Bits 'n' Pieces

R.I.P., Patrick - You made my life richer!

My heart goes out to Patrick Swayze's family and friends. He put up a valiant fight and made the best of the time he was here with us. His legacy will live on for many years. I might need to sit back and watch Roadhouse or Ghost tonight in his honor. I, for one, will miss him.

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As I always have a few mini-subjects stock piled that I want to share, I've gathered a few up for tonight's post. Hope you enjoy them.

Did you hear about the guy who robbed a bank just as an excuse to get away form his wife? In Ephrata, PA (near Lancaster), a man expressed a desire to end his marriage in 2007 but his wife threatened suicide if he did. A compassionate man, he robbed a bank instead in hopes of getting a jail sentence, and, in that way, to get away from her. Well, he got his wish, two-fold. He was sentenced to 3-6 years for armed robbery (he used a BB gun) on Monday and his wife divorced him within the last few months. She didn't want to be married to a criminal!!

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How about some trivia? We've all heard the stories about miners taking canaries into the mines to act as CO detectors since the toxic gases tend to build up in those tight confined spaces. The fact I never heard until tonight, was that the birds' respiratory systems adapted to the gas and the miners would pass out before the birds did! So much for those tales of super bird heroes!! I wonder how many canaries lost their jobs when this scandal broke! (Shot the heck out of PETA's arguments there, too.)

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Okay, now something for your tummy -
I ordered a "Cajun Sausage" from a festival vendor last week. It sounded good and I expected something like a nice grilled andouille. Instead, it was a regular, decent quality mildly spicy sausage link that was laid in the roll, had some somewhat salty Cajun seasoning sprinkled over it and some sauteed onions plopped on top. Not what I had in mind but fairly tasty.

Of course, that got my mind working. Since andouille is often hard to come by in this end of the woods, I liked the concept and may very well try this on my own with some changes. I would try a little better quality spicy sausage, some salt-free Cajun seasoning (I make my own), a true Trinity of onions, peppers and celery (the basis of many a Cajun dish) and maybe even a remoulade sauce poured over the whole thing. I may even try this next week with our beach crowd. I'll have to let you know how that goes over.

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At the same festival, I came across a really unique photography technique. The artist had managed to maintain really vivid coloring in his prints which featured extremely simplistic subjects against very plain backdrops - single flowers, leaves, food, fish, etc. He then enlarged them well beyond life-size and developed a system of printing the pics onto artist's canvases. It gave them the effect of an original oil painting! He did have to keep after folks not to touch the framed pictures as customers just felt compelled to feel the texture of the canvas. Almost everyone asked "How'd you do that?" To which he replied, "It's magic!"

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That's all for tonight, folks !!!

New friends through crafts

We spent the afternoon at a small, local Parks & Rec festival. This is a small, tight-knit community located along one of the local creeks and very close to the Chesapeake Bay. They have put on this three-day event for a number of years now in the waterfront community park where the kids play all their various sports. The money raised supports the work of the rec council.

The music was, as usual, terrific. One of the local bands we follow normally plays this event on Friday night but due to a schedule conflict they played this afternoon. Normally a 5-piece group, they were a trio today but still put on a great show of popular 60's, 70's and other well-known tunes. The crowd was swaying and singing along with the band. They were followed by a popular local band that's known for great country entertainment. Unfortuantely, due to other comittments, we needed to leave before they were set up. The evening band, anchored by the local mail carrier, is an always popular show so folks were already anticipating their performance, too.

The weather today was beautiful, bright blue skies with fluffy white clouds, a big improvement over the wash out on Friday and the drizzle all day yesterday. We made a new friend with one of the crafters today who told us they had a great crowd yesterday considering the weather. Although this was her first time selling here, she is local and is familiar with the normal crowds here. I thought today's crowd was a little thin but then the Ravens had their opening game for the season today. I can safely say I saw a flood of purple Ravens shirts but absolutely no Chiefs fans wandering around !

