Chapter 3   Our Motor Home Gets Stolen

Our most cherished possession goes missing!

A lot of people who are vendors at shows have motor homes.  You can do shows all over the place without worrying about motels, etc.  Of course, we do have an assortment of other worries.  If you have a motor home, you most certainly are not going to be able to keep it parked in front of your house for long periods of time unless you have a long driveway or some large property. Then you have to worry about city ordinances. Many of us have no choice but to put it into some kind of storage yard and pay their fees.  I had found a place on Jackson Street in Hayward, approximately three miles from our house.  I thought that it was pretty secure because it had one of those automated gates where you use a security code to enter and there was a high fence around the perimeter.  There happened to be approximately 35 motor homes and trailers stored there. 

This is the beginning of chapter 3 in my book, Street Fairs for profit, fun and madness.  Just click on the link for more information.  Great book.

2010 Castro Valley Fall Festival

The 2010 Castro Valley Fall Festival will be held on September 11-12.

2009 Review: This yearly event is being held in the small town of Castro Valley, located approx 15 miles south east of Oakland. For a good number of years, it was held in the Village Plaza, a complex of around 25 businesses frequented by the locals. Three years ago, they took it to the streets, having the festival on Castro Valley Blvd. I recall many years ago....early 70's and before, this was a popular cruising area as the teens took to the streets in their souped up and beat up junkies and 56 Chevy's and drove up and down the Boulevard, quite similar to what you saw in American Graffiti. I recall being in the service back in '72 and my friends and I cruised up and down on a number of occasions. The scenes of people parked in lots sitting on their hoods were reminiscent of what you saw in that famous movie co-starring Ronnie Opie Howard. Anyhow, the cruising ended quite a long time ago..... I think. I lived in New Jersey back in the 60's and it was the thing to do.

The show is promoted by Festival Productions (Jeff & Jerry Cambra) along with other local organizations and has been going on for a long time. I believe this is probably our 8th year here. I recall that we did the Atwater Fall Festival on the weekend following 9-11 and the year's after I we did Castro Valley during the second weekend of September.

Please click here to read my review of this festival.

There are many reviews along with loads of information on the Starving Vendors website.

I am currently writing a book about our exploits, experiences and adventures encountered during out 17 years selling at festivals, fairs, A&C Shows, etc. You can sign up to be notified when it comes out.

Foster City Lions Club Misses the Boat

Foster City 4th of July Festival, Foster City, CA

We were told by Phyliss Moore, the President of the Lion's Club that we would not be allowed to drive our vehicles close to our spaces to unload and load our things. We would have to cart our things (canopies, grids, boxes, merchandise, etc.) in and out 75 yards to and from our vehicles parked on the curb. We managed to get there early Sunday morning and drive up to our space to unload.

However, we would need people to help us haul our stuff out and she promised me that she would have loads of kid's to help when we closed down and I took her word for it, but doubted it. The show ended at 5:00 and we had begun packing around 4:30. One of my friend's had found her and was able to get some kid's to help him haul out. After he was finished, he talked to Phyliss Moore and explained to her that my wife (disabled) and I (trouble walking and lifting things) would need help. She replied "I am off duty."

I went looking for her and she told me that because I wasn't ready at 5:00, I would get no help. Nobody told me that. The papers said that the show ends at 5:00 and we were to be out of there at 6:30. Nothing about being ready at 5:00. She was terrible. She began walking away from me and I chased after her. I asked her again for help and she told me that everybody was busy and I would have to wait. She was very snotty over this. One of the other sane Lion's Club members stepped in and said that he would get people to help me and that he did, thankfully. However, this lady had told me that she would have 'loads of kids' to help me and was reneging on this. I had explicitly explained concern for my wife and I, telling her that we had health problems. Furthermore, when all of us applied for this event, we were not told that we would have to haul our stuff in and out until we had received paperwork and only by looking at the map, did I determine that it was a long ways to the booth and a phone call to her brought me the bad news that we would have to haul in. Try to get vendor's for your show next year, butthead!!! Such abusiveness toward vendors and crippled people. No mercy with this woman. I AM OFF DUTY. Yah, right. And you are President of the Foster City Lions Club. What a joke. OFF DUTY. I think we might be able to do that.

Gosh, what does on between the scenes of these events. People would be shocked to hear what we have to go through. You can read my story about this event on my famous web site:

Starving Vendors

Better yet, I hope you get to read my book which I am writing about exploits at these festivals and how difficult it is to survive. Hopefully, coming out in October. Keep you posted on the Starving Vendors website

Foster City 4th of July Festival

Return to Foster City. We shall be returning to the 4th of July Festival there after a six-year absence. I hope that it is as nice as it was back then. They have a number of vendor and food booths along with entertainment and fireworks. One of the few places around that do provide fireworks.

I am highly disappointed that we will have to haul in our things. We have a canopy,16 grids, 6 heavy buckets and around 15 sacks and numerous other things we need to set up. We are 60 year's old and this is quite difficult for us. Year's ago we were located alongside the curb and there was no problem. I guess that if I would have known this beforehand, than we would not have signed up. Seems like a completely different show. Family health problems are preventing us from going to Mt Shasta where we have been for the past 6 years ago. You think that we want to haul our stuff in with our health problems. Disgusting. I am certain other vendor's do not like this also. Please be sure to check out my website Starving Vendors for more info on shows and other things.

