Candy Dance Art & Craft Festival

Is this the mother of all art and craft festivals? It seems bigger than the Mountain View Festival, which is one of the biggest events of its kind. Unfortunately, the Mountain View Festival was canceled due to pandemic concerns for the second year in a row. 

The Candy Dance in Genoa (Nevada's oldest town) has several hundred exhibitors,

It's now Saturday evening, and I'm home after my first day of the show. I can say that there are a huge number of exhibitors and lots of visitors .

I'm planning what I need to bring tomorrow. Today I brought more books than I could imagine selling under the best of circumstances. Yet I sold out of several titles. Tomorrow, I'll load my hand truck up with another stack of boxes.

I met a ton of readers. The stories I heard were touching. One gentleman said that the pandemic was very hard for him. But he started my series when the pandemic hit. Over the course of the pandemic, he's read all 19 of my books. He says they helped him get through the worst of it. What more could a writer want?

The Candy Dance goes until 5 p.m. on Sunday. 

Directions: From 395 in Carson Valley, turn west on Genoa Lane #206. (It's easiest if you're coming from the Carson City area to the north. If you're coming from the south - Minden, Gardnerville -, you'll have to drive past Genoa Lane for a bit, then turn around so you're heading south before you can turn west on Genoa Lane.)

Drive west on Genoa Lane about 3 miles and watch for a large parking field on the left. There is a parking fee. You'll get some exercise walking from the field up Genoa Lane to the Main Street crossing. Mormon State Park is on the right. I'm in the park, space MS3.

There are exhibitor booths all over the area, so expect to spend some time exploring. Put on your walking shoes, come to Genoa, and enjoy your day!

Don't Take Festivals For Granted - Mountain View Was Just Canceled/Moved/Shortened

 We've all done it. We walk through an art & wine festival, look at the art, listen to a band or two, marvel at the crowds, and maybe sip a glass of wine. Maybe even buy a book by a local author.

But we never stop and think of what it takes to organize hundreds of exhibitors, coordinate with the town's chamber of commerce, the police and fire departments, trash collectors, the health authorities, and yes, even the porta-potty companies.

It's a huge job, often thankless, and after months or years of planning, sometimes the permission gets yanked.

For many years, I've exhibited at the Mountain View (where Google headquarters is) Art & Wine Festival. It's been a hugely successful show for 5 decades, drawing monster crowds to Mountain View's downtown the second weekend every September. Apparently, the show was canceled at the last minute.

The organizers scrambled and managed to put together a smaller show over at the CalTrain station and only for one day instead of the usual two.

Like many exhibitors, I wouldn't be able to make a one-day show in a new location work, so I didn't sign up.

Maybe they'll get back to normal next year?

So sorry for any of you who wanted to make the show. The closest I'll be on the peninsula this year is the San Mateo Harvest Festival November 12-14.

Thanks for your patience!