The Sad End of a Great Fiber Festival

We had intended to be in Hot Springs, Arkansas for the weekend of September 17, 18 and 19, 2015 but it turns out we won't be there after all.  The Arkansas Fiber Extravaganza has been canceled and will not return according to the wonderful team that put on that show.

I really enjoyed this show.  Hot Springs is a full day drive for us coming from the Houston area but we always took back roads and got to see beautiful East Texas on the way there.  The Hot Springs Convention Center was a lovely venue with easy load in and out.  There were doors that opened wide and smooth cement and the loading dock could accommodate many vendors working at the same time.  The booths were always divided and draped so they looked ever so professional.  The bathrooms were conveniently located and kept clean.  They didn't have a concession stand but that was about the only complaint we had about the facility.

All of the people involved in putting on this show were great.  I wish I had all their names because they deserved high praise.  OK.  So occasionally communication was a bit slow but that's the only bad mark I can come up with.  They were hard working volunteers and we appreciated them.  Putting on a show like this is something I wouldn't want to take on.  It's very hard work and they did a great job.

There is a cycle of these things and as some show end others begin.  There are three new shows starting this year in Texas.  The first annual Houston Fiber Fest was held on July 17th and 18th this year in Cypress, Texas and we were glad to be there as vendors.  I've talked about it in a previous blog - it was great and we will be back again next year. 

Stitches Texas is scheduled for it's first show the same weekend as the Arkansas Fiber Fest on September 17-20.  Having two big shows scheduled on the same weekend and vying for the same vendors and attendees is never good planning.  If they both go forward, neither one will do as well as it would have without the competition.  Or, as in this case, one show will close. I'm sad it worked out this way.

North Texas Blackland Prairie Artisan & Fiber Faire

The third new show this year, at least to us, is the North Texas Blackland Prairie Artisan & Fiber Faire in Denison, TX north of Dallas on October 17th & 18th.  This is actually Blackland's second year but our first to be there.  Last year Blackland and Hot Springs were on the same weekend in September and we were vendors in Hot Springs so missed this show.  This year the dates for Blackland were changed so as not to happen on the same weekend as any other show.  We are happy to be going as vendors this year.  This show comes just a month after Stitches Texas so I hope there are attendees still interested in fiber.

So a sad goodby to Arkansas Fiber Fest in Hot Springs and a hopeful, an enthusiastic hello to North Texas Blackland Prairie Artisan & Fiber Faire, and many thanks to Houston Fiber Fest for a great show!