tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64458210007148178512024-03-05T01:42:37.475-08:00Festival Nomad AgainGary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.comBlogger222125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-28293229528158686452022-11-18T07:10:00.003-08:002022-11-18T07:10:41.328-08:00How Old Are You?<p> <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As you get older, there are lots of great “</span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>perks</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">”!
Now that I have reached that exalted “</span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>senior</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">” time in my life, I
have started to take advantage of these “</span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>freebees</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">” and “</span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>discounts</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">”.
Who wouldn’t?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">However, it wasn’t always this way for me. I used to “<b><i>refuse</i></b>”
to take advantage of these special “<b><i>senior</i></b>” benefits. My “<b><i>pride</i></b>”
would get in the way! I just didn’t want to admit that I was getting older,
past “<b><i>middle age</i></b>”, Judi was always admonishing me and would say ~
“<b>ARE YOU CARZY? TAKE THE MONEY</b>!” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used to “<b><i>cringe</i></b>” when she
would say that, but invariably I would “<b><i>ignore</i></b>” her “<b><i>advise</i></b>”,
not a “<b><i>wise</i></b>” thing to do!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I should have learned from my “<b><i>dear learned</i></b>” father
who, when <b><i>MacDonald’s</i></b> announced that seniors would get free
coffee, he started to “<b><i>shake with excitement</i></b>” (<i>perhaps a
little exaggerated</i>). He had just turned 55 at the time of the announcement!
He wasn’t ashamed of being a “<b><i>senior</i></b>”, he was just thrifty! He
was a lot more in tune with himself then I was.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I am learning though. Especially with inflation and higher
living costs (<i>food,gas,etc.</i>). I needed this kind of “<b><i>sledgehammer</i></b>”
to come around, to be “<b><i>thriftier</i></b>”! Now I stop to pick up a “<b><i>dime</i></b>”
off the ground (<i>it used to be a penny or a nickel</i>). I think that I am
not, actually, getting “<b><i>olde</i></b>r”, just “<b><i>smarter</i></b>”?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As they say (<i>I not sure who</i>), “<b><i>your parents
seem to get smarter the older you get</i></b>” … I wonder?<o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-58405596162500526292022-11-13T12:24:00.005-08:002022-11-13T12:24:48.050-08:00Here at TIMS!<p> <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, here I am at </span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tim
Hortons</b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">. It’s been a long time! You know, the </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">pandemic</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and all of
life’s challenges. Before </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Covid-19</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">, I use to visit TIMs regularly. In
fact, it was my “go to” places to write my articles and Blogs. It was either </span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">TIMS</b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
or the </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">library</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">. If I was going to the </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">library</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">, I would stop off
at </span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">TIMS</b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> to get my “</span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">inspirational</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">” takeout coffee. I must have
needed the caffeine to get my “</span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">create juices</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">” flowing!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It's funny, the noises
and activity didn’t seem to bother me. Actually, atmosphere seemed to heighten
my creativity! The same with the library. I just was able to think more
clearly… “<b><i>go figure</i></b>”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So, it’s back to <b>TIMS</b>
to write new, and I hope entertaining, articles and Blogs. Hopefully it will be
the start of some “<i>fabulous</i>” writing! If not, I’ll just have to blame <b>TIMS</b>!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-39202568020074899352022-11-04T07:24:00.000-07:002022-11-04T07:24:00.024-07:00Unique Drives!<p> As many of you know, Judi and I love to travel the backroads
of Ontario, “Finding Roads Less Traveled”. During these fun trips, we have
experienced many fascinating and interesting things. A short time ago, we were
driving along a gravel backroad and spotted a phenomenon that we had never
experienced before. On a remote farmer’s fence post we came across a huge bird
(and when I say HUGE, I mean huge!) with its wings spread fully out. It was
just sitting there, not moving. At first, we thought it was just a stuffed
decoy. On closer look, we realized that it was alive. We couldn’t believe our
eyes! We stopped our car and started to take photos. The bird just sat there,
wings spread out, not moving. Several minutes passed by, and Judi decided she
wanted to get better and closer shots. Judi stepped out of the car and moved
closer. The bird didn’t move! Judi moved a little closer, and the bird finally
decided to move. It slowly lowered its massive wings, did a lazy turn on the
fence post. It then took off. The bird’s flight only lasted a few seconds. It
leisurely glided to a nearby post and settled back down to rest.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At that point Judi and I decided that we had “interfered”
with the bird’s “rest time”, and we left it in peace. After all, the mighty
“Turkey Vulture” had plenty of “cleanup” duties to perform!<o:p></o:p></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-19946004543471834202022-10-28T12:55:00.003-07:002022-10-28T12:55:57.536-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 38)<p> <b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">INSIDE
with the Festival Nomad (No. 38)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">INSIDE</i></b> with the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Festival Nomad"</i></b>, I
want to give you an "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">inside</i>"
look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that
I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration,
but I have never been bored!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Back Door...<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -3.65pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Then there was our visit to the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Assiniboine Zoo</i></b> in Winnipeg.
