Last Saturday, I vended at my first outdoor event of the year (and yes: my first outdoor event since the disasters of October): Harry’s Hay Days in Grandview, Missouri. It was not a disaster, but nor did it compare to the glowing success of my first street fair a year ago.
It was a bit chilly, if mostly sunny day on Main Street with a nasty little breeze persisting pretty much the whole time. While I rarely felt like my tent was going to fly away like previous events, I decided not to put up the stand for my posters for fear they would constantly be blowing over. Not a big loss, since nobody ever pays any attention to them anyway. I also secured the weights to my tent legs with duct tape this time to prevent their sliding off at the first good gust, an act which I believe held me in good stead compared to my neighbors’ tent. So, weather not perfect, but could have been a lot worse.
Crowd size was decent. While the street was never packed, as it seemed at other events at times, the flow was steady. I would guess there were several hundred people in total, possibly as many as a thousand if you count all the kids using the bounce houses. There were several who were interested in my books, but few actually bought anything.
So, as I said last fall, not all street fairs are the same. While this one took place at a similar time and under similar conditions as Carry Nation Days last May, the results were quite inferior. Thankfully the cost was much lower as well ($25 compared with $80), or my losses would have been even greater. As it is, despite being in town with higher attendance, I fared the same here as I at the horrendous Peculiar Oktoberfest last year–! So, although it was local and low risk, I would not do Harry’s Hay Days again, given the choice. While I would reiterate my fall conclusion that outdoor events are pretty much off the table for me henceforth, I’m afraid I am obligated to do one more in Belton on June 20th, weather permitting. Wish me luck, I guess!
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