Whenever October comes around, different people are put into mind of a lot of distinct things. Some people would immediately think of the cooler weather, the red and gold autumn leaves, and Halloween. In the Tri-State, however, October is when the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival will take place. The festival is a week long and covers both sides our four city blocks, and brings with it an allure of food, rides and games.

The aptly named Evansville civic organization, West Side Nut Club, organizes the said event. The first festival was held way back in 1921, but it has since transformed into the second largest street festival of the United States. The American Bus Association has also named the event among the top 100 for 2009.

The biggest attraction of the festival, in the eyes of the a lot of participants, is the food. There are 126 food booths lining up both side of Franklin Street. You can find all festival staples here, of course: corn dogs, caramel apples, hamburgers, and everything else can be found here. But, what makes it exciting is the fact that many of the booths also offer a sampling of foods that you wouldn’t expect to find in a fair. You could try a sampling of bean soup, or how about fried green tomatoes? Or maybe even crab Rangoon.

If you are particularly adventurous, you may challenge your taste buds by sampling some truly exotic faire. See if you’ll enjoy brain sandwiches, alligator stuffed potatoes, frog legs, or chocolate-covered insects. If you want to go on the other end of the spectrum, on the other hand, there are some safe, grease-free munchies that are also available. Vegetarians will delight at all the olives, green beans, and salads that you can buy.

While you’re digesting, you can take a break from sampling all the food and go over to the crafts exhibit. You can find a lot of items that may spark your interest there, and meet some of the talented individuals from the Tri-State. Various blown glass works, carved wood figures and jewelry can be seen here.

The previous post, I discussed the first of the five craft shows we participated in during this year. This one was organized by a Church; but because of a bad mix of screwy schedules and the sudden economic downturn, it was not as profitable as the past years. I will continue talking about the other crafts that I have gone to.

To start off, let me talk about the two other shows that have taken place in schools. A positive thing I would like to note down is that the seller’s morale is at a high here. The students will assist you in unloading all your stuff and items, for one thing. And they’ll even help you put them back at day’s end. One of the events was a fund-raiser for the High School Soccer Team, and the coach went to each seller afterwards to thank them personally. There is a certain atmosphere here that I like and I will gladly return to this show, if only to experience it once more.

In terms of sales, we did relatively well; certainly better than we did at the church, at any rate. Still, you can see the effect of the economic situation; people were opening their wallets, but were very conscious about spending their money. According to the other vendors of the event, the attendance was down by about a fifth from those of the previous years.

The two other shows that we attended were charity based ones. They were one of the “Old Faithful” shows that we had been going to for the past years. These shows get good attendance, as it is advertised quite well. These shows obviously have great organization. The 2008 show was no different than the previous years; but there were minor mishaps. People who pre-paid for dual table booths somehow ended up with one table each on one of the shows, which resulted in major chaos with the placement of people’s booths.

The gist of it is: 2008 as a craft season was mostly marked red financially. There was no great cost increase, which is good; but profits were down mostly due to the financial crisis. After doing the math, attendance was down by 15-20%, while the sales were down by about 40%. What does this mean for 2009? Should we be discouraged? Of course not! We shall continue to move ever forward, and we shall adapt and change our business strategies to be able to survive in these trying financial times.

Do you still recall how playing with your most favorite toys as a child feels? As a child, I was fond of playing with my Barbie dolls and Dress up Games dolls. It was truly a bizarre feeling to be able to go back and reminisce the days that passed, when we were still kids and masters of our own worlds.

If you are like me who absolutely loves and adores the nostalgic and awesome feeling that accompanies me when I reminisce the bygone days, then maybe you’ll have a grand time visiting the Lego Art Show in Fargo, North Dakota. The Lego Art Show is an event that features all of the bestseller and most famous Lego toys ever produced. I remember playing with Lego as a kid; it brought me immense fun and happiness. My brother who is a Lego fanatic used to collect Lego toys and build a huge empire or castleland right at our living room.

The Lego Art Show is a nice place of choice for us Lego enthusiasts and aficionados to gather and experience the “Lego magic” that we kept even through our adult life. At the event we can see Lego train sets, villages crafted from Lego, and even the most celebrated Lego Bible Chapters by a very talented artist. His works can be seen all over the internet, reenacting famous chapters in the Bible using Lego toys.

Lego is a lot of fun. Now that I’m a mother of a beautiful baby princess, I’m thinking of showering her with educational and mind building toys, for which Lego is one.

Lego helps helps mothers like me in ensuring the proper brain development of our children. I want to her to be smart and practical woman when she grows up, and I know Lego will be a big contribution. If you want the same thing from your children, then come with me to the Lego Art Show!

Kentucky is a wonderful state that has moderate temperatures. Kentuckians are people who love to party due to the mostly clear weather. Of course, they can also participate in the different festivals that occur all throughout the year.

If you’re interested to go to the king of Kentucky festivals, one of the best events would have to be the highland Renaissance Festival in Eminence. This event spans for six weekends filled with fun and enjoyment. I will also talk about the MaiFest in Mainstrasse Village in Covington, and will be talked about in greater detail below. This festival celebrates the new harvest of wines in German traditions.

