Here's an excerpt from my book Street Fairs for profit, fun and madness on page 72 where I tell about an experience I had trying to purchase lemonade at a store in Mt. Shasta City, CA. The book has just been published and sells for $14.95

Chapter 7    Mt. Shasta City and the Fourth of July Celebration

Looking for Lemonade

It wasn’t a real scorcher up there in Mt. Shasta in 2009.  We have encountered temperatures up around 110 in past years.   One day, after closing up at 6:00pm, we stopped by a grocery store in Mount Shasta City to pick up more drinks for that night and the following day.  I have a real thirst for lemonade and I find it quite refreshing, especially in hot weather.  It’s much better than canned soda’s. I went inside the store and headed for the back where they had the drinks. I looked for some lemonade (ready-made from the frig area.  Minute Maid or Paul Newman’s Virgin Lemonade) would be fine, but I couldn't locate any.  I asked one of the employees where the lemonade was located. I saw at least 50 brands of Orange Juice.  Really! 

What do they do with the stuff?  You think I'm kidding about that?  Seriously, there had to be at least 50 different OJ's in there. I have never seen a selection like that before.  Anyhow,  absolutely nooooo lemonade. He said that they had none and he was hoping that the truck would bring some tomorrow. That’s nice.  I looked at him.  "I'm not waiting until tomorrow."  This isn’t one of those places where you wait in line for days to get tickets for a big event or you are trying to pick up a new game machine or an I-Phone. Can you imagine 200 people standing in line at 5:00AM waiting for the place to open so they can get some lemonade?  Only two per customer please.  Oh man. I gotta go to the bathroom; can you hold my spot for me?  Hey dude, back of the line, I've been here since yesterday morning. 

Here's an excerpt from my book   Street Fairs for profit, fun and madness  on page 44 where I tell about a day and a half of rainwater flooding the booths with 2 feet of water at the Ostrich Festival in Chandler, AZ.  The book has just been published and sells for $14.95

We arrived on Thursday afternoon and set up.  The show opened up on Friday and during the evening, it started raining.  Throughout the night, we listened to the rain coming down on top of our motor home.  Periodically, the rain would slow down, but would come down hard shortly after.  Earlier on Friday, there were reports of possible rain.  As I walked around the vendor area, located in a gully, I realized that if we were to get a large amount of rain, the area is going to flood.  The ground was hard and it would take a long time for the water to seep through.  Fortunately, when we closed up Friday evening, we removed most of our things from the ground and elevated them onto tables and hung a lot of our things on the grids.

It started raining on Friday evening. Throughout the night, we listened to the rain coming down on top of our motor home and it was quite loud. Periodically, the rain would slow down, but would come down hard shortly after. Earlier on Friday, there were reports of possible rain. As I walked around the vendor area, located in a gully, I realized that if we were to get a large amount of rain, the area is going to flood. The ground was hard and it would take a long time for the water to seep through. Fortunately, when we closed up Friday evening, we removed most of our things from the ground.  Upon awakening Saturday morning, it was still raining and we pretty much knew that the day was going to be a 'washout'. All day long the rains kept coming and coming.

As we sat in the motor home in the parking lot we saw the ground turning to mud, as some vehicles passed by. We began to wonder if we would be able to get our vehicle out of the parking lot as we saw many vehicles actually get stuck in the mud; tow trucks couldn't even get them out. I gave thought to moving our motor home out of there, but didn’t really have anyplace else to park. We were to remain in that parking lot the remainder of the day.

CHAPTER 5    Tough Times at South Lake Tahoe

Wind, rain and snow in the Sierra’s in late May? You have got to be kidding me. Oh, lucky me.

It was Thursday, May 22, 2008 and we were on our way to South Lake Tahoe from the Bay Area for an Arts and Crafts show at Miller’s Y, located at the junction of Highways 50 and 89. 

Note:  Shows at Miller’s Y have been discontinued due to reconstruction in that area.  The property was sold and the new owners had the buildings demolished.

Highway 50 is the main highway stretching approximately 110 miles from Sacramento up to and through Lake Tahoe. This picturesque road climbs in elevation to around 8,000 feet at the summit.

As we were driving up Highway 50, we approached the community of Cameron Park and began to climb in altitude.  I was in the right hand lane of the highway and there was a large semi-truck in front of me struggling to make it up the hill.  Traffic was light and there were no vehicles on the left side of me, so I turned on my signal and began moving over.  But just as I began passing the slow moving truck,  a huge sheet of plywood suddenly appeared out of nowhere and came flying at us from the left side and smacked into the my van.  It caromed off the left front side and flew up and went completely over our van.  Unbelievable. We never saw where it came from.  I looked all around me and there were no other vehicles around, except for us and the truck.  Luckily it didn’t go through our windshield. It would be tough running around without a head.  My wife immediately looked up.  “What was that?” she asked me.  “I don’t know, it looked like a piece of plywood” I told her as I glanced over to the right side and looked into my side view mirror.  I could not see the board anyplace. Most certainly it didn’t come off the big rig since the container was fully enclosed. 