Rinconada Hills Center Bazaar - Los Gatos, CA

Ronconada Hills Center Bazaar. Saturday, March 28 from 9AM-4PM. I guess this is a new location for this promoter's show and is held the last Saturday of the month from 9AM-4PM. Located at 1500 Pollard Road at the shopping center. click here for more info. Alpha Zeta Events. Click on the 'poster' to see larger image.

Makers of Small Toys - Arts & Crafts - HR4040

HR4040 DOOMSDAY FOR A&C MAKERS OF TOYS, CHILDREN'S CLOTHING, etc.

PLEASE HELP THESE PEOPLE AND VOTE AGAINST IT and if possible, contact your Congressman/woman. You may no longer be able to buy lovely hand-made toys and children's clothing at your favorite A&C Festivals and Events. PLEASE HELP THIS PEOPLE. Just take a few minutes.

Toy makers may win lead-testing exemptionRules on lead threatened to hurt those who create handcrafted items Dec. 24, 2008, 8:14PM SAN FRANCISCO — The makers of handcrafted toys received some holiday hope Wednesday with support from a federal agency for proposed exemptions from strict lead-testing regulations they feared could put them out of business.

Last year's discovery of lead paint in mass-market toys prompted the government to pass new safety rules requiring testing and labeling that mom-and-pop workshops and retailers said they could not afford.As a February deadline for complying with the law loomed, toy makers who use materials such as unfinished wood, organic cotton and beeswax sought exemptions from the rules.In a memo released Wednesday, Consumer Product Safety Commission staffers recommended that the agency exempt some natural materials from the lead testing requirements continue this story but please come back and read the rest of this important blog entry.

Here is more info on HR4040.For more information on this please check

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-4040 This is about the HR4040 bill that was passed in December.Here is what somebody wrote on their blog.

The following are from a couple fellow 'crafters' and is quite interesting to read.http://pinaforesandknickerbockers.blogspot.com/2008/12/disturbing-law.html

http://babyswagspr.wordpress.com/2008/12/23/supporting-small-businesses-cpsia-law-issues/

Help Save Handmade Toys in the USA from the CPSIA - Hand-made Toy Alliance. http://sites.google.com/site/handmadetoyalliance/ You can vote here or get info on contacting Congress about this matter.

Save Handmade Toys From the CPSIA http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia

I can see a lot of people will be taking an interest in the toy issue as it involves the crafters. There are a number of people out there who make children's clothing for a living and sell at various events. Also affected could be the makers of children's toys or the vendors that import toys from China or anyplace else. Sounds like big problems for some vendors and if I were in their shoes, I would be mighty worried right now. As if the vendors don't have expenses already, they could possibly have to pay around $85 per test. I'll bet that the company that produces testing products is going to make a lot of money out of this and it would not surprise me if they put money in our Congressman's/woman's pockets.

THE GREAT SAN FRANCISCO CRYSTAL FAIR

Held on February 28 and March 1 at Fort Mason Center, 99 Marina Blvd, @ Bushannan Street in San Francisco, CA

Saturday 10am - 6pm, Sunday 10am - 4pm
Admission: $6.00 (children under 12 free accompanied by adult)

If you like minerals, crystals, geodes, semi-precious jewelry, etc., then you might find a trip to this event enjoyable. We were vendors at this event many times but people came there mostly for the 'rocks' and I would tend to believe much of our merchandise wasn't suitable for this type of event. Many of the dealers do quite well there. You can see some really beautiful amethyst cathedrals there. At one time, we were selling them also, but we were not equipped to be lugging them around in our van and they were quite heavy. You have to be very careful when handling them.Here's a link to the website: http://home.earthlink.net/~sfxtl/

You can find out about future events or if you wish to be a vendor there, you can take care of that.It was enjoyable doing the show and the other vendors were very nice. There was a Safeway across the street where we picked up food occasionally. Nothing to eat over at Fort Mason. We did this event before in November and February and it always seemed to rain on at least one of the days. Our biggest problem was the traffic head down Van Ness over to the Bay Bridge. That was a mess. In some areas, you would have to wait for 3 light changes before you could snake your way through the intersection. Probably be quicker to head over to the Golden Gate bridge, go to San Rafael and take the Richmond bridge and 580 over to 880.Off topic: If you ever attend this event, drop over to Mike, who is set up there to give massages and and he does a good job. Whenever we did this event, both my wife and I always stopped by his space for one. Prices are reasonable.

Events in Tyson Wells and Quartzsite

Things To Do In Tyson Wells and Quartzsite 2009

November 1, 2008 to Feb 15 2009 - Prospectors Panorama 4 shows
January 1 - February 28, 2009 Desert Gardens - Annual International Gem & Mineral Show
January 2 - January 11, 2009 Tyson Wells Rock & Gem Show
January 10 - January 25, 2009 Main Event
January 16 - January 25, 2009 Tyson Wells Sell-A-Rama
January 17 - 25 . 2009 Sports, Vacation & RV Show
January 28 - February 1. 2009 Hobby Craft & Gem Show
January 21- 25 2009 Annual Pow Wow
January 30 - February 8, 2009 Tyson Wells Arts & Crafts
January 28 - February 8, 2009 Rock & Roll Car Show
February 27- March 1, 2009 Blue Grass Festival at Tyson Wells
February 28, 2009 Chili Cook-Off & State Salsa Championship