Mark C. Posted September 19 Report Share Posted September 19 Well I never thought I would be at this for 50 years. It all started with this one show-its turning 50 this weekend in Arcata Ca . It will be my 50 show as well as the shows 50th year (we missed one for covid) Its been a local event for my whole adult life. I should add a disclaimer that I'm one of the folks who is on the board and helps put the show on. We are called the same old people with lots of meeting budgets etc over the course of the whole year. I am the only artist left who has done all 50. I have been on a corner for so long selling pots thats its almost an institution . Now the local paper has a write up by our founder which spells out how the fair started and how it is a total community event (non-profit) Its a good read as Jerry is a great writer. Enjoy the history of this small town festival -Samba Parade on Sunday all speices parade on Saturday Both at 1 pm. Town is 15 k in size and has a town plaza (square) We get a huge turnout and some come from SF about 6 hours south as once you have seen on you always come back. A Bridge Across the Years: The North Country Fair, 1973-2024 At the time of the first North Country Fair there hadn’t been a public event on the Arcata Plaza for three years. In spring of 1970, Henry Kissinger’s bombing of Cambodia had ignited “campus unrest” across the nation. Like now, administrators panicked, cops over-reacted, beat and jailed protestors. At Kent State four students were shot. At Humboldt State students brought their protest downtown, where the Kiwanis were having their annual barbecue. Amid the conflict of cultures and generations, a young man started a fire at the entrance of the Bank of America—now the Cal Poly bookstore. (Students had recently torched Isla Vista’s B of A because they were financing bases where bombers re-fueled.) The fire scorched the bank’s entry, the young man went to jail, and Arcata’s chief of police declared no more public gatherings on the Plaza. So Arcata was already divided when the freeway cut it in half. City Council members—five old white guys—were solidly behind it. So was HSU’s administration. Strange people had moved into town, opened shops that sold strange things. They mingled with students and faculty, became part of the college radio station. Students graduated, but didn’t leave. Started strange businesses of their own. These new people were against the freeway and organized to stop it, but it was too late. It was reduced from eight to six lanes, but still the middle of the town disappeared: entire blocks of old houses, a church, a restaurant, trees and gardens, apartments and residence halls. A neighborhood connecting college and town. Stop at Six had a final meeting. After that bitter defeat, what could they do? One person-she was calling herself River at the time-said: We should give the town a party. Inspired craziness. Just what we needed. But where? Now it was 1973. Things were changing. The draft ended. 18-year-olds could vote. The endangered Species Act. Ethnic Studies at the College. Liberals on the City Council. But Chief Gibson’s rule hadn’t changed. There was another battle, but this time we won. The first North Country Fair was on the Autumn equinox of 1973. The plaza filled with music, food, crafts and services, businesses and nonprofits, and the townspeople and the students partied and shopped, ate and danced, and saw themselves as one community. The biggest obstacle was again presented by the City: a million-dollar insurance policy and a whopping bill to pay the police to watch us. But eighty booths paid twenty-five dollars each and the Fair broke even, mostly by not paying ourselves anything. And there was this profit: lots of local artists, musicians, services and food places had their beginnings in those twenty-five-dollar booths and on that play-for-nothing stage. And there was also this, at the bottom of the mimeograph poster and application form: We believe the basis of our life and economy is cooperation and mutual aid. Half a century later, the North Country Fair goes on for two days, with two stages, two parades and over two hundred booths. Its budget seems enormous, but it still runs on a shoestring. Crafts people and artisans and nonprofits still struggle to stay solvent. Musicians play for a small honorarium. This year there will be a chance for fairgoers to help pay the bands and keep the music going. Please contribute what you can. Yet all these years later, the freeway and the college administration are still a divisive issue. Caltrans has offered to atone for some of its massive ecological and social damage— $148 million divided with San Diego and San Francisco to compensate for engineered apartheid. Arcata’s share will be small, but there is already a plan for more engineering—The Arcata Cap-to put five-acres of reinforced concrete over Highway 101, from 14th to 17thStreets. But the administrators and trustees of the State University, on the other hand, are still using every means possible to isolate itself from the town—and from its own faculty and students. There is far more interest in power than education. More than ever we need a college that is not afraid of the town, and a town that doesn’t try to fix all its problems with cement. I call upon all of us, students and townspeople, to recognize and celebrate the spirit of the North Country Fair. Please join us on the Plaza on September 21 and 22. Happy Equinox, Jerry Martien Director Emeritus The North Country Fair Babs, Rae Reich, Pres and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rae Reich Posted September 20 Report Share Posted September 20 Have a great fair! Our Street Fair, which began much as yours, full of arts and crafts, devolved over the years into a profit-making enterprise with mostly food and beer as the attractions. Many of us miss it. Yours sounds like lots of fun and ART!