Indio Tamale Festival

Indio Tamale Festival
Indio Tamale Festival, Indio, CA Dates: Saturday and Sunday, December 3-4, 2011 (Always the 1st weekend in December!)
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday
Location: Downtown Indio The Festival is between Highway 111 and Indio Boulevard and fills-in the streets of Miles, Towne, Smurr & Requa.
Weather: 79 Degrees, Sunny Days; 40 Degrees, Cool Evenings

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



It all started in 1992 with an idea by Dave Hernandez, a member of the Downtown Indio Merch
ants Association. The rich heritage of the tamale, consistent community support and hard working tamale makers have created the festival's tremendous success. Recently, the Food Network-TV ranked the Indio International Tamale Festival in the top 10 "All-American Food Festivals" in the nation!Festival's Guinness World Records: The World's largest Tamale-over 1 foot in diameter and 40 feet in length, Dec. 4, 1999. The World's largest tamale festival-with 120,000 in attendance, Dec. 2-3, 2000.The weather is pretty good in Indio this time of year, but nights are a little cooler. Booths are spread along several streets. Lots of tamales and they all sell for the same price. Booth fees are a bit high and overpriced. Commercial goes for $475 and if you are staying in a motel, your expenses end up quite high. Very risky for this economy. Arts and Crafts spaces go for $475

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.

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

Rose Bowl Flea Market

Welcome to the World's most unusual Flea Market the shopping place of the Stars. Featuring over 2,500 vendors and 20,000 buyers every Month. The Rose Bowl Flea market is one of the most famous markets in the World. Celebrating over 40 years of continued success at the world famous Rose Bowl in Pasadena California. If you come to shop or just browse you will truly enjoy the experience

Boasting more than 2,500 vendors and a customer base that includes a roster of Hollywood stars, the Rose Bowl Flea Market has continued to attract serious collectors, bargain hunters and novice shoppers to one of the world’s greatest outdoor marketplaces for the past 39 years. Guaranteed to have something for everyone, vendors come stocked every second Sunday of the month with vintage items, home furnishings, hand-made crafts and collectable pieces. Thousands flock to the West’s best treasure hunt to peruse the wares and negotiate prices, come rain or shine. Read more about the Rose Bowl Flea Market

Rose Bowl Flea Market and Market Place regular admission starts at 9am for the general public at $8.00 per person, children under 12 are admitted free with an adult. We also have an express admission from 8:00am - 9:00am at $10.00 per person, an early admission from 7:00am - 8:00am at $15.00 per person, and a special preview VIP admission from 5:00am - 7:00am at $20.00 per person. All vendors are not all moved in and set up until 9am. The box office is open until 3pm after which time sellers begin packing and leaving. The public may shop for those last minute bargains until 4:30pm. FREE PARKING. SORRY NO PETS ALLOWED

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair. Cow Palace Exhibition Halls, 2600 Geneva Avenue, San Francisco website

Four Weekends including the Friday after Thanksgiving, November 28, 29, 30, Dec. 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 2008; 11:00am - 7:00 pm General Admission: $22.00 Student/Senior/Military: $19.00 Children 5-11: $10.00 Children Under 5 are Free Groups of 15 or more: $17.00 ($15 for Senior Groups)

The bustling streets of London, immortalized for all time by the mighty pen of Charles Dickens, form the living backdrop of your excursion into Christmas Past. You are a living part of a Victorian Christmas card come to life!
A Bay Area tradition for 29 holiday seasons, the Great Dickens Christmas Fair returns to the San Francisco Cow Palace Exhibition Halls for four weekends , including the Friday after Thanksgiving in 2008, from Friday, November 28 through Saturday, December 21st from 11am 'til 7pm. Created in 1970 by Ron & Phyllis Patterson, the fair is now produced by Kevin & Leslie Patterson & Red Barn Productions, who continue the family tradition of theatrical excellence through authenticity, participation, and playfulness.

Come wander the lanes of Victorian London, as the glow of twilight settles upon the city. With the scent of pine boughs and freshly baked scones floating in the air and the sound of carolers and holiday merrymakers accompanying your stroll