Farmer's Market at Spring Fest

We had a lovely, if chilly, weekend for the Spring Fest here at Meadows of Dan.  I got up early both days to tend the animals and get things packed up and ready to go up into the field.  Tents spread across the area, with kettle popcorn, funnel cake and a church group with hot dogs and baked goods setting up when I arrived.

Greenberry House Booth at Spring Fest

I spent a great deal of time last week working on displays for my booth, as well as all the time getting things ready to sell.  I added shelf units and standing screens to try to get the stock to look more appealing, and changed the colors of my table cloths.  I could probably use one more tall unit of some kind to display shawls; have to think about that awhile. 

Greenberry House Booth

The horticultural talks went well on Saturday; Sunday's speaker had to cancel due to a family emergency.  Sue won a flowering tobacco and gave it to me, since she knew I'd love the rich reddish purple color.  I planted it in the border along the house. 

Sammy Shelor and Friends

Music attracted people; Saturday's performer was a talented local lady, Sue Nester.  On Sunday Sammy Shelor entertained with some local friends.  Sunday was busier than Saturday; the plants Sue had for her farmer's market were very popular and she also sold asparagus and had rhubarb from my mother's garden.  Mom included her great recipe for rhubarb pie!

I did pretty well in sales, especially since being so close helps with the expenses!  The green roving I dyed recently all sold, along with some of the blue and pink.  Nice people from Kentucky came in and she was a spinner.  Then I sold several pieces of painted porcelain; have to get some more of that done.  I picked up some different colors of paint this week.

The craft and farmer's market will be open every weekend from now on, and I'll be there until we get my shop up and open.  The block man is coming next week.  Again.  I'm excited today, though, because Sandra of Thistle Cove Farm and Linda of Goin' Up Cripple Creek are coming here for a dye day! 

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Spending lots of time trying to get ready for next weekend, when we have a festival planned for here on the farm.  Stormy, rainy day today so I'll be inside spinning.  We took a trip to West Virginia Thursday to pick up some bookcases for the shop; they are going to look grand.  If we ever get it done; no block man yet.  There were also some wooden shutters there; I bought some paint and I think they will be fantastic as displays for my craft show booth.  On the way up and back I worked on crocheted purses, and last night I worked on the rug.  I don't think the rug will be done for this show, but I have a nice linen one that I made awhile back that I can use. 

We traveled all the way up to Romney, West Virginia, where my partner had attended an auction the week before.  It was an old house behind a new subdivision; sad that the old place will probably come down.  There was a lilac in the yard with a wonderful scent; I took some cuttings but I don't know if lilac will root.  Worth the try, though, since the old plant will probably be bulldozed if the house is. 

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Gourd Bottle Necklace

I may have discussed this before here, but not to any great depth.  I know I occasionally mention festivals and the shop I'm planning, but I thought maybe I should explain just what we're hoping to do here in Meadows of Dan in the coming years.

Yesterday I spent most of the day working on my sister-in-law's web site.  Last year she set up a big tent and every weekend we set up our little craft booths and did demonstrations for the tourists that came by.  I took my Reeves wheel and spun lots of yarn, selling most of my yarn stock out through the season.  Sue is a gourd artist, and she showed people how much work it takes to make one of her elegant creations.  The necklace pictured is one she made for me, a gift yesterday.  It was lovely sitting out under the tent, enjoying the summer breezes and looking out over the beautiful fields of home. 

I've been crafting for a long time, but spinning and the German Angoras have been my most profitable venture in this line.  I've had a little internet business selling books and collectibles for awhile, and the items I make do pretty well on-line.  The natural expansion of this business was a physical shop somewhere.  For awhile my partner and I searched for a shop building in Central Virginia, but we never located anything that suited both of us.  I'm really picky about location; it's a lot easier to make a business work if the location is good. 

It's even easier to make a business work if the location is excellent.  The family farm here is just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, within sight of thousands of tourists that pass by every year.  I decided to build a shop here beside the house, designed to attract the interest of the passing trade.  I'll sell books and collectibles, with some antique furniture, and set up my spinner's studio in one corner.  In the meantime, my brother and sister-in-law were making their own plans.

So now I have block sitting in my yard, waiting for warmer weather and the block man.  Sue has contracted a cousin to build a large pavillion at the upper edge of the farm for her farm and craft market, and she's putting in an awesome corn maze that I think will attract lots of tourists because of the great theme and fun idea.  I haven't discussed it recently with her but I think my brother has plans for musical events, maybe a stage, to have a home venue for his bluegrass band, The Lonesome River Band. 

We're planning to have paths lined with flower gardens connecting the shops, with benches and trees when we can afford them.  Sue has a large market garden planned, and will be putting in a pumpkin patch and gourd garden as well. 