Once again, we were treated to the inner workings of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zoo</i>. I must say, it was fascinating. It certainly gave Judi and me
a better appreciation of just how well loved the animals were and how well cared
for they were cared for. It was an unforgettable experience! Perhaps the most
insightful “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Back Door</i>” experience was
at the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Toronto Zoo</i></b>. We not only got to experience the inner workings of
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zoo</i>, but we were able to talk to
the Zoo's main <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zookeepers</i>. The amount
of knowledge they collectively had was awesome. I think what impressed me the
most was their willingness (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and eagerness</i>)
to share their knowledge and experiences. Apart from Zoo and Aquarium "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Back Door</i>" visits, one of my most
memorable encounters was meeting and talking with the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cincinnati Zoo’s</i></b> “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jack
Hanna</i></b>”. I was attending a large art show in Charleston, South Carolina
(the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Southeastern Wildlife Exposition</i>
[<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">SEWE</i>]). Jack seemed to be the same “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">in person</i>” as he is on “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">TV</i>”. He was fun, chatty and knowledgeable
and, of course, he had an array of animals to show us!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -3.65pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">This is the last of my “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Inside with the Festival Nomad</i></b>”
articles. As you can see, Judi and I have had great experiences! Our next Blog will
be about an amazing interview we just had with a very famous person. Stay
tuned!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-36319080345568968982022-10-21T06:11:00.001-07:002022-10-21T06:11:14.097-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 38)<p> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>INSIDE</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> with the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, I
want to give you an "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">inside</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">"
look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that
I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration,
but I have never been bored!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Back Door... (Part
One)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -3.65pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">During our travels, both as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Festival Nomad’s</i> and as fine art sales representatives, Judi and I have
had the privilege of seeing things through the “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Back Door</i></b>”! As Festival enthusiasts,
we have been able to talk to and interview many interesting and some famous people.
I think Judi’s interview with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Terry Grant</i></b>, aka <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">THE MANTRACKER</i></b>,
best illustrates this. However, as Fine Art travelers, I think our “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Back Door</i>” adventures were more
spectacular! Take, for instance, our visit to the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vancouver Aquarium</i></b>. At
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aquarium</i> we were taken “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">underground</i>”, behind the scenes, to see and
experience the real workings of the aquarium and its residents. We saw how the
fish and animals were fed; how they were cared for and how they lived. I was amazed
by the number of pipes that ran underground! Ii looked like a tangled maze, but
each served a specific function! The people at the Aquarium were amazing and
took a great deal of pride in showing their facility. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-31262165311597925512022-10-14T07:10:00.003-07:002022-10-14T07:10:58.603-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 37)<p> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>INSIDE</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> with the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, I
want to give you an "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">inside</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">"
look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that
I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration,
but I have never been bored!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Canadian Parks Partnership
(Part Two)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.8pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
Best Laid Plans...<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;">About two weeks before the Ceremony, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bouchard</i> quit the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cabinet</i>
and the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Progressive Conservative</i> government
and he went over to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bloc Quebecois</i>
to lead it. There was panic in the halls of Parliament! Eventually <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Minister Bouchard</i> was replaced by the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Robert de Cotret, Minister of the
Environment</i> and the ceremony in Banff was back on! Michael and I flew to Calgary
and then drove to Banff and checked into our hotel. The ceremony was to take
place the next day. We arrived at the appointed place, at the appointed time
and participated in the ceremony. I think it took about 15 minutes. Michael and
I had flown a thousand miles or more to a ceremony that took only a few minutes!
Fortunately, it was all the expense of the Canadian Government and, of course,
the Canadian Taxpayer. Michael and I had a great time! One of the benefits was
that the tickets we purchased made us stay in Banff over a weekend. We toured the
area in our rented car and ate some great meals. It was a time for me to get to
know Michael, the person, as well as Michael, the fabulous artist. I can tell you,
travelling the countryside with Michael is an awesome experience. I learned more
about nature and wildlife in a few hours then I could have by reading many books
in a lifetime!</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-18325978855924197792022-10-07T06:31:00.002-07:002022-10-07T06:31:32.911-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 37)<p> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>INSIDE</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> with the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, I want
to give you an "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">inside</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">" look
at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that I have
visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration, but
I have never been bored!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Canadian Parks Partnership
(Part One)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.8pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Planning
For the National Presentation...<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">A
number of years ago I worked for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Edwin
Matthews,</i> who owned both the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gallery-on-the-Lake</i>
in Buckhorn and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Buckhorn Fine Art Publishing</i>.
One of the projects I worked for with Ed, was with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Canadian Parks Partnership</i>. This was the Federal Government’s department
that coordinated with all of the "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Friends
of</i>" organizations for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Federal
Parks and Museums</i> across Canada. Ed and his star wildlife artist, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Michael Dumas</i>, had developed a series of
prints that depicted Canadian wildlife. These prints were beautifully packaged and
were going to be offered in Park and Museum stores across Canada. My job was to
help promote these products to all of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Parks
Partners – Friends”.</i> To introduce this National program, the Federal Government
decided that they would “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">kick</i>” the program
off in Banff. Edwin asked me if I would accompany Michael to Banff and the “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">kick-off</i>” ceremonies. I, of course, was delighted
to accept the offer. The ceremony was to be officiated by the then Federal
Minister,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lucian Bouchard</i>.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> As described
on Wikipedia, "</i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">In 1988, Bouchard returned to Canada to serve as Mulroney's
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_lieutenant" title="Quebec lieutenant">Quebec lieutenant</a>, and was elected as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Conservative_Party_of_Canada" title="Progressive Conservative Party of Canada">Progressive Conservative</a>
from a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saguenay_River" title="Saguenay River">Saguenay</a>-area riding. He was immediately named to Cabinet
as Secretary of State and later Minister of the Environment. While still a strong
Quebec nationalist, he believed that Mulroney's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meech_Lake_Accord" title="Meech Lake Accord">Meech
Lake Accord</a> was sufficient to placate nationalist feelings and keep Quebec in
Confederation. However, after a commission headed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Charest" title="Jean Charest">Jean
Charest</a> recommended some changes to the Accord, Bouchard left the Progressive
Conservatives in May 1990, feeling that the spirit and objectives of Meech were
being diluted. Mulroney rejected his reasoning, later commenting that his most
regrettable and costly error as Prime Minister was having trusted Bouchard. Bouchard
sat as an independent for a few months. After the failure of the Meech Lake Accord,
Bouchard formed the sovereignist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloc_Qu%C3%A9b%C3%A9cois" title="Bloc Québécois">Bloc Québécois</a> with five former Tories and two
former Liberals."</span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Our airplane tickets
were purchased, hotel reservations confirmed and automobile rented! <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Everything
was set!<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-55092116955851172212022-09-30T06:14:00.004-07:002022-09-30T06:14:57.467-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)<p> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>INSIDE</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> with the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, I
want to give you an "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">inside</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">"
look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that
I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes
frustration, but I have never been bored!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Biggies and More</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Judi and I have
attended and volunteered at a number of fundraising auction dinners. These are
a lot of fun and, of course, raise money for worthwhile causes. In the next few
articles, I am going to tell you about two of the larger and more interesting
fundraising dinners we have visited and about some of the funny things that we have
seen at other fundraising auctions we have attended!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; tab-stops: 82.5pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">National Rifle Association Annual Meeting
(Pittsburgh - Continued)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">In
the morning the hall was inspected to make sure that everything was just right.
