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

Movie Festivals and Events Worldwide

LARGE LISTING OF MOVIE FESTIVALS AND EVENTS WORLDWIDE.

I just found quite a number of listings for Movie/Film Festivals that I think some people would enjoy browsing through. Here's the ones for January, 2009:

January 8-19 Palm Springs International Film Festival (Palm Springs, California, USA)
January 9-11 Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival (Nevada City, California, USA)
January 10 Taos Shortz Film Fest (Taos, New Mexico, USA)
January 14-19 The New York Jewish Film Festival (New York, New York, USA)
January 14-25 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (Atlanta, Georgia, USA)
January 15-25 Sundance Film Festival (Park City, Utah, USA)
January 16-18 Bourne to Die Horror Film Festival (Christchurch, Dorset, UK)
January 16-18 San Joaquin Children's Film Festival (Stockton, California, USA)
January 16-18 Trail Dance Film Festival (Duncan, Oklahoma, USA)
January 17-18 Honolulu Film Festival (Honolulu, Hawaii, USA)
January 21-23 Zombieshortfest International Zombie Short Film Festival (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
January 23-24 Bellows Falls Film Fest (Bellows Falls, Vermont, USA)
January 24-25 Canada International Film Festival (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
January 30-February 7 Clermont-Ferrand Short-Film Festival (Clermont-Ferrand, France)
January 30-February 8 Victoria Film Festival (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada)

California Gift Show - Los Angeles

January 16-19, 2009. California Gift Show, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA http://www.californiagiftshow.com/

Simply Handmade Collection: $18 per sq. ft. $1,080 for 6x10 + $150 corner. 440 spaces. Contemporary Handcrafted: $18-$19.50 per sq. ft. $1,900 for 10x10. Under 200 spaces. Kenita Hall World Style (International Handmade): $1,850 for 10x10. 700 spaces in World Style, categorized into furniture, museo gallery, jewelry and fashion/fiber sections. New exhibitors jury with slides/photos of product, photo of display. 17 product collections, 3,000 spaces, 24,000 attend. Emphasis on craft. DEADLINE: 10/1.

Contact: California Gift Show, DMG World Media, Charlie, (800)395-3901. 888 S. Figueroa, Ste 600, Los Angeles, CA 90017.