are going to do poorly. If I’m going to do poorly, don’t count on me to be back very often. I may be stubborn but I’m not stupid.

I ran into one artist who was a prior customer at another show who is now doing art shows himself. He said this was his make or break year for the show, and I talked to a few others in the same situation. I chatted with another artist at tear down who was stuck in traffic in front of my booth and she related it was a poor show for her and she won’t be back next year either. It all makes sense when part of the promotion on the TV stations included information about how there were many new artists. Yeah, no kidding, I think I know why.

Now for the rest of the story. It rained off and on all during the day. The water started flowing in the gutters and started rising just like the Ohio River during the Great Flood of 1937. First there were trickles, then the water started running fast in the gutters. The drains couldn't keep up. People were still out there walking the show. What I did observe is that few of them would flick their heads from side to side to check out the booths; they just seemed to be on a mission to go somewhere and it wasn't in the booths. More than once, I overheard conversations about having to hurry up so they can “see” the rest of the show. My gut feel is that the show has become a social event where you see and be seen.

The rain kept coming down, the water started getting higher and pretty soon it was at least 5 inches and deeper as it lapped up over the curb and started back on the sidewalk. It reached about 7 feet from the curb up into the street, leaving only about 3 feet of “dry” pavement in the booth. The west side of the street was even worse with the water reaching 3-4 feet out in front of the booths.

The artist next to me said that several artists further up on the street were talking about pulling out that night because of low sales and conditions. That turned out to be a moot point as about 3:15 or so we got word from the volunteers to shut down at 5:00 and tear down with Sunday being cancelled. By that time several booths around us had already dropped their fronts and were closed, presumably with tear-down taking place inside. We started about 3:45 taking down prints and drying out a couple of tubs that weren't as water proof as I thought they were. Sunday was supposed to be high winds, heavier rain, and lightning. Given that forecast, it was a good call. There was a nice period where the rain stopped and we got a lot of stuff carted to the van over on Hill.

As neighbors left, we were able to get the van in and finish tearing down the tent. The last part was in the rain although everything was packed except the tent frame and the top. No way in the devil was I going to fold that John Mee top with the rain coming down, so I had the bright idea to collapse the frame, lift the back corners and start rolling the top like a giant jelly roll. I’ll be durned if it didn’t work and that sucker was taken down in a couple of minutes, folded over, and crammed in the back of the van. Woo-hoo, we were out of there. Sorry to say, but I won’t be back.

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Here are some photos I took about mid-afternoon, just before the water reached the high point. The view is from booth 625, a little bit north of Belgravia and is looking north. The black lines are not carpeting but are the water line inside the booths. Notice that a couple of booths are already closed.

8869127272?profile=original

8869127855?profile=originalThis next picture is looking south toward Hill Street, still on 4th Street and from booth 625. There's another booth closed up

8869127883?profile=original

I've got one more show this year, and it's about 6-7 weeks off. I've got time to do some thinking about improving prsentation and getting some new ideas worked out. Next year is gonna be a strange one as I might as well stretch and have some fun with what I'm doing.

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Preparing for a possible overnight storm

Have a show across from a beach next weekend. First outdoor show with a tent. I have been reading some of the horror stories of artists returning for their second day only to find a storm or heavy wind ripped through while they slept and now everything is in shambles. My question is, if you are informed and keep abreast of the weather, and know that the night might bring something bad, have any of you ever closed up completely, taking everything with you, including your tent, and just set up lock stock and barrel the next morning? It seems that as much work as that might be, wouldn't it make sense to do that instead of leaving it all to chance?

Also, by the same token, if the morning seemed grand but now it's noon, and you begin to hear or see rumblings that a storm is brewing, have any of you closed down and taken everything away with you in the middle of the day?

I realize that there isn't always time to do this, but it also seems that sometimes there is actually enough time to get it all together and get the heck out of there, including your tent - EZ Up or not.

I have heard that some artists completely lower their tents at night as much as they can, dropping certain things to the ground to lessen the danger of a sudden rain storm or wind gust might incur. Do any of you do this?

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This business keeps you humble.

Coming off two strong weekends in Rehoboth Beach, I was eagerly awaiting this past weekend's Seawall Art Show in Portsmouth, VA.  Rarely have I seen more positive "buzz" among artists for a show's pre-event communications, ease of setup and parking, and the immense respect artists are accorded during the event. 
And the weather forecast, viewed three days out, looked fantastic: clear skies, temps around 80.  I had every reason to think this would be a solid show, one that would help me gauge the suitability of the Tidewater area for my bird photography.