That was a very rough weekend in Lake Tahoe as we were vendors at an arts and crafts shiow there.  To read more about this and other adventures contained in my book Street Fairs for profit, fun and madness just click on the link.  You'll love it.

Part 1     Chapter 1      A Day to Remember

Tyson Wells Sell-a-Rama 2010

Standing in the heavy rain with 70 mph winds while watching some 60 canopies go flying in all directions, toppling over all at once was something to behold as I had never seen anything close to this in all of my 17 years selling at festivals, fairs and other events.  My two canopies crumbled and collapsed to the ground right in front of my very eyes as I stood helplessly watching in complete awe. All my merchandise was scattered on the ground beneath the canopies. This would be a day that I would remember for the rest of my life.

This is the beginning of Chapter 1 in my book 'Street Fairs for profit, fun and madness.  If you want to read more or place an order, please click on the link.

Manteca Crossroads Street Faire - April 2-3, 2011

Please read my review from 2009. 2010

Manteca Crossroads Street Faire. April 2-3, 2011. Manteca, CA

IMPORTANT: I have written a book about our experiences selling at Street Fairs, festivals, A&C Shows, fairs, flea markets. I know that you will really find reading it quite enjoyable and you'll be able to relate to a lot of things that I describe. Having to endure 71 mph winds, heavy rains, floods, lying and cheating promoters. You'll love it. Only $14.95. Street Fairs for profit, fun and madness
April 2-3 in downtown Manteca. Shop at over 400 vendor booths, enjoy the top notch entertainment and of course come for the food. Free admission and free parking Price: Free Age Suitability: All Ages Event Website vendor application

We (DandL CREATIONS) shall be doing the event in Space 174. Look for us. Have done it in the past. Quite a number of vendors here and the crowds come out. Been there when it was rainy and windy a few years ago and it was rough. Expecting cloudy weather with temps in the mid-60s. No rain.

Check out Starving Vendors for reviews on many shows we have done. Sign up to get on the mailing list to order my book about Street Fairs. Almost done. You'll love it.

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.

30th Castroville Artichoke Festival

Sat/Sun May 16-17. This event is held in Castroville which is located approx 20 miles north of Monterey on Highway 156. We will be there selling shell necklaces, shell creations, wrap-around skirts & sarongs and a whole lot more. DandL CREATIONS

On May 16 and 17, 2009, they will be celebrating the 50th annual Artichoke Festival in the community of Castroville, in Monterey County, California. This two-day festival draws large crowds of people who enjoy arts & crafts, tasty food, musical entertainment, cooking demonstrations, a car show and a parade. Last year’s festival was their best yet! Click here for vendor application.

AGRO ART Competition: AGRO art is 3-dimensional fruit and vegetable artwork. This quirky competition fosters imagination, creativity and fun for both participants and the viewing public.

PARADE: Our sanctioned parade is one of the largest and most colorful of its kind.
MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT: Two days of live music! Everything from Swing to Mariachi, Country to 50's Rock & Roll.
CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES: Games, face paints, clowns, stilt walkers, puppets and more!FOOD: Artichokes fried, sautéed, grilled, marinated, pickled, fresh, and creamed in soup. Plus foods from the many ethnic groups that give this area its character.
FOOD: Artichokes fried, sautéed, grilled, marinated, pickled, fresh, and creamed in soup. Plus foods from the many ethnic groups that give this area its character.
COOKING DEMOS: The area's finest showcase the versatility and unique techniques for preparing and using artichokes.
WINE TASTING: Sample the best from the area's award winning producers.
ARTS & CRAFTS: Unique gifts and apparel crafted by artisans from throughout the country. Plus artichoke souvenirs galore!
FARMERS MARKET: Artichokes and more, fresh from the heart of the salad bowl.
FIELD TOURS: Hop a bus to the artichoke patch for grower talks and photo ops.
Please No Pets. (I second that motion!)

Please visit Starving Vendors where I have placed many of my reviews of events that we have done. Check out our new forum, where you can comment on shows, promoters, etc. Brand new.

Craft Show Vendor Liability Insurance

IMPORTANT:  I have written a book about our experiences selling at Street Fairs, festivals, A&C Shows, fairs, flea markets.  I know that you will really find reading it quite enjoyable and you'll be able to relate to a lot of things that I describe.  Having to endure 71 mph winds, heavy rains, floods, lying and cheating promoters.  You'll love it.  Only $14.95.  Street Fairs for profit, fun and madness

I have been compiling a listing of companies that offer insurance for vendors at craft shows, festivals, etc.