At noon the doors were open and people came streaming in. Judi and I had been
asked if we would run one of the games, which we gladly did. It was both hectic
and a lot of fun. The enthusiasm of the participants was infectious. Eventually
everyone was asked to find their table and take a seat. The meal was served with
military precision and was delicious. During the meal silent auction winners
were announced, as were draw winners. Near the end of the meal the “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">live</i>” auction began. As the auctioneer
described what was being offered, large screens showed the auction item. With
that, the auction began in earnest! It’s hard to imagine how much money was spent,
that day, but a lot! Then, just as quickly as the event began, it ended. As I
mentioned before, people were asked to leave the hall without delay, so the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Secret Service</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bomb sniffing dogs</i> could begin their work!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-20781335259077523922022-09-23T03:56:00.003-07:002022-09-23T03:56:59.521-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)<p> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>INSIDE</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> with the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, I
want to give you an "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">inside</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">"
look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that
I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration,
but I have never been bored!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Biggies and
More</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Judi and I have
attended and volunteered at a number of fundraising auction dinners. These are
a lot of fun and, of course, raise money for worthwhile causes. In the next few
articles, I am going to tell you about two of the larger and more interesting fundraising
dinners we have visited and about some of the funny things that we have seen at
other fundraising auctions we have attended!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; tab-stops: 82.5pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">National Rifle Association Annual
Meeting (Pittsburgh - Continued)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">If
you have never been to a really large banquet (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">several thousand</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">attendees</i>),
then you’ve missed something really spectacular! The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NRA Conference</i></b> luncheon
was no exception! Although I don’t know the exact number of people in attendance,
I would estimate that there were over 3,000. Each of these types of banquets include
a meal (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">of course</i>), silent and live
auctions, draws, games and presentations. It takes a lot of work for just a small
event (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">just ask any <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ducks Unlimited</b> committee member</i>), so you can imagine the effort
put into an event like this! Frankly, it was amazing! It all started the
evening before, when most of the hall was set up. Games surrounded much of the
perimeter of the hall, along with tables of silent auction merchandise. There
were also tables displaying prizes that could be won in one of the many draws.
Nearer the main stage, was the focus point, with all kinds of fantastic “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">live</i>” auction items. Proudly, we had framed
and donated quite a few.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-30708595113035952112022-09-16T06:35:00.000-07:002022-09-16T06:35:39.234-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">INSIDE</i></b> with the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Festival Nomad"</i></b>, I
want to give you an "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">inside</i>"
look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that
I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration,
but I have never been bored!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Biggies and
More</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Judi and I have
attended and volunteered at a number of fundraising auction dinners. These are
a lot of fun and, of course, raise money for worthwhile causes. In the next few
articles, I am going to tell you about two of the larger and more interesting
fundraising dinners we have visited and about some of the funny things that we
have seen at other fundraising auctions we have attended!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">National Rifle Association
Annual Meeting (Pittsburgh - Continued)</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 82.5pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
Vice President of the United States of America<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
guest speaker for the event’s evening Gala was the then 46<sup>th</sup> Vice-President
under <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">President George W. Bush</i>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dick
Cheney</i></b>. I’ve been to a number of high-profile events, but nothing, in my
experience, compared to this! There were police, secret service and police dogs
everywhere! Even though <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vice President
Cheney</i> wasn’t due to speak until later that evening, the banquet room was
constantly being “swept” when the room was being set-up for the lunch banquet.
As a matter of fact, Judi spoke during the morning set-up with a Pittsburgh
police officer who told her some of what was happening. Once the luncheon was over,
everyone was ordered out of the hall and then a thorough inspection was performed.
No one was allowed back into the hall until the doors were opened for the evening
event. Judi and I did not have tickets to the evening event, but Sam and his wife,
Sandy, did. Sam later told us what happened at the event. When they arrived,
all the guests had to stay outside the hall in a reception area. They stayed
there for quite some time but eventually were allowed in. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheney</i> was scheduled to speak in person to the group. A large screen
had been set up ready for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheney’s </i>speech
so that everyone could see the Vice President. The crowd waited patiently for
the Vice President to appear! Nothing!! Finally, there was an announcement that
the Vice President would not appear in person, but would give his speech from a
different room (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">undisclosed location</i>).
