Thursday Morning: Arts and Crafts Week

It doesn’t seem to matter how early I get up, this week I always feel like I’m an hour behind. I generally have this column posted before seven o’clock, but here I am at eight-thirty, dripping coffee and donut crumbs on my laptop.

My greatest personal challenge during conference week is trying not to live on the snacks we bring to keep everyone’s sugar level just below the Surgeon General’s recommendations. But with Snicker’s bars and Krispy Kream donuts just an arm length away, the temptation to indulge in nervous eating is generally too much for me to resist. I used to be able to walk off the extra calories checking on setups, loading docks, display cases, registration and speaker rehearsals, but my cell phone now enables me to do much of that from my closet office in the service hallway.

We always hope for clear skies during setup, but the light shower predicted for today should not slow us down too much. More important, the clouds are scheduled to clear just in time for the opening of the show on Friday, and temperatures may peak just below sixty degrees.

As for Sunday when a cold front moves through, well, by then we will be on the downhill slope. Worst that could happen is that we’ll all spend an extra night here in the hotel, sharing bottles of wine in front of the fireplace in the Great Hall, exhausted but happy.

So, today the exhibitors set up their booths in preparation for tomorrow’s 1:00pm opening for the Contemporary Craftsfirms Show and the 3:00pm opening of the Antiques Show. If history repeats itself, the first people to get in line will show up around 5:00am tomorrow armed with coffee and the morning newspaper.

As for me, it’s time to get more signage in place, to check on workshop setups and to be available wherever and whenever needed.

If nothing else, at least offering candy bars and donuts.

Until tomorrow morning,

Thanks for checking in!

Bruce

PS – If you missed any of this week’s reports, check them out at Archives below.