And the show delivered on all the aforementioned amenities, from being welcomed at check-in like I'd done the show for twenty years, to the high quality of art surrounding me on all sides, to the tasty artists' Saturday-night dinner under the oaks at the art league headquarters, and a solid awards program (up to $5,000 for best in show). Pro-active, helpful volunteers everywhere you turned. Friendly, accessible show director (Earlene Lampman, perhaps the friendliest, warmest person I've ever met on the circuit).  A pretty setting, right along Portsmouth's historic waterfront.  From that perspective, the show was a complete home run.

And then, there was the weather.

Hurricane Irene caused the show to be cancelled entirely in 2011 (and, in keeping with its reputation for treating artists well, the show refunded $100 of the booth fee). Nothing like that this year, but I couldn't help but wonder if TS Isaac, which was churning things up 1000 miles to the south, might have had something to do with the revised forecast, which began heading downhill on Thursday morning.  Each successive update pumped up the possibility of rain another notch.  By Friday night setup, the next-day forecast called for a 70% chance of rain Saturday, and 40% Sunday. 

Skies were only overcast during early Saturday morning prep, but minutes before the show opened the squalls started rolling in from the south.  Then, thunder.  As I was rolling up the front flap for the third time within 45 minutes, a volunteer came by to announce the entire area was under a tornado warning, and everyone should seek cover in the parking garage. 

Well, the twisters never materialized, but the roiling skies sure were a buzz-killer.  Hardly anyone came on Saturday, even though the clouds began clearing around 1:30 and the day ended in sunshine.  Shoshana Matthews (AFI member and Sunshine Artist reviewer)  told me early Sunday morning that the area surrounding the show had experienced even heavier rains and flooding than what we got, and people had difficulty getting out and around even after the storms had passed.

Sunday wasn't much better, unfortunately.  Although it only spritzed occasionally during show hours, there were again squally showers and occasional rumbles of thunder all around us, and the hoped-for Sunday buying crowd never materialized.  Those that came out weren't spending money, and not just with me.  The long-time veterans of the show (and there were many) with whom I spoke reported that sales were off two-thirds or more from their usual take. 

Because crowds were so sparse and the weather so rough, it's difficult for me to draw a conclusion about the show demographics.  Perhaps people would have bought more had they not had to carry artwork in the rain; perhaps not.  But if you strolled about the historic downtown area, it was hard to miss the number of shuttered businesses and restaurants.

I had two sales all weekend--one medium-sized canvas and an 11x14 print on Saturday; I zeroed on Sunday.  And
 as a final flip-o'-the-finger from the weather gods, a half-hour rainstorm rolled in as we all broke down (an hour early) around 4 PM, giving us all the immense pleasure of a wet load-out.  Yech.

The saving grace for the weekend was that I won the show's Morris Award for mastery of my medium and a  nice check during the Saturday-night awards dinner.  And, of course, forging a few new friendships among the artists and the local arts community--which, judging by the quality of work I saw during the weekend, is thriving if not exactly blessed by the weather gods.

I'll post the entire awards list when I get it.

Show link: www.seawallartshow.org

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Noodles??

I have a show this weekend where the weather is "iffy" rain-wise.  I've seen mentions of using "swim noodles" in the roof of the tent but never having seen these used, I have no idea what you're supposed to do with them.  Flotation devices in case the water gets that high??

Cassandra

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Did the weather "get" you this year?

A few of the art fairs I attend entertained record temperatures this year, the Ann Arbor Art Fairs and Arts, Beats and Eats in Royal Oak, MI, much to everyone's disappointment as it impacted attendance and subsequently possibly the sales, but what do you make of this? I'm sure you know of the historic drought in Texas, so severe that cattle were killed because they could not be fed and watered. What happened in Houston this weekend just in time for the Bayou City Arts Festival? It rained.

What next folks?

I predict the Tigers will win the World Series and the Detroit Lions will win the Super Bowl! And while they're at it the U-Michigan Wolverines may as well be at the Rose Bowl!

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It's a sad commentary on my state of mind, perhaps, that I started to post this with a show date of "July 20-21" before catching myself.  When you aren't sure what month it is, it may be time to go home and take a few weeks off!

I wish I were able to.  But alas, the "Northeast Extension 2011" from Fort Myers, FL continues, and so do the bills...so I can't help but be a little testy about this past weekend's visit to Collingswood NJ.

Not that the show sucked.  And not that it was great, either.  The source of my ire is that I only saw the first act of the two-act play, thanks to some dire forecasting by the weatherman. 