The speech would be broadcast over the large screen. I am sure most of those in
attendance must have been very disappointed, after all, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheney</i> was the main draw to the event!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am sure that there must have been a good reason
for this drastic change, after all, the safety of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vice President</i> came first! I would not want to have been him!<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-86672649300531236582022-09-09T13:16:00.003-07:002022-09-09T13:16:56.708-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)<p> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>INSIDE</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> with the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, I want
to give you an "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">inside</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">" look
at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that I have
visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration, but
I have never been bored!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Biggies and
More</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Judi and I have attended
and volunteered at a number of fundraising auction dinners. These are a lot of
fun and, of course, raise money for worthwhile causes. In the next few articles,
I am going to tell you about two of the larger and more interesting fundraising
dinners we have visited and about some of the funny things that we have seen at
other fundraising auctions we have attended!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">National Rifle
Association Annual Meeting (Pittsburgh - Continued)</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 82.5pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
Protest...<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NRA</i> (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">National
Rifle Association</i>) is an American institution dedicated to preserving the
rights of gun and rifle owners. Its mandate is based on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Second Amendment</i> (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Amendment II)</i> to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">United
States Constitution </i>being part of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">United
States Bill of Rights</i> that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">protects
the right of the people to keep and bear arms</i>. It was adopted on December 15,
1791 along with the rest of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bill or
Rights</i>. It is, as you can imagine, a controversial organization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each year, as I mentioned in last weeks blog,
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NRA</i> holds a national conference.
This draws attention to the organization and people against gun rights are drawn
to the conference to protest. It was under these circumstances that Judi and I
entered the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pittsburgh Conference Centre</i>
where the event was being held that year. Fortunately, we were with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sam Pursglove,</i> the then <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Executive Director of the Ruffed Grouse Society,
<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">USA</st1:place></st1:country-region></i>.
Sam is a rather large (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tall</i>) individual
with a booming voice (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">being a little deaf!</i>),
so we were pretty confident that we could safely passed through the protesters
to enter the building. Although it was quite intimidating, we did pass through without
any problems. The biggest challenge was the noise from the crowd that had
gathered. Even from inside the Conference Centre we could hear the protesters!
This was democracy at work.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-17811806778631570782022-09-02T06:46:00.001-07:002022-09-02T06:46:17.748-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "<b><i>INSIDE</i></b> with the <b><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b>, I want
to give you an "<i>inside</i>" look
at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that I have
visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration, but I
have never been bored!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Biggies and
More</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Judi
and I have attended and volunteered at a number of fundraising auction dinners.
These are a lot of fun and, of course, raise money for worthwhile causes. In
the next few articles, I am going to tell you about two of the larger and more
interesting fundraising dinners we have visited and about some of the funny
things that we have seen at other fundraising auctions we have attended!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">National Rifle
Association Annual Meeting (Pittsburgh)</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Annual Meeting of the National Rifle Association
(NRA) is held each year in a different city and, it is always a <b>BIG DEAL</b>! The year we attended it was held
in downtown Pittsburg, PA. We had been invited to the conference because our
company did all the framing for the <i>Friends
of the NRA</i> banquets (about a 1,000 in total). As you can imagine, it was a
very large and important account to our company and it was important that we
attend. Fortunately for us the conference was very well organized and there was
very little we were asked to do to help.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The main event that we attended was an afternoon luncheon/auction.
This was an event attended by several thousand people. Judi and I were just two
of the many. Because our actual involvement was fairly limited, I’m not going
to describe the luncheon in detail, but rather I'm going to give you some of
the more “</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">interesting”</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> highlights of both
the luncheon and the event!</span> </p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-9378709024496442952022-08-26T06:33:00.000-07:002022-08-26T06:33:01.577-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)<p> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>INSIDE</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> with the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, I
want to give you an "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">inside</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">"
look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that
I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration,
but I have never been bored!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Biggies and More</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Judi
and I have attended and volunteered at a number of fundraising auction dinners.
These are a lot of fun and, of course, raise money for worthwhile causes. In
the next few articles, I am going to tell you about two of the larger and more
interesting fundraising dinners we have visited and about some of the funny things
that we have seen at other fundraising auctions we have attended!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Warren
Michigan Banquet (The Clean-Up) ...</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Clean-up
was very interesting! The challenge was to get everyone, first to pay for the
goods they purchased (silent and live auctions) and then to get then to leave.
There were many who wanted to continue the “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">party</i>”,
while the RGS Staff were tired and just wanted to clean-up. While accounting
was doing their work (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">see previous blog</i>),
the rest us started the arduous task of cleaning up and putting equipment away.
We also needed to guard the prize area until all the prizes were paid for and
then picked up. As I have said in other articles, it is amazing how you seem to
have more equipment going out then when coming in! The challenge, of course, is
finding the right box, for the right piece of equipment. Fortunately, the RGS
Staff were very practiced, and everything was eventually packed and made ready
to take back to head office. The whole ordeal was very tiring, but, in the end,
extremely rewarding! <o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-60207420050464936042022-08-19T06:57:00.003-07:002022-08-19T06:57:35.603-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)<p> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>INSIDE</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> with the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, I want
to give you an "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">inside</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">" look
at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that I have
visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration, but
I have never been bored!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Biggies and
More</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Judi
and I have attended and volunteered at a number of fundraising auction dinners.