Last year, the Maifest has been chosen as one of the top ten festivals in Kentucky for the spring by the Kentucky Tourism Council. The first major festival of the summer in the Tri-State, the welcoming of new spring wines is accompanied by an assortment of arts and crafts. In terms of food, the festival prefers to try out various international delicacies. Continuous entertainment is also readily available as traditional and contemporary performers show the attendees what they’ve got.

My personal preference is to just stay in the craft show areas at festivals. Walking around for long periods of time can be fun for some, but I find it more enjoyable to see different works of art and witness the messages they have. If you have a stray soul, like mine, you’ll be able to find a number of unique objects here.

Maifest is located over six blocks along the 6th street promenade. You’ll definitely feel a vibe that will remind you of a German Park. Look for a Goose Girl Fountain when you arrive, and then maneuver on from there. Music is performed daily at that fountain, and is considered by many to be the starting point of the adventure. Have fun at the MaiFest!

Come and join in the fun, as we celebrate the second annual Feast of the Hunter’s Moon. Held from the 10th to the 11th of October 2009, at the Historic Fort Quiatenon Park near West Lafayette, Indiana.

Before anything else, I believe that a short history lesson is in order. The Feast of the Hunter’s Moon commemorates an annual gathering of the French and Native Americans that took place in Fort Quiatenon, then a fur-trading post during the 1700s. We hold the event annually in autumn (which is consistent with the original gathering), and you can find us on the banks of the Wabash River. For the uninitiated, that is located four miles southwest of West Lafayette, Indiana.

Once you reach the place, you’ll see thousands of participants reenacting the event. Let your senses free to experience the smells, sounds and tastes of the wood smoke, the rifle shots, and the good food that is authentic to that time.

Watch the French trappers and the Native Americans paddle down the Wabash River in hand-made and hand-painted canoes and boats. The actors would then land, as they have in ages past, at Fort Quiatenon as cannon fire resounds from the fort. Hundreds of other actors in colonial dress then meet them; mingling with the visitors on the shore. After they drag the canoes onto the narrow beach of the landing, they are welcomed by the cheering of the crowds.

During the course of the event, the Native Americans dress in the way their ancestors did. Then, they will seek to perform traditional dances to celebrate the Feast of the Hunter’s Moon. Originally, the feast is theirs to begin with, and watching the celebration as a spectator is the best way to get into the spirit of the event. Watch and be amazed at the fantastic performances and be a part of the fun!

If you think you are able to predict which of your wares will be a hot item at the weekly fair, then you have another think coming. It is impossible to predict such a thing, I dare say; or how much you will be able to garner for that week, for that matter. I have a few crafted items that are gathering dust on my weekly booth for a month now, and I just wipe it off daily. As things go, when I’m about to remove it, someone jumps in to buy it. Very puzzling.

There is really no way to tell if you will be able to sell each individual product. But, it’s a lot harder to face the fact that there is no way to find out how much you will sell all in all for every week that you set up a booth. It feels invigorating when your sales are on the up and up, and everyone seems to love your crafted items. But, when all you get for your pains and effort is a few furtive glances, then everything seems to be downright depressing.

Strive to keep your emotions in check, if you are doing a weekly show. Nothing says you have talent better than having your goods sell themselves. But, on the other hand, it’s also true in the opposite direction when it seems like no one wants to purchase your crafted works. You may start to question your talent, and will probably get disheartened.

So instead of worrying about your week to week sales, focus on the numbers and tally them. See if there are good sales over longer periods of time; statistical data will provide a better account of your success than an individual day of sales. See your overall weekly average, and put an effort in maintaining or raising it.

I will have to warn you about some customers. Unfortunately, it is quite normal to run into customers who make it a point to haggle over every purchase they make, even if they think it’s cheap. You may hate this practice, as you aren’t some cheap flea market vendor; you put some time and effort into something they’re interested in. Don’t take it personally. I’s not that they think your goods are cheap items. These people just want to save money.

One of the things that you will think long and hard about regarding your weekly booth is the setup. Imagine the amount of set-up that you do at a one-time show, and think of doing that over and over through the weeks. It’s not easy to arrange them all in an attractive fashion everyday! Waking up early will cause you to consume even more coffee in the mornings.

If you have this level of attention to detail, this will probably help boost up your sales. If you just throw things at random on the table, you will be less likely to have visitors on your booth, therefore less sales. If you put some effort into arranging your goods, then more folks will probably stop by to look at your booth. And thus, more chances of making a sale. So, strive to make everything fresh and tidy as you can.

But remember to avoid sticking to just one set-up. Try to diverge from your “winning formula” from time to time; simple things like re-arranging the stuff on the table could work. By shuffling things around a bit, you’ll catch the eye of regular market customers who normally just pass over your booth. Help them finally see an item they want by not sticking to the same old style. And when you vary your setup every time, you will develop an adaptability that would be useful when you setup at a new, unfamiliar place.

