This show is held yearly at beautiful Memorial Park off Steven's Creek Blvd. in the city of Cupertino.  A beautiful weekend is expected this time around with temps in the low 70s and hopefully, a lot of sunshine.  I am located in space #1 beneath the trees and it gets rather cool at times when the wind blows.  Hopefully, we will have the 'strawberry sellers' a couple booths down from us.  They are always good.  There are many performances over there in the Amphitheatre each day and the big drums are probably the highlight as visitors run over to watch them play.  I am hoping to get some photos of the event and they will be posted her during the middle part of next week.   The promoter of this event is Festival Productions with Jerry and Jeff Cambra running the show.  These are perhaps the best promoter's around and their treatment of vendor's is great.

                        

Saturday, April 24

 

We arrived there around 6:30am and began setting up.  I had gone there on Friday afternoon  and set up my canopy and grids and that made things a lot easier.  Nonetheless, our setup took over three hours.

 

The crowds were somewhat late in coming and that was the result of the entertainment beginning at 12:00.  Some come to spend much of the afternoon there while some other's just come to watch family member's or friends.  And of course, the performances that attract the most crowds are the big drums, which can be heard throughout much of the event.

 

THE EVENT IS SPREAD OUT too around Memorial Park.  A truly beautiful setting for a festival, but there is too much open space throughout the event and that means a long walk is required to get over to the food areas and to get to all the vendor areas.

 

CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST?  On Saturday morning, Jeff provided us with a mini-breakfast of rolls and some fruits, as usual.  Not bad.  No coffee though.  Later on during the day we were give some fruits (orange & banana) by the organizer's.

 

NO STRAWBERRIES this weekend.  For several years, they were selling strawberries three spaces down from me and every year, we made sure that we bought some.  However, this year they were not there and I have no idea why not.  Matter of fact, there were three new occupants of the spaces next to me.  There were new vendor's all over the place and I am certain that there will be new one's again next year.

 

A SHOW ON THE DECLINE.  Each year there are fewer vendor's and I'd estimate we lost a good number this year.  I counted 45 booths.  There were huge openings in areas where booths had been located in past years.  Maybe we've lost 60-70 booths over the past 3-4 years at this event.

 

THE DAY'S SALES were pretty low for us and virtually all the vendors. 

 

IS THIS REAL?  Oh cripes, not again.  Please.

 

THERE WAS A GUY WHO HELD UP one of my shoulder bags.  "How much?"  I responded by saying "Ten dollars."  He looks at me and asks "four dollars?"  I told him "No, ten dollars."  Once again as he gets closer to me. "Four dollars?"  "NO," I said a bit louder.  'TEN DOLLARS."   And yet again he says "Four dollars."  I answered him even louder.  'THAT'S TEN DOLLARS.  NOT FOUR DOLLARS."  I don't know whether he was trying to bargain me down or just could not hear.

Sunday, April 25

 



OH CRIPE'S, HERE WE GO AGAIN with these darn non-profits.  I had a booth across from me which was soliciting for bone marrow donors.  Around 10:30am I saw one of their people out in the middle of the aisle stopping passers-by and asking them questions.  I sat patiently in the back of my booth.  A little while later, there was an elderly Japanese man heading toward my booth.  When he got within 3-4 feet, I watched this guy with the clipboard walk quickly over to him and get his attention.  I jumped out of my seat and went into action.  That's an absolute no-no for sure.  I walked over to him and waved my hands.  "Okay, we are going to have to have a little talk," I explained while directing him back over to his booth where a lady was seated.  Went over there and began telling them what had just transpired.  The kid said that 'we're not selling anything,' and I told them that I WAS (selling) and they were interfering with my sales.  The lady got mad and said that I was rude.  I looked at her.  "Uhhhhh.  Excuse me.  You are the one being rude."

MEAN PARENTS DAY.  Saw a number of parents that were a bit rough on the kid's.  "No, you can't have that!"  "You already spent your dollar!"

INDIAN DISCOUNT HOUR was during Sunday afternoon.  No offense.  No bull.  The buck is shorted here.  $20, can I have it for $5; $30, how about a discount?  I guess that's their way of life over there.  They have to bargain in their country and don't realize that the vendor's over here can be offended by this.

THERE WERE CONTINUOUS performances over in the Amphitheatre area on Sat and Sun. 





THE FOOD AREA.  Nothing much as far as food goes.  Perhaps 5 booths selling an array of Japanese foods.  We had the Chicken Cabbage Salad on Saturday, which was pretty decent along with some potstickers.  Not much else....  hot dogs, tempura.  That's about it.  Didn't see anything resembling a long line anywhere.  But then again, maybe you didn't have enough people around to form any kind of line.  It was a warm day and I had to stand in line behind 3 people for a pina-colada smoothie and it was pretty good.  But that was the only 'commercial' food vendor as the other's were all local organizations.  How'd they slip in?

We have been doing this festival for around 10 years now and I have always walked over to the mall nearby and picked up breakfast at Hobee's which serves up pretty decent food.  I loved the omelettes but I had to pass it up this year in order to 'cut my expenses'. I did however, pick up a #24  and Chinese Chicken Salad from Slogo's.  What else is there to eat around this place, ya know?