There were only two true crafters there and both were more "Loving Hands" type as opposed to true professional booth displays. Both are retirees trying to make a few extra bucks. Their prices were very reasonable and they were making sales. (Please understand, I have nothing against "Loving Hands" work. I buy a fair amount of their wares myself. I merely mean, I didn't gain any great display ideas or such from them.)

The first booth has been at this event for several years now. A retired couple creates handpainted, wooden cutouts of popular licensed characters ranging from 6" to about 2' in size and also does beautiful, detailed handpainted plaques featuring local lighthouses and other coastal landmarks and sights. They also make basic-style, handpainted birdhouses. Their work is expertly done and beautifully painted. In my opinion, the latter two lines are what they should be pushing. They do these very well and they are definitely priced to sell. If they eliminate the licensed characters and spruced up the display a bit, I believe they would have no trouble getting into a larger juried show. I'm just not sure if they could handle that kind of sales volume.

The second, our newest friend, was the sweetest elderly lady (based on our conversation, she must be close to 80!) She was doing this show completely on her own without any assistance! In our quest for a spot of shade, we ended up sitting our chairs fairly near the back of her booth.

The booths were set up along the inside edge of a pavilion and at one point, we noticed her chair was somewhat precariously perched on the edge of the concrete slab and she would most likely fall backward in the foreseeable future. The Big Guy jumped up and helped her resituate the chair which opened our line of communication.

We discussed craft shows and learned this was her first "real" show. Her merchandise was varied including some small stuffed toys, beaded animals, fabric angels, handtowels with crocheted hanging tops, plastic needlepoint items, some small novelty items, and more. All of the items were made by her. She's been a busy lady! She was making a number of sales (I feel her prices are quite low) and was very happy with the volume. The Big Guy learned her husband is retired from the same company he's about to retire from so they discussed the state of the company (at one time the largest employer in the county). As she was alone, I offered to make a food run for her and, before we left her, she made a potty run herself, grateful for our assistance.

Apparently, while I was on that food run, he managed to guide the discussion around to my website and gave her a business card. I'm not sure she has a computer of her own at the moment but she plans to call me to discuss setting up to sell online both her merchandise and what sound like some great vintage collectibles. I think we've adopted her!!

She was truly disappointed when it was time for us to go and hugged us goodbye, wishing us a good vacation next week and promising to call me soon. I am looking forward to it!

Aren't craft folk just the greatest people? We've made so many close and wonderful friends throughout the years at craft shows.

I hope y'all take time to smile at a stranger, offer a helping hand now and then and don't be afraid to possibly make new friends. You never know where it could lead.

(I met my husband through craft shows - many years ago!)

Family - good food, good times

How did we get to the weekend again so soon?

It was a gray day here yesterday and I was in a gray mood. Rather than spread that mood among you, I chose not to post. Instead I curled up with a book, some chocolate and my TV and wallowed in that mood. Things did look brighter this morning.

We had a family party to attend today and saw many family and friends we haven't seen in a while. Our niece graduated from grad school two weeks ago. She is now a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and she received her Masters in Public Health, too. She's worked very hard for years to accomplish this and we are very proud of her. She now has to select from among several job offers. All have been good offers which makes it difficult for her to choose.

We had a full day of food and chatter and wrapped the evening up with about ten of us stragglers sitting around a candle-lit table in the backyard, playing a word game for a couple of hours. Everyone else had gone home and just a few of the immediate family were still hanging in there. It took me back a few years to when these kids were young teens and we'd sit around playing Boggle, Trivial Pursuit and other games. Back then family events made up a huge portion of our "social life" and we have many fond memories of those times (as evidenced by the many tales we told and laughed at today!!)

I believe I fully understand the circle of life concept at times like this, when you look around and realize we've become the "older" generation and the kids are now becoming parents themselves. The get-togethers remain the same but the faces change and the circle grows. And it feels pretty good.

