Caspar Fest Report

Holy crap, what a fun time!! Maybe I have mentioned it before, but I LOVE going down to the Mendocino coast! It's so much like Arcata and home. The people are so cool, the area is so beautiful, the vendors are so talented. It rocks.

Caspar Fest was no exception. We really lucked out with the weather, sunny and beautiful... while it poured rain at home on Sunday, I heard. A bit of wind and pretty cold at night, but overall nice nice.

Now, there were a few adventures on my way down. I was running pretty late getting out of town Friday, so I thought it would be smart to book a room in Willits for the night. I couldn't set up the booth until Sat morning anyway and the van was full of stuff, which makes sleeping in it a challenge. Also, I wouldn't stress so much about getting there by dark if I wasn't driving all the way. Smart. Yep.

I found a good deal online and booked it. Well, when I got there that night I found I had booked it for the following night. Smart. They said all they had was a double room for about double what I was going to pay. Sigh. I talked them down a little and took it. Then, they told me to cancel the reservation by calling an 800 number... which I did. The 800 lady said they should have transfered the res. because now I might be charged a penalty for not canceling in 48 hrs or whatever. Sigh. One pricey cheap motel room.

THEN, the drunk chicks next door woke me at 2:30 and I couldn't fall back to sleep. Up at 5:45 to drive the last hour to Caspar and save the world.

Luckily (or something), the first day of the show was very slow. I mostly visited with folks and watched the entertainment, which was completely visible from my booth. Woo. There was the Flynn Creek Circus from right in Caspar. They opened each day with a side show... the funny announcer guy did some stunts, they had a bearded lady lovely assistant (a long-haired guy in a sparkly tu-tu outfit) and these acrobat folks who did a neat artistic act on a hanging trapeze thing.

Also, lots of great music. The one act I was excited for was the Blushin' Roulettes. They too are local, saw them last year... and KHUM plays them lots. I am a huge fan. But, you can't get their album anywhere. So, I was stoked to finally get one. Very home-burned-style, which explains why it's not in stores. Ha. But, I have one and I'm very happy. They call their music 'nuevo americana'. It's original tunes in the old-timey style, two chicks with a guitar and a cello. They're great.


Another highlight was meeting my booth neighbors, fellow mermaids. Three ladies who are part of a collective which harvests and sells seaweed. They know all the medicinal properties of their numerous types of dried seaweed, have recipes and stuff. I learned a lot. Also, you might see some similarity between our logos. I gave them a bunch of Bohemian Mermaid stickers, and (though I didn't see it) I guess they cut them out and stuck them in a circle on their Mermaid work truck. Yes, there was a bit of mermaid bondage going on... really awesome women.



The second day thankfully was much busier for me, so I ended up with a respectable amount of sales. I think moving the show a month later than last year really cut off the tourist aspect. It was mostly local people who didn't really have money to spend. But, they were fun to hang out with.

Oh, and I wish I had a photo, but there was a hot air balloon too! While we were breaking down the show on Sunday, listening to Kevin & the Coconuts... this hot air balloon was giving rides up and down right next to us.

Yes, another fun event in Caspar. The theme this year was community, so there were lots of local foods, activities and organizations. Tons of creativity and interesting people. If you haven't been to an event in the Mendo area... you're missing out.