Dead Men Talking!

Over the past few months Judi and I have visited a number of military re-enactments. They are great fun to see and experience! The sound of the cannons being fired and the smell of gunpowder all add to the adventure! Most of these re-enactments take place during the hot summer months and many of the re-enactors wear stifling wool uniforms. It makes me hot and sweaty just thinking about it! The re-enactors attention to detail is legendary. Everything has to be perfect, true to the period they are depicting. Walking through one of their encampments, you can actually visualize yourself being back in time! On the battlefield it is even more captivating. You can feel the intensity of the battle! Guns firing, smoke filling the air, soldiers marching and officers shouting orders, advances and retreats, all for the sake of authenticity! As the battle progresses, soldiers begin to fall as though they have been shot! They lie there as their comrades walk over them! The sun scorches their fallen bodies! Truly “in the heat of the battle”! There is so much happening; it’s hard to take it all in! Who notices that some of the “dead” have dragged themselves to the shade of the “old oak tree”? Who can tell that there are “dead men talking”!

One Person’s Garbage…

Did you ever notice how many “Garage Sales” there are around the festivals you’ve visited? I have, and there are a lot! They say, “One person’s garbage is another person’s treasures!” I believe it and festivals certainly breathe life into that old axiom. What is even more telling is that many festivals incorporate some type of “Garage Sale” into their activities, such as “Book Sales”, “Antique Shows” and “Flea Markets”! Let’s face it, Garage Sales are a great way to recycle. One person wants to get rid of something while another is willing to buy it and, as Yakoff Smirnoff might say, “What a concept!” Even internet companies, very large internet companies have gotten into the act. Take "e-bay" for example they have built their whole website mega-company on the “One person’s garbage” principle. And I have just discovered a new internet company that has taken the “Garage Sale” concept to a new level! The site, Garage Sale Gateway (Website: http://www.garagesalegateway.com/), offers members, both sellers and buyers, unique Garage Sale opportunities. For buyers, the site sends out e-mail alerts about upcoming Garage Sales in their area. It’s done in plenty of time so that enthusiastic buyer members can plan their “Garage Sale” routine in advance. This means less time driving and more time finding that perfect “treasure”! For sellers, it gives them a “free” way of promoting their Garage Sales to a targeted market. And, after their Garage Sale is over, the Garage Sale Gateway provides a safe and easy way to sell excess “treasures”, great for both sellers and buyers! What I like about this site is that they recognize the synergy between Garage Sales and Festivals. They see how festivals and events help and add to the “Garage Sale” experience. If you think I am bias, I am, because I am working with the folks at Garage Sale Gateway to get the “festival and event” message out to as many festival enthusiasts as possible. Who know, maybe there’s a “Garage Sale Nomad” out there!

Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!!

I’ve been thinking a lot, lately, about “value for money spent”. This is especially true for the cost of gas! Why are gas prices so high and why, as consumers, are we accepting it? When you go to a “service station” there, usually, is no service! We pump our own gas, check our own oil and fill our windshield wiper fluid. So all we are paying for is the gas and the equipment that dispenses the gas. I guess we have now all accepted this as the “norm”. It now seems to be creeping into all aspects of our lives. When you go into many supermarkets and Big Box store you almost have to beg for service! Their justification seems to be lower prices. The pendulum went from perhaps too much service to very little. With the economy on the downturn, the pendulum seems to be swinging back. So, after this “longwinded” introduction, here is my point. If we, as consumers, ban together, we can make a difference and we can cause change. We can start a mini revolution and start demanding better service, competitive prices and better products. Let’s face it, we control the purse strings. We decide where and when we are going to spend our hard earned money! It’s time to fight back, so “let’s get ready to rumble”!
Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that Judi and I visit a lot of festivals and events throughout the year. Unfortunately some of the visited festivals don’t offer “good value for money spent”. Even though many of the festivals we visit don’t change an admission fee, that doesn’t mean they are offering good value. I’m not just talking about the cost of admission. I’m talking about the other costs, gas to get there, parking, food, products, midway, etc. We as festival and event consumers should expect and demand “good value”! Most festivals and events are organized and run by hard working, well intentioned volunteers. They want to do their best, but they are not professionals! Most groups do what they have always done! It’s easier that way! We need to make festival managers, volunteers or not, more accountable for what they are offering and how they inform and train their volunteers. We can do this by giving festival and event organizers constructive feedback. Most festivals and events have contact information on their websites. If they don’t, that’s a great place for them to start improving! If, after giving an event your feedback and you still feel negatively, you have the final “hammer”. Just don’t go back to the event plus you can tell your friends and family about your negative experiences. If enough people boycott the event, it’s organizers will soon get the picture! The economy is going through a “readjustment” period now and all businesses (profit and non-profit) should re-evaluate their operation. Those that don’t, likely won’t last. It’s up to us, the “festival consumer”, to join the “fight” and “help” organizers go in the “right’ direction After all, we deserve “good value for hard earned money spent”!

It’s The Little Things…

As I think back on all the festivals (70 plus) we have visited so far, it’s the little things, unexpected things I remember the most! In Elmvale, our first “Nomad Festival”, at their annual Maple Syrup Festival, it was the taste of local real maple syrup! While traveling with my Grandson to the Antique and Classic Boat Show, it was stopping along the way at a trading post and being given two free containers of “Nibs” chocolate ice cream pieces. Then there was the very interesting genealogy store located in the picturesque village of Campbellville that we discovered on our way to the Waterloo County Quilt Festival. In Perth, at the Festival of Maples, there was the wonderful Matheson House Museum located on Perth’s main downtown street. Last fall during our Colours ‘n Crows tour in Buckhorn, we marveled at the fall colours and the views across Pigeon Lake. Colborne’s Apple Blossom Tyme Festival produced a special treasure for Judi at their Library book sale. Judi found a book she had been searching and paid only $2.00! The jousting contest the Gregor’s Crossing Medieval Faire took my breath away when the two Knights faced each other with lowered lances. During our trips we saw amazing farms, beautiful scenes, interesting architecture and quaint rural towns and villages! All wonderful memories! Being a “Festival Nomad” certainly has its advantages!

A Sense of Community…

One of the great things about being a “Festival Nomad” is being able to visit unique rural communities! Over the past year or so, we have had the privilege of visiting a number of such communities. Our first festival took us to Elmvale. This is a small town located northwest of Barrie. They host a wonderful Maple Syrup Festival each spring and attract thousands of people to it! Colborne was our next rural experience. Colborne, located just east of Cobourg, is the home of the Old Tyme Apple Blossom Festival. Judi was able to find a few “treasured” books in the book sale that was held in their town park! Other great rural communities followed, Frankford (located on the Trent-Severn Waterway), Gravenhurst (in the heart of Muskoka), Warkworth (where we discover that Cowboys and Cowgirls do exist in Ontario!), Smith’s Falls (where chocolate filled the air), Buckhorn (twice!), Wellington (a great retirement community, plus my brother and his wife live there), Bala (where the street on a fall weekend are lined with Cranberry products) and Waterford (where the pumpkins glow in the dark and people’s homes are decorated to match the theme of their festival). There were, of course, more, many more, but I think you understand what I am trying to convey. While big cities may be the engine of our economy, rural communities and their residents are the “heart and soul” of our province. They represent what most of us would like to achieve in life, “peace, quiet and a sense of community”! My own town, Cobourg, gives me this sense of well being. I hope you find or have found your own “heart and soul”!