I hope y'all take some time to truly enjoy some family time this weekend.

Working the Shows Wednesday - Big Show Bites the Dust - Leaving Exhibitors In Limbo

It is with great sadness I bring news of the sudden death of the decades-old Brandywine Arts Festival in Wilmington, Delaware this week. --And, no, it WASN'T a victim of the economy ! (I don't think the butler did it, either.)

The show's demise was "sudden" in the sense that it was still a "go" two weeks ago. Organizers just didn't know "where" it would be happening. Sometime between Saturday and now, the show has been cancelled.

This week's show would have been the 49th annual occurrence of this large, family-oriented festival held in a State park along the Brandywine River. The show often attracted upwards of 20,000 people. Crafters have long considered this a good and profitable event. It was one of The Big Guy's mainstays for a number of years in the early 80s.

I was a bit shocked to see a news article on Saturday (9/5) stating the organizers had secured a location and would be obtaining permits this week. Whoa ! That left 4 business days to get the paperwork done and publicize the new site. What was happening?

It seems the organizer owes the State of Delaware (not the City of Wilmington) some money from last year's event. Sources put that figure somewhere between $6,000 and $8,500 for permits, police coverage, DPW and other related expenses. I can only assume they attempted to collect that money throughout the year and, as a result of the outstanding debt, withheld the necessary permits and use of the State-owned park for this year's event.

Apparently, the organizer then began a search for a new location and announced on their website in June that the festival would now be taking place at St. Anthony in the Hills in Avondale, Pennsylvania. However, no contract was signed with St. Anthony's. Permits were not in hand, proof of insurance was not forthcoming and police permits were not applied for. St. Anthony's refused to allow the event to take place on their property. Remember, there was never a signed agreement. The organizer never provided the required paperwork. She did, however, list the new location on the festival's website.

Last weekend, one week before the event, the organizer announced the event would now be held at the old Walker Farm in Hockessin, Delaware. Seems the site's owners, a development firm, wanted to help and had offered the new location. As of 9/5, the festival had not applied for permits from the County (with only 4 business days to go) but DID post the new site on their website.

One has to wonder how the general public (the potential customers) would find their way to the event. How much publicity could be obtained in less than a week?

So, where's that leave the artists and craftspeople?

Got a paddle ?

A little digging has revealed there are over 150 exhibitors who have paid their money and planned to sell there this weekend. Communication from the organizer has been poor. In August, some exhibitors were advised of a location change and were told the show had moved to St. Anthony in the Hills in Avondale, Pennsylvania. (Uh, oh. Warning flag !!!)

Let's start by saying this is NOT a non-profit organization putting this show together. This is NOT a cheap show. Spaces go for $300-$350 for a 10'x10' . A number of folks rent double spaces. Let's also note that the organizer had already collected somewhere in the neighborhood of $45,000 in space fees and at least $300 in jurying fees.

Communication has been poor, most recently, non-existent. The organizer claims she has had trouble with her e-mail account but has answered as many calls as possible. Crafters have stated the voice mail box has remained "full" and will not accept new messages.

Crafters were never advised of a possible location change when they applied for the show. Site changes can kill an established show and most experienced exhibitors approach site changes like new first-time events. Bear in mind, neither of the "new" locations were right-around-the-corner from the original site. At the most recent site in Hockessin, there is limited parking and the 14-acre property is located on a narrow 2-lane road. Local officials there had concerns about traffic volume and related matters. Again, remember, we're talking one week before the event!

The organizer claims all of these problems came about as a result of the State Police cancelling last year's rain or shine festival due to the remnants of a Tropical Storm coinciding with the event. The area was plagued by considerable flooding and there were public safety issues due to the storm. She supposedly lost $20,000 on the 2008 event.

Exhibitors are now in limbo. They signed up for a well established, successful show with a history of good attendance and decent sales. They did their homework and made well thought out business decisions. Will they get a refund? If so, how soon? It's a given they are out a selling opportunity on a prime weekend. It is unlikely any will find replacement shows on a day or two notice.

