Yellow Springs Book Fair, Follow-up

Well, I got to the sight of the Yellow Springs Book Fair a little after 7:00 am to set up. No, it didn't take me that long to set up for the 9:00 am official starting time, but I wanted to get a good spot under a tree to avoid direct sunlight on a long hot day or for a bit of protection against rain. Getting there early also gave me a chance to pitch in and help others set up. Although I brought sunscreen, the large umbrella I also brought came in more handy. It sheltered me and the table, protecting copies of Flank Hawk and keeping things dry.

Forecasts indicated the rain was supposed to arrive in the late afternoon. Well, shortly before 11:00 am, episodes of sprinkles came through. The light rain continued off and on and by 1:00 I packed it in, just before serious rain settled in--lucky timing. Many of the other vendors and the other authors had already left, or were leaving. Books do not react well to rain, although most sellers had plastic to cover their tables of books. In any case, the crowd had died down to hardly a trickle by then.

I'm glad I attended the event and held out through the sprinkles longer than most. I made some sales, so Flank Hawk found more readers. I also met a lot of neat folks, which is one of the best parts of such events. I met some people affiliated with bookstores and selling, a couple authors, a host of casual to avid readers, including some readers interested in writing themselves. I got some advice from a a young guy named David on a book or two to read (add to my list/stack) and I met a pilot named Gary who is a real history buff and sent me some links to WW II websites and picture albums.

Speaking of pictures, there are none of this event--although me sitting with my umbrella over the table might have been an interesting pic. I didn't bring a camera and my cell phone is the most basic of sorts. My wife was going to drive down to take the girls to the nearby Young's Jersey Dairy, but I was packing up when they called to check on the weather.

After driving home, guess what? I took a nap. Two days of meetings, inservice and classroom prep at work for the new school year starting on Monday, and I was up well before 6:00 am to get to Yellow Springs, so I was tired. I know, for many people, 5:40 am is regular wake up time, even on a Saturday. After this blog post I'm going to work on getting files and lessons ready, so I'd better end.

Even though it turned out to be a shortened and drizzly-day event, it was worth it and I'm looking forward to next year's book fair.