Here we are again!
In just a few short days, Summer will be with us once again. The Solstice will, as it eternally does, turn gently, and shed its radiance upon us here in Northwestern PA. Many of us will be anxiously awaiting the respite from the responsibilities of our daily Lives and professions, for which we have been eagerly planning the past several months.
For others among us, a “self-ordained” and select group of individuals, the return of the season means the return to hitting the “Artisan Trail” once again! This myriad of individuals, who form the basis of a band of Artisan Gypsies, have also been anxiously awaiting the return of the “pleasant” (hmmm!!!) season of Summer.
I know personally, and EXACTLY, what the preparation for traveling the show circuit means and entails…you see, for more than 25 years I, and usually Carolyn , traveled this Artsy Road all across our Region, and the Nation.
For those who have only a slight concept of what this type of experience actually entails, I offer the following. (Try to restrain your laughter!)
THE JOURNEY BEGINS…
Circa 1992, while recovering from a “somewhat serious” automobile accident, I traded my old Life for that of a 19th Century Carousel Carver. Approximately one year later, having carved my creations, basically, in the garage area of the townhouse in which we were living at that time, I decided to follow my wife’s advice, and look for someplace to share my experience with others of the Public.
One weekend, spending it on the site of our future home in Espyville, I happened to pick-up a copy of a local newspaper while grocery shopping in Andover. WELL…there it was! The opportunity was there in black and white! An Arts & Crafts Festival was planned for the Steam Engine Grounds in Ohio…not far from our woodsy property. I enthusiastically shared the information with Carolyn…who readily agreed that this festival would be the perfect place for me to demonstrate and share the Art of Carousel Carving!
SO…I quickly contacted the number listed in the ad, and requested an application for the festival. My request was fulfilled almost immediately! I completed the application, and returned it, along with our participation fee, PRONTO!
NOW…what to do next? What was needed in terms of preparation for our FIRST event? A tent or canopy?? Of course, this was a necessity! A mobile carving table…a pair of seats upon which to take an occasional break…my carving tools, of course…these items were all on the list!
Rushing to our local “big box” store, I discovered the “perfect” covering for our demonstration area: an inexpensive garden-type tent! HEY! This thing would work PERFECTLY! Next, I grabbed two collapsible garden chairs…GREAT! Of course, I already had my carving table and tools. Seems like we were ALL SET! We had no need to acquire a trailer in which to haul our “stuff”; we already possessed a 4 by 8 open handmade collapsible trailer which we “jockeyed” back and forth every weekend to and from our Pyma Excursions.
Now…all we had to do was to anxiously await the festival setup day!
WHAT CAME NEXT…
Setup Day! WOW! Here at last!
We pulled into the extensive line of vehicles awaiting admission to the grounds. AND…we waited…and waited…and….
Eventually, we got up to the entrance gate, and were directed to our setup spot. AS we approached our area, we noticed that a neighboring vendor was using OUR space to park his vehicle. He HAD to move! Eventually, he did! But, the wait was MORE than agonizing.
At last, we started to unpack our display, and set-up our stuff.
Gradually, we noticed that more and more passing Artisans/Vendors were “giving us the eye,” some, it seemed, were EVEN stifling a chortle. So what! WE were here…were setting-up…and, without doubt, I would be the only Carousel Carver at the festival. Folks would FLOCK to watch my demonstration, and would engage me in extended discussions about Carousel and amusement park history!
BUT, the tent, or should I say, the “dining-canopy,” would not agree to be set-up! What’s up with this thing? The legs wouldn’t extend. After trying with all our strength to pull the legs open…they broke!!! Now what? Well, I guess we’ll just have to be satisfied with the carving table and chairs. NO PROBLEM! No rain was forecast, so the lack of shelter didn’t seem to be an issue.
Finally satisfied, we drove back home to Espyville, and tried our best to relax for the evening.
THE OPENING DAY…
OKAY, so, here we go!
Nice, bright, sunny skies…a crowd of potential attendees waiting to get into the festival.
I dropped Carolyn at our vendor area, and moved to park our vehicle…WAY off the festival byways, in a remote area marked as “VENDOR PARKING.”
When I returned (finally) to Carolyn, I noticed she was somewhat “red-in-the-face.” She looked overheated…she WAS! Gradually, as the morning wore into the early afternoon, we fully experienced what it meant to “bake in the Sun.” (Did I mention that this was the end of August?. We had given no thought to packing water or food into our preparations. Thus, as the day progressed, I had no choice but to expend LOTS of cash upon liquid revitalizations…H2O was NOT CHEAP!!! Food??? Forget about it!!!
But, we would be prepared for the next day, Sunday, the second full day of the festival.
HA!!!
Yep, we packed both water and tasty stuff for the second and last day. AND…we also packed a deck-type umbrella to shield us from the Sun.
WHAT SUN??? The clouds rolled over the festival grounds with increasing speed. The wind began to quickly blow strong. Then… YEP, THE RAIN BEGAN TO FALL! Not a slight shower, but a drenching everlasting downpour. The umbrella??? Yeah, lots of protective shielding there!
A TRUE LEARNING EXPERIENCE
That weekend in late August at the Steam Engine Grounds Festival taught us a GREAT deal, indeed.
We were more than determined not to “give-up.”
The many numbers of folks who stopped to watch my carving, and to engage us in conversations were MORE than humbling. We listened as individuals shared their memories and experiences of their childhoods. And, I watched the expressions of delight as I invited children to run their hands over the blocks of the Carousel horse I was carving…but, not only the faces of the children showed inexpressible delight. The eyes of one elderly lady who was assisted by her caregiver filled with wonder and, Love. I, to this day, believe that she was, for a brief moment or two, released from her physical dilemmas, and once again, rode on the Carousel of her Youth. I, and Carolyn, knew then, once and for all, the inherent significance of what we were doing that weekend.
SO…we continued…for the next 25 years.
And, now, that I am once again, by the Grace of Eternity, able to return to the Public to share experience, I WILL!!!
THERE’S MORE TO COME
Hey, over the years, the opportunities to be in the Public eye have been both GREAT, and NOT SO GREAT. AND, the lessons learned have been many-fold…such as what other Artisans go through to share their Art, and how their participation along America’s Trail of Arts sustain the basic Truths and History of our great Nation.
Had enough??? NAHHH!!! There’s more still to come. Stay-tuned! My next article will be Part-Two describing Life along the Artisan Trail.