Tuesday, October 23, 2018

What happens when your festival tent meets 40 mph wind?


So… I had a festival this past weekend in Clarksville, IN and the day looked like it was going to turn out awesome. I'd been checking the weather forecast all week and rain chances had diminished down to nothing. I thought I was home free. Saturday we wake up and head out to be at ClarkFest by 8am (after getting donuts, of course). It was sunny and warming up nicely.

My husband helped with setting up the new 10x10 tent we bought and I must say it was very easy! The book set up went smoothly, once I worked out where I wanted each book, table sign, floor sign, candy container, book mark, business card, Greek helmet (yes, you read that right), and model horse. I had my first sale not ten minutes after the festival opened.

Everything was going great... until the wind started picking up. When I mentioned it, the person in the tent next to mine informed me we had a wind advisory with 40 mile an hour gusts coming. Boy howdy, did the weather people call that!

The wind broke something glass and expensive sounding from another vendor, knocked over shelving units, moved tents. Soon people were holding on to their tents for dear life. But that didn't work. My tent had a back wall and it acted like a sail, sending my tent marching forward. One by one, tents were taken down.

The event was to run until 6pm. At 4pm, I decided to cut my losses. I was the second to last vendor still there, no festival goers were arriving, and I knew no more sales were in my future. I had been reduced to one 6 foot table, stripped completely bare. I had a copy of each book on the table and nothing else, other than the gallon water jugs used to hold down my coloring books.

This wind event definitely made things exciting! I was glad I had a great start to the day and look forward to ClarkFest next year. My next event will be indoors, but it's in November, so who knows what the weather will bring!

Okay, until next time!
Write on!
Penny

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