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted September 20 Author Report Share Posted September 20 (edited) Over 150 art vendors (no impots ever) must make your products-strict jury. I'm now part of the Jury as past years ago only 4 clay booths applied so I recuted more and this year we let in just over 10 ceramic booths (many share a booth). There is a beer booth (non profit) which will turn it over in next few years to us (the same old people whio run the show) so we will have that capital to work with. We have 10 food booths who pay a larger booth fee. Booth fees are just under $300 for artists and discounted for non profit info booth in center of plaza.We actually a few years ago made enough to lower booth fees so we did. I will be on the board after I'm retired from the show I'm sure. I replaced myself about 7 years ago with a younger artist so when i'm gone its still a concern. All us old timers got new blood in and they are the majority now on the board. Fun is a big factor for the public check out or Samba parades on you tube (Samba North country fair) This show is alwasy near or on the equinox (always the 3rd full weekend in Sept.) This year its back on the Equinox. We all work for free on the board of course and hire a director and assistant to run the show. I recruited this director as well as I have know here since she was 7 now in her 30s .I love this show and its my only show now I do a year in my slowed down state these days . I have customers from SF that travel up to the show as well. 12 hour round trip. Its a once a year community show and we pull out all the stops to do it right-3 stages of music as well. Free event also a zero waste event as we have worked hard and where the 1st in this area to do that. Edited September 22 by Mark C. Rae Reich, Callie Beller Diesel and Pres 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEP Posted September 20 Report Share Posted September 20 This is an amazing accomplishment, Mark! A testament to consistency, quality, and hard work. You are making working potters proud! Pres 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted September 20 Report Share Posted September 20 I hope your potters sell all of their pots. Have fun! Denice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted September 24 Author Report Share Posted September 24 (edited) Well the weather was spectacular and the sales were great. Big turn out each day and this years Sunday Samba parade was pretty large as well. Most artistes did very well. My 3rd or 4th best year in the 50 I have done this show. Heres a link to this years Samba taken in front of my booth but someone?I'm the booth on the corner just out of view. Edited September 24 by Mark C. Hulk, Rae Reich, GEP and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted September 26 Author Report Share Posted September 26 (edited) Here is a article with 23 photos of the fair done by a friend of mine-I'm in one of them https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/north-country-fair-2024/Slideshow/30954156/30954142 Edited September 26 by Mark C. GEP and Rae Reich 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted September 26 Report Share Posted September 26 2 minutes ago, Mark C. said: Here is a article with 23 photos of the fair done by a friend of mine-I'm in one of them https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/north-country-fair-2024/Slideshow/30954156/30954142 Playing peekaboo Mark? 🙂 Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted September 26 Author Report Share Posted September 26 22 minutes ago, Min said: Playing peekaboo Mark? 🙂 He wanted a diffferent shot for the paper and that was it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted September 26 Report Share Posted September 26 pic 13 of 23 Nice Mark! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted September 26 Report Share Posted September 26 Loved the music and dancing, great crowd and plenty of booths to shop at. Did you sell out? Denice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted September 27 Author Report Share Posted September 27 I never sell out as I always take lots of back stock and I mean lots. This is a small stuff show so I take tons. The trick I found decades ago is never run out. To do shows and know the full potential of a show one needs to never run out. If the its a mug show take hundreds-if it spoonrests take 150, same with sponge holders. This was my 3rd or 4th best North counrty fair ( I need to check my fair book for those details ) and we had another 10 potters as well so thats spreading some of the pie around .Since I have a huge 1 ton van I can fit as much as I want into it.For decades I tracked what where my best sellers at every show (casual after show thinking about it on paper) and when making pots for that show I double down on those best sellers . It worked so well I did that for over 30 years. We have about 175 booths at this show now not all are arts & crafts some are info booths (1/2 price-maybe 25 of them) . The deal is quaility wares during our jury-its been that way for so long. This show is a once a year community event and always has a huge turn out.It never was my best show slaes wise but always my favorite to do and folks know that I'm on the corner and have been forever. Next board meeting is in November to review the totals abd start on the budget for next year and pay our directors. GEP and Rae Reich 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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