Taking up where we left off... Aug 29-30 we participated in the Big Haynes Creek Wildlife Festival at the Olympic Horse Park, Conyers, GA. This is a young show, but featured some really good entertainment and some animal acts that were quite a bit of fun, even for us old crafter-types. The show is run with crisp, functional management style, and laid out in the park in a thoughtful manner. Though it is on asphalt, all the spaces allow for back space for sitting under the back canopy. As a young show (about 3 years old), it still lacks the large local footprint it might one day command; but even so, we found it to be a good seller given the weather (we were hit hard with storms once again, and frequent rain). We plan to stay with this show a few years and see where it grows. Sep. 12 we tried the Peaches and Pigs BBQ Festival, in Kennesaw, GA. This show just is not a good fit for us, and had too little art/craft participation to get folks thinking about shopping. Good BBQ, though. Sep 18-20 was a show we had been looking forward to, the Arts in the Heart of Augusta (GA). Weather was atrocious, raining heavily Friday and Sunday, though Saturday was pretty good, with only the occasional shower. The overall quality level of the artwork was good, though not what you might expect at a 3 day show with a long history of juried entries. My major critique would be that the show had no fewer than 44 jewelers! Now, if that shocks those of us who believed the advertising that stated the show would have 70 artists and crafters, never fear, for the 70 number is pure fantasy - the actual number was well over 100-120, perhaps as high as 160. Even so, the overwhelming (and often side-by-side) jewelry booths were a sad sight to see. Speaking as a graphic artist, the show's restrictive rules regarding limited editions (less than 100 in the edition, and 90% by content made personally by the artist) saw me leaving most of my prints behind in my studio. Its a GOOD show for those who simply paint and sell originals, and perhaps that is the thrust of the organizer's thinking. I can see the logic and goodness of that, it just doesn't fit my personal business plan all that well! More later in Part 4!