Kitty Angels 5-11-18
We had an interesting weekend May 5th & 6th. There was a craft fair in Amherst, NH that we’d been planning to go to for a year. The couple, Sherry & Rick, that sponsor it (for the past 25 years), own “Treasures Antiques, Collectibles & More”. They are passionate about Kitty Angels, a non-profit no kill cat shelter. All proceeds from the craft fair benefit Kitty Angels. Sherry & Rick invited us last year when we were at an Ogunquit show. They must have sensed that among us was a renowned cat lover (Susan). Susan told them emphatically that we’d be there and we were! For weeks we had been stamping our soaps with a cat in a bathtub and we had so much with us that we had to take two cars.
We had no idea whether it would even be profitable!
After packing up on Friday and driving for 3 hours, we arrived and proceeded to set up. We had a new tent awning that we hadn’t yet used. The weather forecast was great! 2 days of sunny weather! After making sure the tent was secured and everything (except our products) was inside, we zipped up the new tent sides and drove the 30 minutes to our hotel. We checked in, had a nice dinner at a restaurant and “brewery” within walking distance, and went back to the hotel to get ready for bed.
We flipped the tv on and guess what?!?!?! Now rain was predicted for Sunday and that’s not the worst of it….up to 50 mph winds were predicted that very night in Amherst!!! (My husband told me later that tornado warnings were predicted just to the south of Amherst!) That can only happen to us! Needless to say, we had a fitful, sleepless night!
We drove back to Amherst the next morning expecting the worst. However, surprisingly, even though there was a tent in the woods and several crumpled tents, ours was standing in fine condition!!! For some unexpected reason we had been offered the best site there and it was a little sheltered, and the new tent did its job. Phew!
Saturday turned into a beautiful sunny day & business was good. Sunday was drizzly but customers still came and we had another good day, albeit a little soggy!
Luckily, we didn’t faint from hunger as there was a candy maker next to us, a fudge maker on the other side of the candy, and, best of all, a nearby full service tent complete with grill, frialator, fresh squeezed lemonade and even vegetarian options for Susan. Let’s not forget the donuts and cupcakes that were set up about 10 feet from us. We ate all day long and then went back to the same restaurant as the night before for dinner and sangria. It was Cinco de Mayo!!
The people were friendly, the food was good, we made a profit, and Kitty Angels benefitted most of all!
Will we go back next year?!?!? Heck, ya!!