I don't have any answers for them. I can only sympathize with them and keep my fingers crossed they'll find a way to make up the sales. This loss was a big blow.

Stay tuned for more of "As The Show Dies." I'll try to keep you advised of any progress in this matter.

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I had planned to tell you about last weekend's craft show at Kipona in this space today. I guess, I'll have to give you a bonus Working the Shows post tomorrow.

FIFTEEN WEEKS !!!!

THIS IS YOUR 2ND WARNING: CHRISTMAS IS COMING , FAST !!!!!!

As of today, we have 15 weekends left to get ready. So, how much have you done toward that goal?

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Have you heard of Project Rudolph?

Project Rudolph was begun by one military family (the brainchild of an Army wife) in 2006 to give deployed service members a bit of holiday cheer. Small gift bags are created by, literally, thousands of volunteers, mostly from the United States and Germany, to be distributed to service members spending their holiday away from home and family serving our country. These soldiers are at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (the largest American hospital outside of the United States) or transitioning through one of the largest military airports in the world, Ramstein Airport on Ramstein Air Force Base. Bags are also distributed to injured warriors at transition barracks, deployed Navy personnel and Marines working in Germany, our deployed troops downrange and active duty Air Force members working to keep the airport running round the clock throughout the holidays.

All are spending their holiday far away from home and family, serving our country and protecting our lives. Many traveling through Ramstein Airport are just embarking on a year-long deployment. Those who are patients at Landstuhl have sustained serious injuries requiring surgery and hospitalization. For many, this is a short stop to be stabilized before being removed to a stateside hospital for further treatment.

What's in each bag?

Each soldier is given a decorated brown paper bag containing hand-written letters of appreciation - two from children and one from an adult, a pocket-sized (preferably flat) non-breakable Christmas ornament with "Project Rudolph 2009" written on it, German and American candy, a candycane, and a Christmas poem . In 2008, over 8000 bags were distributed !

When Tawny Campbell and her husband, Sgt. Joseph Campbell, began the effort in 2006, they had a goal of 500-750 bags and were overwhelmed by the project. A Boy Scout in Oakley, Idaho, Ian. M. Archibald, took Project Rudolph on as his Eagle Scout Project and helped to make that early effort a great success. The size of the effort has, unfortunately, needed to be upped each year since.

They need our help to make Project Rudolph 2009 another great success.

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Can you write a letter of thanks to a soldier? It should only take you a few minutes to do so. Maybe you could write several. (They MUST be handwritten. Remember we want this to be personal and heartfelt!) Maybe your kids can help, too. Each bag needs two letters from children.

** There are rules to writing these letters.

Letters CANNOT :
** Be dated.
**Ask any questions about war, injuries, killing, etc. (At least 10% of the letters donated cannot be used due to such questions.)
**Be politically motivated, mention politicians or political affiliations.
** Be typed or photocopied.
**Be sealed in an envelope. (ALL must be reviewed before they are distributed.
Letters CAN :
** Express support and appreciation.
**Include a drawing by a child.
**Tell about the writer's family.
**Share personal experiences that motivate.
**Include a return address.

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Can you make ornaments of some sort? They should be pocket-sized (4" square or smaller), preferably fairly flat and, definitely unbreakable. Small flat wooden pieces, crocheted, knitted or plastic needlepointed items are good, flat fabric items - I'm sure you can come up with your own ideas.

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I'm participating in this effort this year in honor of my nephew, Tom, who passed away several weeks ago. A Desert Storm veteran, Tom was very proud of his military service and was very concerned about our soldiers having spent quite a few Christmases away from home. I know he would be touched by the effort and I regret not having found the time to do so last year when I first learned about Project Rudolph and he was still here with us to fully appreciate the Project. I'm sure it would make him happy. I am making ornaments and writing Thank You letters, as well as, rounding up friends to do the same. (Groups of children decorate the gift bags as class and scout projects.)