After doing the set up in the morning, it’s not a good idea to just sit back and watch people go by. You’re no better than hired help. Your stuff will get picked over and scrutinized, then dropped randomly back onto the table. That is normal, but if you don’t keep an eye on your display, things will get pretty messy. So rearrange your items back into order once in a while and keep everything looking neat and fresh.

You, the seller, is not an exception to this. Everything should stay fresh. Even if you wake up at the crack of dawn, and you’ve been powered by cups of caffeine since then, make an effort to go out and talk to people who stop by your shop. Smile and let your winning personality shine.

Come and join in the fun, as we celebrate the second annual Feast of the Hunter’s Moon. Held from the 10th to the 11th of October 2009, at the Historic Fort Quiatenon Park near West Lafayette, Indiana.

I believe that a quick history lesson is in order before anything else. The Feast of the Hunter’s Moon remembers an annual gathering of the French and Native Americans that happened in Fort Qiuatenon, which was then a fur-trading post during the 1700s. The event is annually held during autumn, which is consistent with the original gathering, and you locate them on the banks of the Wabash River. For people who are new to the event, it is located four miles southwest of West Lafayette, Indiana.

Once there, you will see thousands of participants re-enacting the event. Let your senses feast as you smell the wood smoke, hear the signals of the rifles, and taste food that is authentic to that time.

Watch the French trappers and the Native Americans paddle down the Wabash River in hand-made and hand-painted canoes and boats. The actors would then land, as they have in ages past, at Fort Quiatenon as cannon fire resounds from the fort. Hundreds of other actors in colonial dress then meet them; mingling with the visitors on the shore. After they drag the canoes onto the narrow beach of the landing, they are welcomed by the cheering of the crowds.

Over the span of the event, the Native Americans dress in the way their ancestors did; they will then seek to perform traditional dances to celebrate the Feast of the Hunter’s Moon. The festival is originally theirs to begin with, and watching the celebration as a spectator is the best way to get into the spirit of things. Watch and applaud the entrancing performance and be a part of the festivities!

Cigars are status symbols. We often see cigars in Italian and Spanish gang films being puffed by Dons and rich gang lords. A cigar is also a contemporary of a more inexpensive and common/ commercialized cigarette. Indicatively, cigarette is to identify a small or mini cigar. This article is written to provide us with the cultural and historical significance of cigars.

Cigars grow extensively in places such as: Brazil, Philippines, Mexico and Cuba. Cigar manufacturing has an interesting history anecdote to tell. During the past, cigar manufacturer owners employ the services of a lector or a reader to entertain workers as they work. The definition for cigar basically states that it is a a rolled bundle of tobacco leaves which is ignited when smoked. Fermented tobaccos are used in cigar manufacturing. Nowadays, modern forms of entertainment are now used such as built in piped music or audio books. This will help cigar workers work on a good mood.

As opposed to famous beliefs the cigar wrapper is a leaf not a paper wrapper. It is used to describe the overall flavor and aroma of the cigar and its overall look based on its color. Cigar wrappers are manufactured by extra care as they tend to carry the image of the cigar itself. Some cigar wrappers are tended with polishers so as to give it a beautiful glossy effect. cigar leaves are derived from the widest leaf of the tobacco plant.

There are numerous tobacco species whose leaves can be used to create tobacco. Fillers are what you call the rolled up tobacco leaves that composed of the inside of the tobacco. They sometimes contain the same leaf from a tobacco tree although some manufacturers create blends from other tobacco leaves.

Cigarettes usually causes lung cancer while cigars target the head and neck. Contrary to previous beliefs, cigars are really not safer alternatives to cigarettes. They just differ from the type of sickness you can achieve.

A cigar tasting is treated in the same manner as wine and cheese tasting- a social event in some places. Visit the Cigar Tasting (featuring Oliva Cigars) in Fairfield, Ohio for more details.

Anyone knows about the famous quote which goes: “A dog is man’s bestfriend”. The Mutt Master Dog Show and Exhibit is an annual event at Lincoln City in Oregon Coast. This exhibit is dedicated to celebrate man’s favorite pet and greatest companion, dogs. On this day, our favorite household pets are given regard and recognition as they are given importance on this show.

There are lots of fun competition that spectators would have fun watching. Food booths serving great tasting gourmets are in store at the festival for hungry stomachs. At the show there is a $2 registration fee per dog per category and $20 for unlimited entrance in categories. This is a fun event for people who have soft hearts for canine animals.

To give you with the fun list of events: the festival features the following with a cash prices for the winner:

The high jump category will feature the dog with the highest jump as the winner. For the sweetest smoocher category, dogs will kiss their humans and the most passionate kiss wins the event. The cutest puppy, the dandiest dancing dog. The organizers will be the one to provide the music and entertainment for the dandiest dancing dog. Sweetest fetch return will feature the dog with the nicest fetch from their humans.

There will also be show competitions to delight the spectators and festival goers which includes the best dressed dog, dog with the longest tail, biggest ears and the human/ dog look-alike contest where wearing of costumes are greatly encouraged. There will also be an Ugliest dog competition with the tag line of: “the ugliest does not necessarily mean the most un-cutest”.

Come to the Mutt Master Dog Show and Exhibit and bring the whole family for a day to remember.