Approaching the End of Summer and North Country Fair

So Friday Night Markets has come to a close. After 16 weeks of setting up a booth, vending for three hours, and then taking it down again, I'm tired. All told, it was a successful run, and my husband and I are glad we did it, but we're also glad it's over. It'll be nice to have our Friday nights back.

He was helping me on top of doing his full-time job, so for him it was twice as strenuous. He is a tired puppy. This last night, he wasn't able to help so my friends Ruth, Michael, and Squeaky volunteered to assist me set things up and take things down. With their help the night went great, and I'm internally grateful they were there!

We have one last event coming up for the summer: the North Country Fair, which will be on September 19 & 20 in Arcata on the Plaza from 10-6 on both days. It is the largest art festival in Humboldt County, with over 187 booths. It's bigger than most of the other events here in the region, including the Kinetic Sculpture Race and Oysterfest. I'll be in booth 82 which is near the corner of 8th and G.

The Fair is a two-day event that specifically features art. One has to get juried in, and last year I didn't make it. This year is going to be a first for me, and I'm really excited. I've been told by several artist friends that the people who attend are specifically looking for art, and they're there to buy. It is one of the most profitable events for artists in the region, and only 5% of the artists come from outside the area. It draws people from Oregon and Southern California to round out the booths. 

On the Saturday, they do an "All Species Parade" which (if the photography of past parades suggests correctly) is all about cosplay, furries, puppetry, masks, clowning, eclectic costuming, and generally having a lot of fun--all within the auspices of celebrating our environment and the vast panoply of wonders the earth provides. Having never seen it before, I'm incredibly curious, and I can't wait to see all the fabulousness it will entail! A lot of kids, a lot of creativity, and a lot of appreciation of world. It seems like one of the major drivers behind the parade is the North Coast Environmental Center, which is the oldest environmental organization of the Redwood Coast, and has existed since 1971. 

Then on Sunday, the drums come out and the music develops a dancing rhythm as the giant Samba Parade walks around the Plaza. Organized by Samba da Alegria & Samba do Mar Humboldt (who offer classes in preparation starting way back in July!) the parade is choreographed with groups of fantastic dancers celebrating Brazilian culture under this year's theme "Deep Roots, Wild Spirit". I've seen video of the event and it. is. fabulous!

(Video by Tyler Mack)
I can't wait to see it live!

Additionally, there will be bands of all kinds, including string bands, ukuleles, Taiko drums, gospel choirs, blues, and rock! Three different stages spread out the presentations across the Plaza, with a rotation of different bands throughout the weekend.  

AND on top of that there are two bars and multiple food vendors. This event draws thousands of people and a LOT of artists, so I anticipate it will be quite busy. 

I have been using the new mesh panel wall I purchased from Flourish that allows me to hang framed pieces of art, and it has been quite the eye-catcher. While I've only sold a couple of those pieces, I will have a couple more larger 11x17"  framed prints for sale for North Country Fair, so I'm hoping they'll be even more dramatic. I've noticed my pieces take on a different quality when they are framed. The look much nicer (of course--any frame will do that!), and since I install hanging wire behind them they're much more secure in a lot of ways than the simplistic hanging mechanisms that come with the frames themselves. The wire makes it possible to hang the piece from the mesh wall very easily, and they're convenient for purchaser's homes, too. 

I'm looking forward to the experience and meeting more people and having fun! It'll be the final event of the summer for me, with the next shows being closer to the holidays when I'll have lots of Christmas items available. I plan on doing a new Christmas teacup as well as putting Santa Hats on the birds I've made over the past year. During the downtime, I'll also be concentrating on getting new line sheets made for selling wholesale to local business locations, and maybe even seeking out additional storefronts outside of Humboldt County. 

I have a few more things I'm hoping I can make happen, but time will tell on those. I'll make sure to share them if they reach fruition.

More soon!