These are a lot of fun and, of course, raise money for worthwhile causes.<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;"> </span>In the next few articles,
I am going to tell you about two of the larger and more interesting fundraising
dinners we have visited and about some of the funny things that we have seen at
other fundraising auctions we have attended!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Warren
Michigan Banquet (Accounting)...</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">As I mentioned
previously, Judi was assigned, by Sam, to the accounting table. Although keeping
everyone until the end of the evening is beneficial for financial reasons, (bidders
stay and bid), checking out is another story. Here is where Judi tells a tale! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">“A quick story actually.
As the banquet closed, a swarm of people anxious to “cash out” came to the check
out table, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ALL AT ONCE</b>! To my surprise,
most of the folks paid for their purchases with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CASH</b>! United States paper money cash! To me, all the money looked
the same. I had been in the financial industry in downtown Toronto for 10 years,
so I would have liked to think I had some skills with handling money. However,
as folks pulled out their <u>wads of money</u>, I was painfully slow at
counting it for them. As I mentioned, the $10 looked like the $20’s and so on.
I was grateful for the few folks who paid by credit cards, as I was able to
assist more quickly”! </span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-46696869470212103512022-08-14T11:47:00.002-07:002022-08-14T11:47:22.964-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)<p> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>INSIDE</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> with the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, I
want to give you an "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">inside</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">"
look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that
I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration,
but I have never been bored!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Biggies and
More</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Judi
and I have attended and volunteered at a number of fundraising auction dinners.
These are a lot of fun and, of course, raise money for worthwhile causes. In the
next few articles, I am going to tell you about two of the larger and more interesting
fundraising dinners we have visited and about some of the funny things that we have
seen at other fundraising auctions we have attended!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Warren
Michigan Banquet (Banquet)...</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Once everyone had found their seat and the opening ceremonies
were completed, an army of servers took the stage! Try imagining over 1000 people
being served a four or five course meal, with the meal in perfect condition,
crisp salad, hot veggies, prime rib hot and properly cooked, desserts looking
perfect and coffee piping hot and delicious. This is how it was and it was completed
with precision and in record time! It seemed to me that most everyone was very
satisfied with their meal. Meanwhile, while the meal was being served, "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">commerce</i>" continued to take place! Now
it was in the form of raffle winners being announced, the silent auction continuing
and the high bidders eventually being announced. The highlight of most fund-raising
banquets is the live auction, and the Warren Michigan banquet was no different!
The items chosen for the live auction by Sam and his staff were spectacular! I can’t
tell you how many framed prints, sculptures, and guns were offered, but there
were a LOT! Most had numerous bidders competing against one another, so the
price for each was significant and, in some cases, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very </i></b>significant! The
last auction item brought the most excitement! It was a brand-new automobile,
donated by General Motors. Again, I can’t remember how much the car sold for,
but it was substantial. I think both the new owner of the vehicle and RGS were satisfied.
As you may know, Americans love their guns, so the last item of business for the
banquet was the “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">gun</i>” table raffle.
The idea was, one table would be chosen out of the 100 or more tables and that
each member of that table would be awarded a special shotgun. The catch was simple,
that you had to be sitting at that table at the time the winning table was
chosen! If you weren’t there, then you didn’t win the shotgun! This was a great
method of keeping banquet attendees there for the whole evening. Once this raffle
was over, so was the banquet. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-33604308161351236022022-08-05T11:18:00.000-07:002022-08-05T11:18:00.757-07:00The Biggies and More...<p> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Judi
and I have attended and volunteered at a number of fundraising auction dinners.
These are a lot of fun and, of course, raise money for worthwhile causes. In
the next few articles, I am going to tell you about two of the larger and more interesting
fundraising dinners we have visited and about some of the funny things that we
have seen at other fundraising auctions we have attended!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Warren
Michigan Banquet (Pre-Banquet Continued) ...</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Inside the hall, commerce was taking place! This was
in the form of RGS staff and Delta flight attendants selling special raffle tickets
and manning booths where specialized games took place. The games consisted of
various tried and true tests of skills or luck. The excitement of these games
was reflected at the long line-ups to participate. The girls, who were mainly selling
the special raffle tickets were also very popular. Guests were given a long “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">string</i>” of theatre tickets. The number of
tickets given were determined by the ticket sellers taking one end of the tickets
in one hand and then stretched across their chest with the other hand. Participants
gravitated to the girls that could provide the most tickets! This spectacle lasted
for a few hours. As the dinner hour approached, Sam asked everyone to find their
pre-assigned seats. The pandemonium turned to chaos as guests scrambled to find
their seats.<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-39630227428927608522022-07-29T04:56:00.002-07:002022-07-29T04:56:48.830-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)<p> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>INSIDE</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> with the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, I want
to give you an "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">inside</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">" look
at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that I
have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration,
but I have never been bored!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Biggies and
More</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Judi
and I have attended and volunteered at a number of fundraising auction dinners.
