All 120 artists at the recent 46th annual Festival of the Arts were singing the Ink Spot's classic tune after the first night of the outdoor show.  The skies opened up and dropped nearly 10 inches of rain in a torrential downpour over night.  While 17 tents collapsed due to taking on too much water, I was relieved to find the KHK Woodworks booth ship shape early Saturday morning.

I was awakened during the night of the storm by its thunderous claps and bright flashes of lightning only to have visions of a flotilla of Shaker box boats rushing through Chase Park.  Morning couldn't come fast enough with anticipation of what I'd find.  As my wife Sherry and I rounded the corner, we both breathed a sigh of relief, however the tents on both sides of ours were on the ground.  The community pulled together and all artists were back in business before patrons arrived.

I tried out a few new things at this show.  In the cover photo, you can see the "risers" I built out of Cherry plywood to better display my boxes.  You can see the newest addition of Black Walnut boxes and carriers on the end of the table at the right.  When the finish is applied, the dark wood is stunning and most people coming by the booth agreed.  (The percentage of sales of Walnut also confirmed its popularity.)  I also added new hanging signs on both corners of my booth as shown in the image above.  The idea was to stand out in the "sea" of white tents.  I believe it was successful, particularity since many other vendors asked me about them.

It was a great three days on Cape Cod.  I met many new people, made some new friends, and was humbled by the praise and interest for my products.  A success on many fronts.  Next up is the Newburyport Fall Harvest Festival October 8th & 9th  - stop by if you're in the area.