Specialty Insurance Agency. I looked at their website and it's hard to find info about policies. The policies run from September to August and it's roughly $350 per year. You really need to wait until September in order to get your money's worth. I have a friend who is insured through them and he says they are excellent. They also have an ad in Craftmaster News (pg 121 Feb/Mar issue) paper issue. You may subscribe to this publication. Best around.

Center West Insurance Agency. Tel 800-455-6974. centerwestinsurance@lanset,com I saw their ad in Craftmaster and looked at their website but didn't see anything about specific policies. Recommend emailing them for info.

RLI Home Business Insurance. This looks like it might be decent. Check it out.

To see more, please visit my website for the complete listing

If you know of any others, please let me know.... thank you

March Breezes on Main - Yuma, AZ

March Breezes Arts and Crafts Festival, Yuma, AZ March 13-15, 2009.

The last of four events on Main Street in downtown Yuma.
vendor application

Food and Craft booths $175 (3 days) 10x10; $250 for 10x20. website Yuma Heritage

Holtville Carrot Festival

WHAT'S UP, DOC? The 62nd Holtville Carrot Festival Saturday & Sunday, February 7th & 8th, 2009 is what's up.

Vendor application website- Holtville Chamber of Commerce Holtville Business License is required - $12.00 Arts and Crafts $50 one day, $75 for two days; Commercial crafts $75/$100.

The week-long Holtville Carrot Festival is held every year in February. The festival includes a golf tournament, carrot cooking contest, arts & crafts fair, carnival rides and the Carrot Festival Parade. Click here to download schedule of events for the upcoming 2009

Festivals of Texas

I just found a nicely designed website that lists events in Texas. It's called Festivals of Texas and breaks down into five areas of the state....North, East, Central, South and West. Describes event and provides contact numbers.

Good site if you are either a vendor or are looking for festivals in your area.Some of the shows included are: 12th ANNUAL SPRINGFEST WINE, ART & FOOD FESTIVAL, ROCKPORT’S CLAY EXPO, 63rd ANNUAL ST. PATRICK’S DAY CELEBRATION (in Shamrock), LUBBOCK ARTS FESTIVAL, OILMAN’S CHILI COOK-OFF, 37th ANNUAL REDBUD FESTIVAL and a lot more.The have a page entitled 'searching for vendors' which comes in handy.

There are parts of the website under construction and I am sure that those sections will be every bit as impressive as the other area. Very nicely done.

For shows in California, please stop by my website www.starvingvendors.com for reviews, listings and loads of info on events we have done.

Parkes Elvis Festival

Welcome to the CountryLink Parkes Elvis Festival -Australia's Premier Elvis Event

On the second week in January every year, the town of Parkes in Central New South Wales comes alive to the sounds of hip-swiveliling Elvis Impersonators. http://www.parkeselvisfestival.com.au/

The 5 day Festival Program features a dazzling array of more than 120 individual events. Highlights of the 2009 Program will include the Mark Andrew Feature Concerts, the ever popular Elvis Gospel Church Service, the iconic Elvis Street Parade, the Crowning of Miss Priscilla, the Elvis Golf Day & Dinner, the Back to the Altar Wedding Ceremony and the inaugural Elvis Poets Breakfast.

Cooke Park comes alive on Saturday and Sunday with markets and non-stop entertainment on the main stage including Elvis tribute artists and competitions that the whole family can enjoy. Visit Elvis Central Store to buy your official festival merchandise along with some unique memorabilia items. With CountryLink providing fun all the way from Sydney to Parkes on the ‘CountryLink Elvis Express’ and Rex Airlines flying in the ‘Priscilla Plane’ the non-stop Elvis fun and entertainment will begin even before you arrive in town!

Become an Elvis Festival Fanatic (for FREE) and receive festival e-newsletters with exciting festival announcements and news. REGISTER NOW!

NEW!! ELVIS - BACK ON THE BIGSCREEN AT PARKES
Mojo Events & Promotions & BE Productions are pleased to announce, in conjunction with the Parkes Elvis Festival, the inaugural Flix in the Stix Outdoor Elvis Movie Screenings as part of the 2009 CountryLink Parkes Elvis Festival.

The giant 10m x 6.5m airscreen will be screening Elvis favourites such as Blue Hawaii, Viva Las Vegas and Elvis-That's the Way It Is. A special family screening of Kung Fu Panda will take place for families on Wednesday 7th January.

Bring a picnic and settle in under the stars.

Book early to avoid disappointment!

Download more information here. For a booking form click here.