Attendance at Local Holiday Events Soars Along with Gas Prices

People stayed home in droves this Memorial Day due, in part, to soaring gas prices.
Thousands acquired a new appreciation for hometown festivals and street fairs for
celebrating and relaxing over the long weekend. With the cost of food rising, many still
held family cookouts but opted for lower cost meats or less frills than in years past.

The vendors at local street fairs and festivals benefited from the trend as attendance
numbers grew. Also, the monies saved on gas and hotels were often spent on a new and
unique item to make home a more fun place to be on the weekends. Local charities also
benefited by selling parking spaces downtown for $5.00 or more to increase their
dwindling coffers. Shop owners benefited as the crowds moved inside to shop and
explore the latest wares. New stores and restaurants that held their Grand Openings on
the Memorial Day week end, were pleased with jump start from such a marketing
opportunity.

Being new to this part of Western North Carolina, we were able to attend two established
festivals within a twenty-five minute drive of each other: Hendersonville's Garden
Jubilee Festival and Brevard's White Squirrel Festival. Record crowds at both enjoyed an
overcast day that prevented sunburns and the rain clouds held back until the evening
hours for an overall perfect day of eating, shopping for unique crafts and plants, and
reacquainting with friends from the past.

Interestingly, some retailers joined the individual craftsmen to benefit from the large
crowds. Lowe's Hardware took up almost a block in downtown Hendersonville with
truckloads of plants and gardening workshops for adults and children. Avid gardeners
came prepared with wagons to haul away their purchases.

Vendors came from all parts of the state and at least one made the drive to WNC from
Ohio. Hopefully, their gas expenses were more than recouped by the increase in
attendance and sales. A veteran festival vendor would wisely negotiate a lower booth fee
for driving the extra hours and taking a chance on big sales volumes. With experience, a
vendor learns which festivals pay off and which ones to mark off the calendar for next
year. This "targeted marketing" decreases their overall expenses and increases their
income.

One sign of our more health conscious society was the idle deep fryers at the funnel cake
booth. However, the smell of meat and vegetables on the sizzling grills at the Greek
booths tempted many while others opted to relax in the downtown restaurants. Both
towns boast eclectic as well as standard fare for diners at reasonable prices.

At the end of the day, vendors scurried like Santa's elves to restock their wares before
dark, in preparation for the next day's shoppers. Even in the worst of economies, profits
can be made by creative entrepreneurs who are willing to shift their focus to reach new
markets.

Learn more about this author, OV Frye.
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