If you'd like to assist me in these efforts, please contact me by e-mail or through an Etsy convo.

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You are also more than welcome to gather your own donations and send them to Tawny yourself.

If you'd like to know more about Project Rudolph, click here.

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ALL PROJECT RUDOLPH DONATIONS MUST BE MAILED BY VETERAN'S DAY - NOVEMBER 11, 2009 !!!!

You can send donations of letters, ornaments and cash (for candy and supply purchases) directly to: Tawny Campbell at CMR 402 Box 2414, APO AE 09180 or you can e-mail her directly at taznjo [at] hotmail [dot] com.

Project Rudolph is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt non-profit charity. They are also part of America Supports You.

Labor Day - Summer's Unofficial Demise

Have you ever seen a New Orlean's style funeral procession?

The casket is carried through the streets on its trek to the cemetery, followed by a trail of weeping mourners, mostly women wearing black and carrying parasols and doing a Cajun shuffle. Live musicians play jazz tunes as the procession steps its way to the final resting place. It is definitely a celebration of life and a fancy send-off.

Well, today, in Bethany Beach, Delaware, you can witness just such a funeral procession. At 5:30 p.m., the 24th Annual Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral will begin its procession at the north end of the Boardwalk. Flying in the face of its reputation as "The Quiet Resort," Bethany is sending the summer off in a loud and raucous fashion as beach goers enjoy just a bit more fun in the final hours of the summer of 2009.

The procession will include weeping women in black, shuffling to a jazz beat as they follow a coffin and a tombstone. The epitaph on that stone reads: "R.I.P. dear friend summer 2009. Born: 25 May. Died: 7 Sept." Several Dixieland string bands will follow the mourners in the procession.

The public is encouraged to fall in behind the bands as the procession moves to summer's final resting place at the Boardwalk Bandstand. Everyone is then encouraged to enjoy the remaining evening by frequenting local restaurants and businesses. (Traditionally, many businesses either close for the season or drastically curtail their hours after Labor Day. many will only open for weekends through September and then close until April or May of 2010.)

Some of those who have spent the major portion of their summer in Bethany, will hold private "wakes" this afternoon before heading up to the Boardwalk to join the procession.

A few years ago, organizers added a "new" feature to the event, a silent auction to benefit a different charity each year. This year's auction, held Friday at Bethany Blues benefited Habitat for Humanity of Sussex County. Auction items included restaurant gift certificates, wine, gift baskets and more.

So, if you are in the area this afternoon, truck on up to the Boardwalk and join the funeral procession.

I, personally, refuse to acknowledge the end of summer until we experience frost ! We're still planning our beach vacation for later this month.

Kipona - A Celebration of Sparkling Water

Bright and early on Saturday morning, we set off for the Kipona Celebration in Harrisburg, PA. This annual three-day event takes place in downtown Harrisburg along the shores of the Susquehanna River. The festival is billed as "Kipona - A celebration of sparkling water." This huge event offers something for just about everyone.

Watching the boat races on the river in Harrisburg on Labor Day weekend was a long-time family tradition for us for quite a few years but we have had other plans for the last 7 years so this was like a homecoming for us. (Although neither of us has ever called Harrisburg "home.") The cigar boats have been replaced by dragon boats since we've been there and, unfortuantely, the dragon boat races were cancelled this year. It was apparently a last minute cancellation as they were still listed in both the printed programs and on the website.

Even without the boat races, it was a beautiful day on the river. The sun was out, a light gentle breeze blew all day and the temps hovered at about 80 degrees with fairly low humidity. Literally thousands of folks joined us in the park. We set our chairs up at the top of the river bank near the food stands and a short distance from one of the stages so we could sit and watch the river traffic, listen to music and munch on some goodies.

