Barb Gasparac wrote about the Great Fair, how it would be nice if the Chamber would return some of the fees due to the horrid weather on Thursday and Friday.

We’ve been exhibiting at the Great Fair since February of 1989 and the fall show since November, 1989. We are, as many artists at Chamber events are, career professionals in the fine art and fine craft business. We’ll soon begin our 32nd year doing juried outdoor events here and around the country.

Most applications to festivals everywhere clearly state, “Rain or shine.” That means exactly that. The show goes on no matter the weather. Here in Arizona it generally means rain or high winds, or rain and high winds.

Artists doing outdoor events are accustomed to dealing with weather. It isn’t always a friend. We’ve all had our tales of woe. We’ve had numerous events where we lost a day due to weather. When applying to do an event, you pay a jury fee to be selected into that event. The Chamber’s fee is $30 and their show fee if accepted is $500 per booth space. These fees are not out of line with other major events around the country and we all know the rules, “rain or shine.”

We chose not to open Friday due to the weather, as did many other artists. So, Barb Gasparac, don’t feel sad for the artisans. We’re a pretty hardy bunch and we’ll persevere. If you ask most artists who’ve been in this business a while, they would never expect refunds for a rain-soaked day.

They also would tell you they’ll be back. The Chamber’s two events usually earns as much, or more, income for artisans than other events of their size and scope.