These are a lot of fun and, of course, raise money for worthwhile causes. In
the next few articles, I am going to tell you about two of the larger and more
interesting fundraising dinners we have visited and about some of the funny things
that we have seen at other fundraising auctions we have attended!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Warren Michigan
Banquet (Pre-Banquet Continued) ...</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Inside the hall, commerce was taking place! This was
in the form of RGS staff and Delta flight attendants selling special raffle tickets
and manning booths where specialized games took place. The games consisted of various
tried and true tests of skills or luck. The excitement of these games was reflected
at the long line-ups to participate. The girls, who were mainly selling the special
raffle tickets were also very popular. Guests were given a long “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">string</i>” of theatre tickets. The number of
tickets given were determined by the ticket sellers taking one end of the tickets
in one hand and then stretched across their chest with the other hand. Participants
gravitated to the girls that could provide the most tickets! This spectacle
lasted for a few hours. As the dinner hour approached, Sam asked everyone to find
their pre-assigned seats. The pandemonium turned to chaos as guests scrambled to
find their seats. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">INSIDE</i></b> with the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Festival Nomad"</i></b>, I want
to give you an "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">inside</i>" look
at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that I
have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration,
but I have never been bored!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-32672299227100832582022-07-23T08:15:00.003-07:002022-07-23T08:15:47.615-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)<p> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>INSIDE</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> with the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, I
want to give you an "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">inside</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">"
look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that
I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes
frustration, but I have never been bored!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: 2.85pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Biggies
and More</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: 2.85pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Judi and I have attended and volunteered
at a number of fundraising auction dinners. These are a lot of fun and, of course,
raise money for worthwhile causes. In the next few articles, I am going to tell
you about two of the larger and more interesting fundraising dinners we have
visited and about some of the funny things that we have seen at other fundraising
auctions we have attended!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: 2.85pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
Warren Michigan Banquet (Pre-Banquet) ...<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">When Judi and I
arrived back at the banquet hall, the RGS staff was already there. They were putting
the finishing touches on the room! At about 4:00 p.m., a group of beautiful ladies
arrived! These were the raffle ticket sellers. All of them were flight attendants
from Delta Airlines. Each year these girls volunteered their time to help the
RGS at this banquet. I think, although I am not sure, that they were paid a small
honorarium. Most of the girls knew what to do (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">they had been there before</i>) and they started preparing for the
evening. Prior to each banquet, all of the staff and volunteers were feed a
wonderful meal served in a room off to the side of the main hall. The meal consisted
of “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Prime Rib</i>” and all the “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fixings</i>”! It was quite a feast! Everyone
ate quickly and then went back into the banquet hall. We each had been assigned
specific stations and tasks, so we all headed to our respective areas. I had
been assigned to the “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">greeting desk</i>"
where we welcomed attendees, took their ticket and sold raffle packages. The
packages ranged from $50.00 to $250.00 per package. Quite a few people purchased
more than one package! Many of the packages were paid in cash! Each person who purchased
a raffle package received a gift for each package purchased. They could choose
from a variety of knives, compasses and more. The most popular, of course, were
the knives! Since participants came in waves, and there were over 1000 of them,
the “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">greeting desk</i>” was hectic for
quite some time. Judi had been assigned to the cash table which wasn’t as busy
in the beginning, but towards the end of the banquet became just as hectic. I
will let Judi, in her own words describe what she experienced a little later in
this blog!<span style="background: aqua; mso-highlight: aqua;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-22891539148177043652022-07-15T07:28:00.001-07:002022-07-15T07:28:08.707-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)<p> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>INSIDE</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> with the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, I
want to give you an "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">inside</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">"
look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that
I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration,
but I have never been bored!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: 2.85pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
Biggies and More</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: 2.85pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Judi and I have attended and volunteered
at a number of fundraising auction dinners. These are a lot of fun and, of course,
raise money for worthwhile causes. In the next few articles, I am going to tell
you about two of the larger and more interesting fundraising dinners we have visited
and about some of the funny things that we have seen at other fundraising auctions
we have attended!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: 2.85pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Warren
Michigan Banquet (Set-up - continued) ...<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">This
was a huge banquet and a lot needed to be done to set the banquet hall up. The
RGS staff had pre-organized everything back at their headquarters in Coraopolis,
PA (a suburb of Pittsburg), so everything was well packed and well marked. Even
though everyone (the RGS staff, not Judi and me) knew what needed to be done,
it all still seemed to be mass confusion. Eventually the hall was set up and everything
was in its place. Exhausted, we all headed to our hotel rooms to rest, clean up
and later to eat. The plan was to arrive early the next morning to make any
final adjustments that needed to be done. A little after noon, all the remaining
tasks were completed, we were told by Sam to go and get some rest and then come
back at about 4:00 pm. This, even though the doors wouldn't open until 6:30 pm.
Judi and I went back to our rooms to rest and then get ready for the evening’s
activities. We had no idea what was in store for us!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-2927657034594184002022-07-09T11:21:00.002-07:002022-07-09T11:21:59.149-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "<b><i>INSIDE</i></b> with the <b><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b>, I
want to give you an "<i>inside</i>"
look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that
I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration,
but I have never been bored!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: 2.85pt;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
Biggies and More</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">... (Part One)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Judi
and I have attended and volunteered at a number of fundraising auction dinners.
These are a lot of fun and, of course, raise money for worthwhile causes. In
the next few articles, I am going to tell you about two of the larger and more interesting
fundraising dinners we have visited and about some of the funny things that we
have seen at other fundraising auctions we have attended!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: 2.85pt;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Warren
Michigan Banquet (Set-up) ...<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The
</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Ruffed
Grouse Society</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> (RGS) represents thousands of Ruffed Grouse and American
Woodcock hunters across the United States and Canada. To help perpetuate their
good works, they hold a number of fundraising auction dinners a year. Their Warren
Michigan Banquet was, and perhaps still is, one of their 2 largest fundraising dinners.
The other large banquet was held in Pittsburg. Judi and I attended the Warren
Banquet when it was much better times for the "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Big Three</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">" auto makers. This event would draw over 1000 attendees.
At the time, we were supplying RGS banquets with most of their framed art. We
had a great relationship with the Society and when the </span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Executive Director</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Sam Purseglove</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> asked if Judi and I would
like to come to Warren and help with the banquet, we jumped at the chance! The event
was being held on a Saturday evening, so Sam asked us to a day or two in
advance. When we arrived all the boxes were laid out and ready to be set up.