The boat of choice on this part of the river seems to be a rather small flat-bottomed pontoon style, generally seating 5-8 people. A number of them anchored just off the bulkhead to listen to the music. This was the first time I ever witnessed water skiing done from the back of a pontoon boat. I'd never seen one that could produce that kind of speed. (We, on the lower end of the river, have deeper, rougher water and you see very few pontoon style boats. In our end of the pond, we need longer keels and deeper draws for balance.)

At one end of the festival, one of the local grocery chains sponsored the Pennsylvania State Chili Cook-Off. In addition to the official competition, there was a salsa contest, a people's choice chili sampling for charity, a jalepeno pepper eating contest, a "hands-free" chili eating contest and a hot wing eating contest. There was also some music and entertainment on that stage. I'll admit, we never hiked all the way down to that end of the fair! (this festival runs for about 1 1/2 miles along the banks of the river and also has activities across the river on City Island.

There was a children's area featuring special entertainment, theater productions, games, crafts, and rides. Since we didn't have any munchkins with us, we also didn't venure into that area.

We did check out the many food booths. (I mean, they have LOTS of food there!) We sat near the stage that featured rock and alternative rock bands. I highly recommend a young rock band called The Milwaukees who played Saturday afternoon. They were followed by another rock/alternative band known as Knotfal. We also enjoyed them very much. We wanted to stay for the featured entertainer, The Sauce Boss - Bill Wharton, who plays fantastic slide guitar blues and also cooks a huge pot of gumbo on stage while performing and shares it with the audience at the conclusion of the show, but we needed to get on the road home as we had a long trip ahead of us.

Over 100 performances on 4 stages are scheduled throughout the weekend. One of the stages in the main festival area features folk music, salsa, classical music and Dixieland jazz. There is also a large presence of local Native Americans at this event ("Kipona" is an Indian word meaning Sparkling Water.) There is a Pow Wow conducted out on City Island and a ceremonial procession begins on the downtown side of the pedestrian bridge with the Indians dance stepping across the bridge to open the Pow Wow. There are Indian musicians playing at the main festival area and some dance demonstrations by the Aztecs and the Iroquois, such as the Candy Dance, Fire Dance and the Hoop Dance. There is also Intertribal dancing at the Pow Wow. The Wacongo Dance Company is also scheduled to perform authentic ancestral songs, drumming and dances of Central Africa.

Sunday's schedule featured a Bass Masters' "Bass Classic," canoe races and evening fireworks, one of the largest displays in the area. A soccer tournament will take place on Monday.

At one end of the festival, The Greater Harrisburg Arts Council presents the annual PSECU Artfest featuring over 150 juried artists from across the country. While the Kipona Festival is a free event, the craft show does have a minimal admission fee which does not seem to deter the crowd. The Big Guy chose to stay sitting along the river and listening to the music while I hiked through the craft show. (I'll tell you much more about this part in my Working the Shows Wednesday feature.) The show, itself, probably stretches out to about a half mile in length so he really wasn't up to the heavy duty walking. My legs are aching today. I must say, this was the highest quality craft show I have attended in several years. There was absolutely no buy/sell merchandise and just about every exhibitor had something new and different to look at. I spent about 2 hours walking the show and could have stayed much longer admiring the work and chatting with the artists and crafters. By the time one walks to and from the garage area, around the festival for a few hours and then adds in the craft show, you've covered a few miles.


One of the festival features that we have never done is walk the pedestrian bridge across to City Park. Unfortunately, it's a long walk and there is no shuttle back once you're over on the island. (I start hearing the tune about the guy who boards the subway and never returns when I consider that walk!) There is , however, a continual heavy flow of foot traffic there throughout the entire event. (There is a vehicle bridge further down and there are parking areas on the island.)

Today, we took it easy at an annual, very laid back, family and friends cookout. (Thank goodness, my legs need time to recover from all that hiking yesterday!!)

Here's hoping y'all are having a great weekend. Take care and have fun !!!