Shepherdstown Comes Alive!

The 3rd annual Shepherdstown Street Fest was a fun-filled day of fine art, crafts, music, history, bratwursts, buttery pirogis, hot dogs, beer, balloons, dogs of all sizes, colors, and breeds, families, a book sale, a childrens' art show, giddy paint-faced kids, a clown on a unicycle juggling toilet plungers, martial arts demonstrations, and even an underground art show and pirate dance party (which I had to peek into!). The town of Shepherdstown, WV blocked off two blocks of German Street (the main street thru downtown) and allowed vendors to set up their tents and displays along each side of the street.

My assigned booth space was situated at the very end of the block, far away from most of the action. Eric, my boyfriend, and I arrived to set up about 8:30 am so we had plenty of time to get situated before the 10:00 start. The Church of Joyful Living was supposed to occupy a space next to me at the last space, but unfortunately they were a no-show, so I ended up being the last booth on the street. I was a bit disappointed that the Joyful Living didn't participate as I was curious to know who they were...apparently, the founder does readings of some sort.

Luckily for me, many made the trek down the street toward my booth, so I didn't feel left out of the activities, fun, and sales. Even the clown made an appearance at my booth and entertained and/or perhaps frightened young shy children with his juggling and awesome deep Australian- man accent. I must say, he was the coolest clown ever, and I don't usually like clowns. The underground pirate dance party, located down an alley directly behind my booth, offered a mix of cool abstract art, hacky-sack, and very loud off the wall alternative garage band music which melded into a discordant cacophony with the live music in the street as well as the loud music inside the coffee shop two doors down.

It seems the majority of Shepherdstown's chain-smoking youth hang out in front of the Lost Dog coffee shop, as could be told by the plethora of cigarette butts along the curbside, and the clouds of second-hand smoke that made its way into our airspace. At first, we didn't mind the wafting smoke from the grilled hamburger stand as it masked the concentration of cigarette smoke, until we noticed that tiny grease droplets rained from the smoke clouds and coated everything in my booth. As the grease accumulated, I had continuously clean my items as the grease spots were really evident on my frosted glass pieces. Auuurgh! By the afternoon, our faces felt as if we had eaten 20 greasy burgers and we smelled like it too. It'll be awhile before I can stomach the smell of grilled burgers.

Eric got to peruse the festivities and purchased a really cool handmade hat from an unknown vendor that made gorgeous handmade baskets, hats and fans. Eric also discovered a CD dealer that carried rare editions of his favorite bands, Fish (not Phish) and Marillion. He also visited a booth occupied by Bill Watson, a digital artist specializing in pop culture and my favorite...TIKI! I really wish I could have visited his booth...it's not often I get to meet another tiki enthusiast in this neck of the woods. DOH! Check out Bill's webpage for cool art, and links to his CafePress Store full of T-shirts, messenger bags, and more adorned with his creations!

All in all, I had a great day. I had terrific sales, ate great food, drank some tasty beer, and met lots of really nice people. Eric even stayed and hung out with me all day, watched my booth during potty breaks, retrieved food and beer, and was terrific company, so that in itself made it a very special day. I wish I would have strolled around and seen everyone's creations. Needless to say, I was exhausted today...although I still wished that the festival could have been a 2-day event. A big thank you to all the event organizers and the friendly Shepherdstown police who kept a watchful eye on things. I hope to be able to show at next year's event!