Sam asked if we were ready to pitch-in. Judi and I took a deep breath and said yes!?</span> </p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-77265936978491391422022-07-04T13:31:00.004-07:002022-07-04T13:32:02.879-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 35)<p> <span face=""Trebuchet MS", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>INSIDE</i></b><span face=""Trebuchet MS", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"> with the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b><span face=""Trebuchet MS", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">, I want
to give you an "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">inside</i><span face=""Trebuchet MS", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">" look
at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that I
have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration,
but I have never been bored!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm -0.8pt 6pt 0cm; text-indent: 2.85pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Trebuchet MS",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">Working
the Show</span></b><span face=""Trebuchet MS",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">...
(Part Eight)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm -0.8pt 3pt 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 20.85pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Trebuchet MS",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Trebuchet MS",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
Come?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 22.8pt; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm -0.8pt 3pt 22.8pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Trebuchet MS",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">Have you ever
wondered why certain things happen and then asked yourself, "how come"?
Here are some of mine.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 48.45pt; margin-right: -36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm -36pt 0cm 48.45pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 48.45pt; text-indent: -19.95pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Trebuchet MS",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Trebuchet MS",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">How
is it that when you pack to go to a show/exhibit everything fits nicely. Everything
has a spot and is organized. Yet, once you try to re-pack, to come home,
nothing fits! Even though you have sold product and in reality, have less boxes,
it just doesn’t fit! I guess it’s the same scenario as the boxes story. You
plan and label everything. But, by the end of a long show/exhibit we are just too
tired and exhausted. Our minds aren’t as focused or clear.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 48.45pt; margin-right: -36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm -36pt 0cm 48.45pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 48.45pt; text-indent: -19.95pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Trebuchet MS",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Trebuchet MS",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">How
come the last hour of every show seems to be longer than the entire show?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 48.45pt; margin-right: -36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm -36pt 0cm 48.45pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 48.45pt; text-indent: -19.95pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Trebuchet MS",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Trebuchet MS",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">How
come during the entire event/exhibit, exhibitors are all friends and willing to
help one another. But when it comes to take down everybody is at each other’s throat.
We have witnessed out and out brawls.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 48.45pt; margin-right: -36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm -36pt 0cm 48.45pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 48.45pt; text-indent: -19.95pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Trebuchet MS",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">d.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Trebuchet MS",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">How come,
when you are most exhausted and almost finished packing up during the take
down, is it that, as parched as you are, there is not a vendor in site to sell
you a bottle of water?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 48.45pt; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm -0.8pt 3pt 48.45pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 48.45pt; text-indent: -19.95pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Trebuchet MS",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">e.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span face=""Trebuchet MS",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">How come at the end of a show all of the
“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dollies</i>” are spoken for, even though
they aren’t supposed to be used until you are packed up and ready to leave the
premises. The same goes for loading docks. People take loading dock space long before
they are allowed to. It seems that exhibiter’s rules and etiquette disappear at
the end of a show. As do the security personnel who are supposed to enforce it?<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-1746734654103747622022-06-25T08:11:00.005-07:002022-06-25T08:11:53.803-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 35)<p> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>INSIDE</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> with the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, I
want to give you an "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">inside</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">"
look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that
I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration,
but I have never been bored!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: 2.85pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Working
the Show</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">...
(Part Seven)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 20.85pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Traffic
Jam...<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 19.95pt; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Did
you ever have one of those days? Judi and I were at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hamilton Copps Coliseum</i> and we had just finished exhibiting at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hamilton Sportsmen’s Show.</i> It was a small
show but well attended and we had made a small profit. Even our take down and
pack up went fairly smoothly. While Judi was completing our packing, I went to
get our van. It was an old van but performed perfectly. I was allowed to drive
around the circumference of the arena close to our exhibiting area. Again, everything
went smoothly. We were able to pack the van up in record time, and were ready
to go. We put our seal belts on, put the key in the ignition, turned the key,
and nothing happened. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NOTHING</i></b>! And I mean <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nothing</i></b>!
No Engine roar, no click, click, click. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nothing</i></b>! The problem was we were
sitting in the middle of the Coliseum's circumference isle and no one could
pass us. Other exhibitor vehicles started lining up behind us. It was, to say
the least, an embarrassing situation. Finally, a group of exhibitors helped us
push the van backwards to the freight elevator. From there, another exhibitor
gave us a boost and our engine finally started. Now it was late and I had to
leave poor Judi sitting on a dark, cold, and snow blown winter's night, right
on the curb outside <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Copps Coliseum</i>. I
couldn't risk shutting the van's engine down. She seemed to be happy when I
returned. I thought it was because we were finally able to load the remainder
of our exhibit into the trailer attached to the van. It wasn’t until much later,
that she told me that while she was waiting one of her favorite childhoods T.V.
Stars, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paul Michael Glacier</i>, (from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Starsky & Hutch fame</i>) had been
walking around (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">checking out the facility
for an upcoming movie</i>). Tired but both happy with the outcomes, we were headed
on our way home!</span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-54903905780113840692022-06-18T12:17:00.003-07:002022-06-18T12:17:23.837-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 35)<p> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>INSIDE</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> with the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, I want
to give you an "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">inside</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">"
look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that
I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration,
but I have never been bored!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: 2.85pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Working
the Show</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">...
