How Old Are You?

 As you get older, there are lots of great “perks”! Now that I have reached that exalted “senior” time in my life, I have started to take advantage of these “freebees” and “discounts”. Who wouldn’t?

However, it wasn’t always this way for me. I used to “refuse” to take advantage of these special “senior” benefits. My “pride” would get in the way! I just didn’t want to admit that I was getting older, past “middle age”, Judi was always admonishing me and would say ~ “ARE YOU CARZY? TAKE THE MONEY!”  I used to “cringe” when she would say that, but invariably I would “ignore” her “advise”, not a “wise” thing to do!

I should have learned from my “dear learned” father who, when MacDonald’s announced that seniors would get free coffee, he started to “shake with excitement” (perhaps a little exaggerated). He had just turned 55 at the time of the announcement! He wasn’t ashamed of being a “senior”, he was just thrifty! He was a lot more in tune with himself then I was.

I am learning though. Especially with inflation and higher living costs (food,gas,etc.). I needed this kind of “sledgehammer” to come around, to be “thriftier”! Now I stop to pick up a “dime” off the ground (it used to be a penny or a nickel). I think that I am not, actually, getting “older”, just “smarter”?

As they say (I not sure who), “your parents seem to get smarter the older you get” … I wonder?

Here at TIMS!

 Well, here I am at Tim Hortons. It’s been a long time! You know, the pandemic and all of life’s challenges. Before Covid-19, I use to visit TIMs regularly. In fact, it was my “go to” places to write my articles and Blogs. It was either TIMS or the library. If I was going to the library, I would stop off at TIMS to get my “inspirational” takeout coffee. I must have needed the caffeine to get my “create juices” flowing!

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… “go figure”.

So, it’s back to TIMS to write new, and I hope entertaining, articles and Blogs. Hopefully it will be the start of some “fabulous” writing! If not, I’ll just have to blame TIMS!

Unique Drives!

 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.

 

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!

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 38)

 INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 38)

Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

Back Door...

Then there was our visit to the Assiniboine Zoo in Winnipeg. Once again, we were treated to the inner workings of the Zoo. 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 “Back Door” experience was at the Toronto Zoo. We not only got to experience the inner workings of the Zoo, but we were able to talk to the Zoo's main Zookeepers. The amount of knowledge they collectively had was awesome. I think what impressed me the most was their willingness (and eagerness) to share their knowledge and experiences. Apart from Zoo and Aquarium "Back Door" visits, one of my most memorable encounters was meeting and talking with the Cincinnati Zoo’s “Jack Hanna”. I was attending a large art show in Charleston, South Carolina (the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition [SEWE]). Jack seemed to be the same “in person” as he is on “TV”. He was fun, chatty and knowledgeable and, of course, he had an array of animals to show us!

This is the last of my “Inside with the Festival Nomad” 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!

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 38)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

Back Door... (Part One)

During our travels, both as Festival Nomad’s and as fine art sales representatives, Judi and I have had the privilege of seeing things through the “Back Door”! As Festival enthusiasts, we have been able to talk to and interview many interesting and some famous people. I think Judi’s interview with Terry Grant, aka THE MANTRACKER, best illustrates this. However, as Fine Art travelers, I think our “Back Door” adventures were more spectacular! Take, for instance, our visit to the Vancouver Aquarium. At the Aquarium we were taken “underground”, 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.

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 37)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

Canadian Parks Partnership (Part Two)

The Best Laid Plans...

About two weeks before the Ceremony, Bouchard quit the Cabinet and the Progressive Conservative government and he went over to the Bloc Quebecois to lead it. There was panic in the halls of Parliament! Eventually Minister Bouchard was replaced by the Robert de Cotret, Minister of the Environment 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!

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 37)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

Canadian Parks Partnership (Part One)

Planning For the National Presentation...

A number of years ago I worked for Edwin Matthews, who owned both the Gallery-on-the-Lake in Buckhorn and Buckhorn Fine Art Publishing. One of the projects I worked for with Ed, was with the Canadian Parks Partnership. This was the Federal Government’s department that coordinated with all of the "Friends of" organizations for the Federal Parks and Museums across Canada. Ed and his star wildlife artist, Michael Dumas, 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 “Parks Partners – Friends”. To introduce this National program, the Federal Government decided that they would “kick” the program off in Banff. Edwin asked me if I would accompany Michael to Banff and the “kick-off” ceremonies. I, of course, was delighted to accept the offer. The ceremony was to be officiated by the then Federal Minister,  Lucian Bouchard. As described on Wikipedia, "In 1988, Bouchard returned to Canada to serve as Mulroney's Quebec lieutenant, and was elected as a Progressive Conservative from a Saguenay-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 Meech Lake Accord was sufficient to placate nationalist feelings and keep Quebec in Confederation. However, after a commission headed by Jean Charest 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 Bloc Québécois with five former Tories and two former Liberals." Our airplane tickets were purchased, hotel reservations confirmed and automobile rented! Everything was set!

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

The Biggies and More...

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!

National Rifle Association Annual Meeting (Pittsburgh - Continued)

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 “live” 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 Secret Service and bomb sniffing dogs could begin their work!

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

The Biggies and More...

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!