Act 1 was reasonably OK: Saturday morning dawned sunny and not too clammy, at least, for August in the Philly suburbs.  It was only a 15-minute drive from my Extended Stay motel in Mt. Laurel, and upon arrival the local cops had the area nicely cordoned off.  Although I didn't see the promised volunteer who would direct me to my space, a patrolman and an artist who'd done the show previously made it easy to find.

The booths run back--to-back for about five blocks along the center of Haddon Avenue, logistics which lend this show  a unique choreography: Per the show instructions, you drive alongside your (nicely marked) space by 6:45 am and unload onto the sidewalk, then park your vehicle in one of two nearby lots and walk back to your space.  Setup, we were told, begins at 7 and not a moment before (this gives artists' vehicles a chance to exit through the normal driving lanes).  Then, at 7, you move your stuff off the sidewalk and set up in the center of the street. (I was wondering if, at 7 AM, someone would fire a starter's pistol or ring the Liberty Bell, or something.  Would there be a prize for the first artist to spring back from his/her tent, hands in the air, with the setup complete?  But I digress.)

The plan worked pretty darn well.  A few folks had begun setting up early, and a few artists ignored the instructions that said that if you arrived after 6:45, you'd have to dolly in from the parking lot.  One artist on my block arrived just before 8 AM and drove right along the curb, nearly running over several of my tent poles. But all in all, one of the easiest setups I've had all summer.

Saturday crowds were respectable, though hardly elbow-to-elbow, at least until 1 PM when it started getting hot.  Although no one was buying big, they WERE buying, at least from me, and from a purveyor of metal sculpture fashioned from rods of some sort (think metallic "art on a stick").  Although the crowds were appreciative, they were buying small: 8x10 and 11x14 mats, mostly, and there was little conversation about the more expensive gallery wraps.  My neighbors, who offered an interesting, though not inexpensive, array of canvas paintings as floormats, zeroed out on the day, and my neighbors on the other side (a fine jeweler and a glass artist) weren't raking it in, either.  All of us were hoping for better sales on Sunday.

But it wasn't to be--which brings me to my earlier rant about the weather forecast. 

At some point between Saturday morning and the weathercast on Sat night's 11 PM local news, the forecasters amped up the intensity of the Sunday forecast.  The 40% chance of thunderstorms morphed into "60% chance of severe storms...with possibility of hail and wind gusts of 50-60 mph."  Which completely changes the equation for us artists, especially after seeing some of the carnage from some of the recent AFI posts. 

Sunday hours were scheduled short, 11 AM to 5 PM, so I opted to get some early morning work done on my website and keep an eye on the forecast.  The 9:30 AM forecast hadn't changed, so I gritted my teeth and drove over to the show, where I found several of my neighbors in the parking lot comparing radar screens on their iPhones and shaking their heads glumly. 

"Storms are coming sometime between 10 and 11, and then again between 2 and 3," they said, confirming what I'd heard before I left the hotel.  "W e're packing up."  At that, dark clouds began to loom just to the southeast, and thunder rumbled.  After some commiseration, I walked up to a couple of the police officers, who'd heard the same thing from their captain, who was in a golf cart nearby. Asked the captain if he'd talked to the show organizers.  Yep, he said.  "There was some talk that they'd close the show around 3, but nothing was decided."   Given the forecast, a 3 PM shutdown would make it safer for the patrons, but wouldn't help the artists, and might put them right in the crosshairs of the worst weather.   

So I did the math:  60% chance of storms. Some chance that they'd have gusts up to 50-60 mph.  Some chance that if that happened, even with a Trimline and a foul-weather game plan, I'd have some work damaged.  Multiplied by the fact that I am 1,000 miles from my Florida home, and anything damaged would take me three weeks or more to replace...and in the meantime, I had 4-5 more shows to do up North. 

And so, for the first time in my show career, I packed up early.  And as if to taunt us early departers, the skies cleared by 11 AM, with hardly a drop of rain.  But by that time, of course, I had dollied most of my work to my van; by noon, the tent was disassembled, and by 12:30, the sun blazed hot on my van as I strapped my tent poles to the roof.  I decided to seek out the promoter to explain why I was leaving (she completely understood, so they're won't be a "penalty" if I decide to apply next year).  Then, I strolled the show for a few minutes to say good-byes.  I'm guessing that maybe 20 artists left early. And I couldn't help noticing how light the crowds were.  Who knows how many residents saw the forecast and stayed home?

I grew up in the Philly 'burbs, and I know that thunderstorms there are notoriously fickle.  Sometimes they wither and die; sometimes they move in unexpected directions.  And sometimes the dire forecasts, sadly, are right. 