(Part Six)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: -36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 20.85pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Beware of the Big Rush... Watch Out for The
Waves!</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
One of the things that always frightened Judi and I was “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the Big Rush</i>”! This occurred at the end of a show when all of the
exhibitors were trying to get to their trucks first. As I mentioned before, the
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Big Rush</i> for Judi and I, never really
happened, because we always had to take our time to carefully systematically
repack the fragile paintings. So imagine, if you will, Judi and I calmly standing
in our booth, wrapping fragile, expensive paintings, when all of a sudden a large
boat looms in the distance! "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The BOAT
is coming straight towards us at break-neck speed. The boat is on two dollies
and is being propelled by four strapping young men. All of whom, seem to be oblivious
to the carnage they are about to create! As the boat nears, we brace for the worst.
As the boat comes towards our booth, the crew makes a sharp turn towards the
exit. The boat however has other ideas and decides that it was going to tip into
our booth and onto our fragile, expensive paintings! Then, with a loud thump,
the boat comes crashing off the dollies and crashes onto the cement floor! Judi
and I gasped! A miracle has happened! Somehow the young men have been able to
control the crash and it misses our paintings by mere inches!</i>" It was a
harrowing experience, but one that actually happened and one that we were
eventually able to laugh about. And actually, the biggest laugh was, that Judi
and I, once the catastrophe was over, packed up <a style="mso-comment-date: 20220422T1518; mso-comment-reference: GM_1;">all</a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"> our paintings,
loaded our van and were on our way before the “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">boat people</i>” “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">got afloat</i>”!
So much for the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">BIG RUSH</i></b>!!!</span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-13035611786583180712022-06-10T10:56:00.002-07:002022-06-10T10:56:35.939-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 35)<p> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with, and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>INSIDE</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> with the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, I
want to give you an "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">inside</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">"
look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that
I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes
frustration, but I have never been bored!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: 2.85pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Working
the Show</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">...
(Part Five)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: 2.85pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">I've just completed telling you about some
of our "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">set-up</i>" experiences.
Now let me switch to some of our more interesting "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">take down</i>" adventures! If setting up was hard work, then taking
down was maniacal!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: -36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 20.85pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
End Is Near!<br />
</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">You
can always tell when a show is nearing its end! The “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">animals</i>” get restless! By “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">animals</i>”,
I mean fellow exhibitors. I am not saying that all are “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">animals</i>”, but many are! They are the ones who start taking down the
booth an hour before the closing of the event. This, even though the contract that
these exhibitors signed, and agreed to, clearly state that they can’t. The most
obvious ones don’t care who they annoy or block. We’ve had buying customers in
our booth, while a neighbour vendor took down their booth. We have even lost
sales because of these actions. And, if you say something to the offending
vendor, they look at you as though you were saying something very offensive! <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Go
figure</i></b>! </span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: -36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 20.85pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Boxes... Size Does Matter!<br />
</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Once
the show is over, it’s time to take down and pack up. Packing up is always a challenge,
especially in the art business. You can’t just shove a framed piece into the first
box you come across. First of all, the paintings are all different sizes, and secondly,
they are delicate and can easily be damaged. When you consider that each framed
piece is probably valued in excess of $300, the damage costs could add up
quickly. So, even though we were tired, after a long show, we would always stop
and take the time to first of all find the correct sized box, and then wrap
each painting up carefully. One of the tricks that we discovered early in our
exhibitor days, was to mark the boxes clearly with the name of the painting. We
also learned that it was wise to store the boxes neatly as we were unpacking
them. However, even the best plan can go astray, especially when the booth is very
busy and you have a number of people wanting to purchase products. Sometimes
the wrong box is given to a purchaser in the rush to assist everyone quickly.
This, of course, plays havoc when taking down and packing up. Obviously, the main
compensation for making this type of error is that we’ve sold a painting … one
less to lug home!</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445821000714817851.post-82150968964272882722022-06-03T07:29:00.000-07:002022-06-03T07:29:01.617-07:00INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 35)<p> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Over the years I
have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With
this new series, "</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>INSIDE</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> with the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Festival Nomad"</i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, I want
to give you an "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">inside</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">"
look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that
I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration,
but I have never been bored!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: 2.85pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Working
the Show</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">...
(Part Four)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Timing
Is Everything!</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US">Even if you have carefully planed everything, arrived at
the show early and have plenty of time to set-up, don’t be <u>too</u> sure! As they
say, what can go wrong, <u>will</u> go wrong! I can remember a number of shows where
Judi and I were scrambling to finish setting up the booth <u>before</u> the
start of the show. You just can’t predict what roadblocks are going to be
thrown your way! Things like the electricity we had ordered and paid for, not being
there! And then having to chase the show management and show electrician to
solve the problem. How about other vendors using your space as storage as they
set-up their booth! One time we forgot to pack some of our tools and had to scramble
to borrow from other exhibitors. Probably the most common of delays is self inflicted,
not acknowledging how much time it actually takes to set up a great booth! You
always hope that you will learn by past mistakes, but!!!</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: -.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">You Want
Me to Park Where?!</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US">Once a show set-up has been completed, the final
challenge is finding a convenient parking spot. Not all events are parking
friendly to vendors. This is especially true in some of the bigger shows! In many
of the events we have participated in, we had our own booth, walls, backing, tables,
etc. These needed to be assembled and set up first. Because of the
possibilities of theft, we kept the art in the Van until we actually needed to
hang it. This meant that we needed to keep the van near by until the initial
work was completed. Because of this, we were one of the last ones to try to find
a parking spot. By this time, all of the good ones were taken. This often made
for challenging and sometimes, “creative” parking. But believe me, all of the forgoing
was a dream as compared with the “TAKE DOWN”!!</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary and Judi McWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902627678608404228noreply@blogger.com0