National Rifle Association Annual Meeting (Pittsburgh - Continued)

If you have never been to a really large banquet (several thousand attendees), then you’ve missed something really spectacular! The NRA Conference 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 (of course), silent and live auctions, draws, games and presentations. It takes a lot of work for just a small event (just ask any Ducks Unlimited committee member), 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 “live” auction items. Proudly, we had framed and donated quite a few.

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)

Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

The Biggies and More...

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!

National Rifle Association Annual Meeting (Pittsburgh - Continued)

The Vice President of the United States of America

The guest speaker for the event’s evening Gala was the then 46^th Vice-President under President George W. Bush, Dick Cheney. 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 Vice President Cheney 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. Cheney was scheduled to speak in person to the group. A large screen had been set up ready for Cheney’s 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 (undisclosed location). The speech would be broadcast over the large screen. I am sure most of those in attendance must have been very disappointed, after all, Cheney was the main draw to the event!  I am sure that there must have been a good reason for this drastic change, after all, the safety of the Vice President came first! I would not want to have been him!

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

The Biggies and More...

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!

National Rifle Association Annual Meeting (Pittsburgh - Continued)

The Protest...

The NRA (National Rifle Association) is an American institution dedicated to preserving the rights of gun and rifle owners. Its mandate is based on the Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution being part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791 along with the rest of the Bill or Rights. It is, as you can imagine, a controversial organization.  Each year, as I mentioned in last weeks blog, the NRA 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 Pittsburgh Conference Centre where the event was being held that year. Fortunately, we were with Sam Pursglove, the then Executive Director of the Ruffed Grouse Society, USA. Sam is a rather large (tall) individual with a booming voice (being a little deaf!), 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.

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)

Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

The Biggies and More...

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!

National Rifle Association Annual Meeting (Pittsburgh)

The Annual Meeting of the National Rifle Association (NRA) is held each year in a different city and, it is always a BIG DEAL! 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 Friends of the NRA 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.

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 “interesting” highlights of both the luncheon and the event! 

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

The Biggies and More...

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!

The Warren Michigan Banquet (The Clean-Up) ...

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 “party”, while the RGS Staff were tired and just wanted to clean-up. While accounting was doing their work (see previous blog), 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!

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

The Biggies and More...

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!

The Warren Michigan Banquet (Accounting)...

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!

“A quick story actually. As the banquet closed, a swarm of people anxious to “cash out” came to the check out table, ALL AT ONCE! To my surprise, most of the folks paid for their purchases with CASH! 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 wads of money, 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”!

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

The Biggies and More...

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!

The Warren Michigan Banquet (Banquet)...

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, "commerce" 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, very 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 “gun” 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.

The Biggies and More...

 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!

The Warren Michigan Banquet (Pre-Banquet Continued) ...

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 “string” 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.

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

The Biggies and More...

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!

The Warren Michigan Banquet (Pre-Banquet Continued) ...

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 “string” 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.

Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

The Biggies and More...

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!

The Warren Michigan Banquet (Pre-Banquet) ...

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 (they had been there before) 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 “Prime Rib” and all the “fixings”! 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 “greeting desk" 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 “greeting desk” 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!

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

The Biggies and More...

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!

The Warren Michigan Banquet (Set-up - continued) ...

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!

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 36)

Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

The Biggies and More... (Part One)

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!

The Warren Michigan Banquet (Set-up) ...

The Ruffed Grouse Society (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 "Big Three" 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 Executive Director, Sam Purseglove 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!? 

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 35)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

Working the Show... (Part Eight)

13.  How Come?

Have you ever wondered why certain things happen and then asked yourself, "how come"? Here are some of mine.

a.     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.

b.     How come the last hour of every show seems to be longer than the entire show?

c.     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.

d.     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?

e.     How come at the end of a show all of the “dollies” 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?

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 35)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

Working the Show... (Part Seven)

12.  Traffic Jam...

Did you ever have one of those days? Judi and I were at the Hamilton Copps Coliseum and we had just finished exhibiting at the Hamilton Sportsmen’s Show. 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. NOTHING! And I mean Nothing! No Engine roar, no click, click, click. Nothing! 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 Copps Coliseum. 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, Paul Michael Glacier, (from Starsky & Hutch fame) had been walking around (checking out the facility for an upcoming movie). Tired but both happy with the outcomes, we were headed on our way home!

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 35)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

Working the Show... (Part Six)

11. Beware of the Big Rush... Watch Out for The Waves!
One of the things that always frightened Judi and I was “the Big Rush”! 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 Big Rush 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! "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!" 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 all our paintings, loaded our van and were on our way before the “boat people” “got afloat”! So much for the BIG RUSH!!!

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 35)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with, and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

Working the Show... (Part Five)

I've just completed telling you about some of our "set-up" experiences. Now let me switch to some of our more interesting "take down" adventures! If setting up was hard work, then taking down was maniacal!

9.      The End Is Near!
You can always tell when a show is nearing its end! The “animals” get restless! By “animals”, I mean fellow exhibitors. I am not saying that all are “animals”, 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! Go figure!

10.  Boxes... Size Does Matter!
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!

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 35)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" 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!

Working the Show... (Part Four)

7.    Timing Is Everything!
Even if you have carefully planed everything, arrived at the show early and have plenty of time to set-up, don’t be too sure! As they say, what can go wrong, will go wrong! I can remember a number of shows where Judi and I were scrambling to finish setting up the booth before 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!!!

8.    You Want Me to Park Where?!
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”!!