So, despite the fact that my hotel room was only 10 miles away, I don't know to this moment if the forecasters were right or wrong, if the show closed early, or if the crowds took a second look at the skies and ventured forth to make it a successful day.  I know only that I've got a vague feeling of an opportunity lost, and I can't help feeling a bit like I--and the other artists who stayed, and the folks who cancelled their plans to attend--all might have gotten screwed by the forecaster. 

I'm 100% content with my decision.  But I'm curious: How much stock do you place in forecasts?  What do you see as a bigger threat: wind or rain?  And how much does the distance you've traveled to do a show weigh in your decision to stay or go? 

And, if you were at the show:  How WAS the weather, anyway??

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Do you insure your art work?

With the weather calamity that just happened at Columbus, I just got thinking about the loss of work and how to recover from that.  Besides the psychological effects, I wonder how many artists are able to recoup losses if they are insured.  CERF helps out artists and is a great organization to contribute to.  Have you ever had to file a claim or ask for assistance after a weather disaster?
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Well, we art show exhibitors quickly learn about how to deal with the vagaries of Mother Nature. Rain, cold, heat, high winds...I've seen 'em all...or so I thought.  But I never expected to have to deal with swarms of "Love Bugs".  And while it's important to keep things in perspective, given the ravages of tornadoes through Alabama this past week, there's no doubt that these amorous insects put the kibosh on festivities--and sales--this past weekend. 

For those of you who don't live in the South, "love bugs" are medium sized insects--a little bigger than fireflies (which they sort of resemble), and 'way smaller than locusts (which also travel in hordes).   What makes them unique is that...hmmm, how to put this, exactly?...once they get it on, they can't get it out.  So they live the rest of their lives (up to a week or so) oddly conjoined, splattering on auto windshields and everything else in their path. 

According to my Internet sources, they're attracted most by four things:

1) White surfaces

2) Asphalt

3) Heat

4) Nectar

 

All of which made the unfortunate artists and patrons of Howard Alan Events' Siesta Fiesta this weekend pretty much Ground Zero for the little #%*(@s.  Although both days dawned with surprisingly cool temperatures and low humidity for this time of year in Florida, temperatures heated up quickly both days, and by 11 a.m. the bugs started coming in waves.  Although a few of the artists I spoke with eked out a decent Saturday, most did not...and by early afternoon bugs outnumbered customers by, oh, several orders of magnitude. 

At the end of a long, long day--this is perhaps the toughest setup in the HAE stable of shows, with tents back-to-back along the center of a single long, narrow street, necessitating long, repeated dollys--we scraped bug residue off our vehicles and headed wearily to our hotel rooms, hoping that stiff breezes and clouds would  miraculously save our Sunday. 

Alas, Day 2 brought both more of the same (sun, bugs) and less of the same (sales).  For whatever reason, the critters seemed especially dense in my area most of the day, but no one was immune. By lunchtime bugs were rampant--on jewelry, on artwork, crawling in the browse bins, and shrouding the seas of white canopies.  Customers and artists valiantly tried to conduct business, but it was pretty much futile. Artists were surrendering their tents to the flying armies, and customers (if they entered the tents at all)  wouldn't browse the bins.   When I did make a sale, I had to sweep them off my invoice pad to write up the order. In mid-afternoon I was spotting handkerchiefs tied around faces to keep the bugs from getting swallowed. 

Never was 5 PM more eagerly anticipated.  Breakdown was surprisingly cheerful and efficient, given the extra work everyone had to clear the intruders off their artwork and canopies.  (The bugs are acidic--so as to be distateful to birds that would otherwise munch 'em--and it's important to get that glop removed as soon as possible.) 

We were about halfway through breakdown when Mother Nature had one more surprise in store--a pretty strong, but thankfully brief, dust devil that swirled up from nowhere and targeted my tent and about a half-dozen others nearby, flipping my neighbor's E-Z Up into the air and capsizing my canvases stacked on browse bins, pinwheeling my blue 10x10 tarp to parts unknown, and scattering some jewelry and artwork in at least two other tents.   Folks reacted quickly to hold down what they could, and luckily, there didn't seem to be any damage.  And as I finished packing, I thought about last week's Tuscaloosa twisters and decided to count my blessings. 

Yes, the show was an ill-timed financial disaster, and I'll be scrambling to get the mortgage and insurance paid this week.  But the tent and the vehicle will be clean again by Monday night, and  I've still got a home and a livelihood.   And as I drove home, I was really proud to be an outdoor artist, and prouder still of everyone else at the show, who just did what they could, and what they had to do, with a minimum of complaining and a lot of humor. 
8871872491?profile=original(Check out the jewelry counter and the canopy behind my neighbor Brenda)

 

8871872684?profile=original(By midday on Sunday they were all over the browse bins.  If only I'd used black
mats, I might have avoided this problem!) 

