The Jubilee Festival in Daphne, Alabama
My Fall show season started with a sweet show in Daphne, Alabama called the Jubilee Festival. Taken from the show's website, "The festival celebrates the fine arts culture of our area and one of the few places in the world to experience the natural phenomenon of a jubilee. A jubilee occurs when oxygen levels in the water are diminished causing fish, shrimp, crab and other seafood to come to the surface in abundance."
The Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce works closely with the City of Daphne and the Jubilee Festival Committee to ensure a successful event. Many volunteers work tirelessly and it all comes together very nicely.
The show is situated along Main Street and it's heart is City Hall where a large stage provides local entertainment. Arts and Craft tents line the street with the food court being centrally located.
Set up for artists is on Friday evening after the streets are shut down. The City employees (road crew) do an excellent and efficient job after which all artists are allowed to bring in their vehicle, unload and then set up after parking.
I was able to complete about 3/4 of my booth before I decided to call it a night. It was hot and muggy and I was tired but pleased with my progress.
Returning to my booth very early the next morning, I was able to finish setting up by the time the show opened at 10:00. I was excited to add new banners and a few fresh displays I'd been working on.
The crowd started off strong and remained that way until mid-afternoon with televised football games being aired. Centrally located was a "tailgate booth" with a very large screen TV, chairs and other comforts but I'm not sure how many people took full advantage of it.
Sales were good with my etched scallop pieces being the most popular, followed closely by the ever popular Hollow Beaches. Maybe it helped that they were on the cover of the Summer/Fall edition of Alabama Coasting Magazine!
A storm blew in a half hour before the show closed for the day. More of a micro burst, it brought unfortunate damage to a few tents causing a handful of them to pack up, leaving empty spaces on Sunday morning.
I was once again honored with an Award of Distinction this year and that started my Sunday off with much excitement! Also, sales were up slightly from the previous day which caught me by surprise, given the fact that attendance was not as strong as the day before.
Dark clouds appeared at 3:00 pm, followed shortly thereafter by a 20 minute rainstorm. When it was over, we had about an hour and a half left to go before we could begin packing. Sales remained steady right up until closing time.
Because the tent was wet, packing was a bit of a challenge. We've done it many times over the years and we've even broken it down IN the rain but thankfully, there were only a few sprinkles while we were getting ready to leave this time. We were on the road in just under two hours and home in a little over three.
So my first show this season was AWESOME! It's safe to say it'll be on my schedule for next Fall!
This show, for me, has become a favorite. By the time it rolls around, I'm anxious to get back into the game. And it doesn't hurt that its home is in such a charming little Southern town.
In fact, this was my third year and I blogged about it last year. You can read it by clicking http://www.moondogartglass.com/blog/daphne-you-have-never-been-so-hot.
Thank you Daphne, Alabama. I'll be seeing you again!