Behind the Scenes - Preparing for the Biggest, Baddest, & Best Spring Market Ever

Image source:  National Archives; archives.gov

It seems like last week I still had months left before the fair.  It hit me when I was doing the schedule for the shop and It's almost May...Reality check it's three weeks away and I hope all of you are excited as I am...The theme this year as BIGGER BADDER BETTER, those of you who know me know I will deliver!

I have been shopping, planning, shopping, calling, shopping, and drawing hundreds of schematics of who and where since December of last year (thank goodness I started then!) I truly have needed every minute of it. One would never know what all is involved, but rest assured I got this...

I spent the first few months in search of healthy food vendors (they don't exist) or pretty porta loo's (yea there not out there either)...So what I did come up with is Happy Feet a new food vendor this year who is a 501 organization (non-profit) to support children with down-syndrome..And realized the theme for the porta loo's is R-E-S-P-E-C-T....(you'll have to see this).

Also moving the Fair to the shop side this year gets rid of all the "NOs" that came with having it at the community center.  Come on, have you met us?  We hate that word...YES you can bring your dog (please clean up after them and watch them at all times!) YES we will have wine pouring/selling (thanks to Melissa from The Winery At La Grange).

So in a nutshell on 4/29 my leg/brain work is complete, and now the real stressful part starts.  What I like to call the "depending on other people stage".  The tents, the signs, the postcards, the dumpsters, the loos, etc., etc. to be delivered when they are supposed to, (ok so maybe Lisa was right I just may be a control freak - I like precise better but I think it's the same thing)..Not that this shows at all by me calling these people every Monday at 10am to make sure they haven't forgotten about us! (not really but almost).

So I am on brain break (refueling until May 14th) My son's 23rd birthday Happy B-Day Hunter!

From the 14th-till  the wee hours of the 20th, my fairytale will take form, so back to the theme:

• BIGGER= 60 MORE SPACES ADDED (sold out)
• BADDER=BIG NAME VENDORS (THE ONES YOU ARE READING ABOUT IN THE LATEST MAGAZINES AND BOOKS (you will have to come see who! we're giving a sneak peak for a few of them here on our blog)
• BETTER= TBD.  I'LL AWAIT YOUR COMMENTS AFTERWARDS  ; )

With all this rambling I MUST say this..I would not have been able to pull this off with out the tremendous support I have received from my fellow Lucketts crew with kind encouraging words and faith in me....just to mention a few

• Suzanne for having faith in me to pull this all off!
• Anne stepping up at the counter when I am being transferred from the county office to permits to VDOT back to the county, sending faxes, and answering my cell phone about the color of the grommets on the banners all at the same time.
• Ted for his intimate understanding of a condition he calls "fair on the brain"
• A big FAT thanks to my magical computer goddess Emily..who I am not sure if she gets me or prays like hell she doesn't turn out like me! What she can do is hear the words that come out of my mouth, sorts them out, and puts it into action before I am even done...(do you know how hard this is?)
• To my wonderful husband who strangely enough like Emily gets me, I dropped off a box of wood, glue and a few nails said what I needed and he puts his twist on it and voila!  --- a super cute 22' entrance gate for the Fair has been born! And for once again letting me borrow your 40' race car trailer to bring all of this to the shop..(and for you driving it and helping me unload) YOU'RE THE BEST!

So that's it for now....

<3  Heather

Please continue to enter our Lucketts Spring Market $100 Gift Card Giveaway.  The Giveaway ends Saturday at midnight, so get your entries in!  We will be announcing our winner on Monday!