Sue is also planning festivals throughout the summer.  They are all listed on my sidebar here, and on her web page with more detail.  Each festival has an interesting theme, and last year they were quite successful, especially since it was the first year and it was hard to afford advertising. 

Making a living can be tough in a rural community.  Many of the people in this area now are retired and have moved from a large city searching for the peace of the country.  Those of us that are younger are searching for ways and means to stay on the family farms.  Some people commute up to an hour to work in the cities, or have jobs in factories that are closer to home.  Working in the tourist industry here is seasonal; winter weather often keeps travelers away, and the Parkway closes.  For us trying to take advantage is an option, mainly because of our location and because of new tourism inititives in Virginia.  It's the type of work we all enjoy, though, and if working hard can create success, we should be on our way!

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Monday was a gorgeous day, warm with temperatures that really seemed like spring.  I took a couple of pictures of the progress of the season, and worked a little on one of the bulb gardens, pulling out some dead grasses so the little flowers could get some sun.  These daffodils have been here for generations, and are probably a variety from the 1600s called campernelle.  One of the many women who gardened here in past generations planted them.

Forsythia

I planted the forsythia hedge beside the apple tree, to shelter that side of the house and to give the birds at the feeder some cover.  The shrubs spend most of the winter decorated by small darting birds, but in spring there is an explosion of color.  I need to research the proper care of some of my shrubs; one of the forsythia is sparse in bloom and may need cutting back.  The pussywillow is also looking a little strange, with just catkins up at the top of the branches.  It should probably be cut back as well.

It rained in the night Monday, much needed and welcomed, in a torrent that shook the house and rattled the windows.  Yesterday dawned warm but the day grew colder.  I was up early to do the animal chores before heading down the mountain to meet a group of Patrick County business people for a trip to Richmond.  The Virginia Tourism Corporation invited the county down for a special orientation session to show us what the tourism division is doing for our state.  Very impressive, especially the way they bragged about our county Tourism Director.  She does an amazing job and I wonder if she ever sleeps.

There were lots of opportunities that they pointed out, and each of the presenters was enthusiastic about her work (there were just a couple of men).  Many things were just too expensive for a small business, but others, while still expensive, were worth the price because of the amazing number of people that are exposed to the advertising every year.  I've been collecting publications for awhile to consider advertising, and several local businesses are interested in advertising coops.  Which would relieve us of some of the financial burdens involved.  Making a living these days in retail is getting tougher and tougher.

Another interesting facet of the seminar involved their analysis of the statistics of tourism in our area.  It was fun for me when they pointed out who our average customer is; I've been talking about her for years.  Nice when the experts agree with your opinion.  Their numbers also showed that tourism on the Blue Ridge Parkway has been down for the last few years, something else I already knew, from watching the number of people here. 

This was also another opportunity to network with the businesses here in the county.  They are a wonderful group, and traveling with some of them is a constant riot.  There are some clever folks trying to make a living in this area; some small inns, B&Bs, cabins, my sister-in-law with her farm and craft market and corn maze, a farmer who is getting into pick-your-own, a spa retreat owner.  The VTC people were awed by a young man who is a tree climber.  I was pretty wowed by it, too; he teaches people to climb trees! 

Home again to cold temperatures; I may have to thaw water bottles, although the sun is warming the day.  The wind is blowing hard, and computer work will be a welcome reason to stay inside.  This afternoon I have to go back down to Stuart for more accounting work; I'm hoping we finish up this week.

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Thistle Cove Farm House

Today my favorite cousin and I set off to visit a favorite fiber friend and fellow businesswoman in the mountains of Virginia.  Sandra at Thistle Cove Farm is a savvy farmer and has been the source of many great things for my business.  Thanks to her I was invited to demonstrate at the National Folk Festival in Richmond and made some terrific connections and sales.  I've attended a couple of nice festivals at her farm, at her invitation, and always enjoy the visits.

Shetland Raw Fleece

A wonderful visit with special people was the bonus; the purpose of our trip was to pick up fleece for spinning.  This is from one of the sheep that Sandra raises on her beautiful farm.  Shetland is a favorite wool of mine; I love the softness and length of the wool.  And the crimp in this special fleece is wonderful!  I will be spinning it with my Reeves wheel and it's destined to become yarn for hand crocheted shawls for me to sell.  This Shetland is so nice I may process it myself; it doesn't look like it will even need to be carded!

Merino Raw Fleece

This lovely merino is just the right length to be blended with the angora from my German Angoras.  I plan to have a run of mill-spun yarn done with this fleece and my angora, for a two-ply 50/50 yarn that I can sell more economically than my handspun.  This merino has a lot of lovely crimp and I think I can have some very nice yarn with a unique character from it.  I sold out last year of my previous run.  I also plan to have a dark wool blended with colored angora and millspun as well.

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