 

8871872901?profile=original(I'm not sure if my neighbor Dave is ducking to get out of their way, or
attempting to clean them off the white pole)

 

8871873272?profile=original(The final straw--they were attracted by the citrus in
my unopened bottle of Gatorade!)

 

 

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I was able to get into this local show on very late notice. This was the first year for the Windsor show and the committee that put the show together gets kudos from everyone I talked to about the smoothness of the operation, how they took care of everyone with multiple volunteers bringing water and snacks, a great reception on Saturday night and a solid organization.


















<1. Roy Schneider was absolutely correct in Jaws when he said 'You need a bigger boat'. Weights and a top line tent are critical.
<2. We were allowed to stake down in addition to weights. In fact we were encouraged by the organizers to do so. That's right! The locals know their weather and had clearly checked with the park on sprinkler line layouts. I did and so did my neighbors.
<3. It looks like there is safety in crowds. Only the one end tent appeared to be damaged in the main group. I was on an east end and we were really swaying for awhile. There was 30 ft gap to my east and then a jeweler with a Trimline that rode out the fury unscathed. (Note to self: Don't take a ridge line. She was located up there and asked to move on setup day). One of flimsiest, saddest looking, blue topped ez-up which should have blown away with a sneeze came through unscathed. It was in the pack and had what looked like 90 lb massive concrete blocks on each corner.
<4. If you have an iPhone, iPad, laptop or other device that you can look at weather maps learn how to use it and get to some of the excellent radar sites available. WeatherUnderground, Intellicast, NOAA, FAA weather. Can help give you an early warning.



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With all the weather predictions indicating a disastrous outcome to the Rockport Art Festival, the hurricane played out just in time for a breezy but delightful event. Being my 1st time to show here, I was told that the crowds were down but most vendors had adequate though not spectacular sales. I saw a lot of driftwood bird sculptures leaving with customers and my neighbor sold a large painting along with several small ones. Mainly, all were just happy that they made expences and weren't washed out by storms.
The event is very well organized, water delivery is constant, and good food is served to vendors for a Friday night dinner buffet and Sunday morning taco breakfast. They even had air conditioned portable toilets! No complaints with their organization for the entire show. I paid extra for an electric outlet as I was told a fan was almost a have-to and I added some lights to my booth, but the outlet didn't work at first, and they immediately got in an electrician in and fixed it.
The only strange part of this show is the tent set up. Four long, narrow tents are arranged in a square. Vendors have one 8x10 half, the other half is used for a covered customer walkway, so your display must be freestanding. On the open side across from your booth, you are allowed to set up your tent facing the walkway. So if you take advantage of the extra space, you have to bring extra display equipment. You'd also want to bring plenty of tie-downs as you are right on the water's edge and the wind can get pretty stiff even without a hurricane.
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Heavy Rains Threaten 2010 Festival

Shreveport, LA -- October's Red River Revel As artists we are very aware of the impact weather has on our incomes. A while back a friend's new boy friend was heard to mention that he had recently learned that The Weather Channel was as important as CBS and NBC as a source of news. No surprise to any of us! But have you thought of how the weather impacts the organizations putting on the event? This fall the 34th Annual Red River Revel was held in the midst of 20 inches of rain for the month of October, "the wettest on record. Water flooded dozens of homes and forced evacuations throughout northwest Louisiana," reports TheTownTalk.com. What this means to the festival is that revenues were down considerably and they are being challenged to make this up to keep the 2010 festival on schedule. “As one of the nation’s longest running outdoor arts festivals, we are proud to say that when it comes to festivals, THE REVEL REIGNS! This year, The REVEL meant RAIN,” a Dec. 4 letter from the Revel governing board states. “The financial losses this year are nothing less than staggering.” I have spent time with the festival's organizer, Kip Holloway, at NAIA Director's conferences and know him to be totally devoted to his city and its premier festival. Read the rest of the story here.
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How cold can Florida be?

OMG -- I hope you are not doing an art fair in Florida this weekend! Here are two reports on the January 9 and 10 Cape Coral Art Festival: Visitors come out for fair despite weather Cape Coral Draws about 10,000 Does anyone have a report on Beaux Arts in Coral Gables? How about Dunedin or Boca Fest? How about some tips on how to stay warm outside when the weather has other ideas?
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