Review Part II

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

With Jon working on Saturday he didn’t get to see much of the fair, but he would of course say that it’s the same every year and if you’ve seen it once you’ve it twice. I of course knew better and had rose colored glasses this year. (Actually, I do have rose colored glasses all the time, but I digress.) So, Sunday we came back from church, took naps, and then headed back over to the end of the fair to see what we wanted to purchase and ooh and awe at. Every year we manage to get something at the fair to remind us of the local talent and not just have factory made trinkets in the house. Here is a list of the purchases from past years – black and white photograph, glass candles holder, ceramic oil burner, cartoon characters drawn of our friends, hanging planter, wood carved roses, yard decorations, marionette (puppet) toys, and of course a candle shaped like a pie. These can all be seen around my house for your viewing pleasure.

This year we weren’t going to spend a lot of money, and decided that the purchase would be something for Julia. Of course, the popular children’s booths included the marionettes, the marshmallow poppers, the t-die shirts, or wooden whistles, but I wanted something that not every other kid already had (but was getting this year). So, we went with a rainbow colored wire crown and wooden wand that she can wear on her birthday. She waved that wand around through the park for some time too. I took some pictures of some of the craftier items I saw this year, and then we met up with our friends and enjoyed the last band to perform the festival (who performed all 80’s rock hits by the way).

Lindsoe Clayworks has been a booth I’ve always admired and reminds me how much I wish my best friend from college would come to this fair and show off her amazing pottery. Here are some of the pictures from her booth. She had some great new colors to her pottery this year and the staples of pottery are all there. I also saw a gal sitting in her booth painting away another beautiful creation to sell, and had to take a picture of that. Her booth included her husband’s hand made cedar lawn chairs and her hand painted canvas paintings. Jon and I always admire their booth. I couldn’t take pictures of my favorite booth – the artist who sells Black & White Photography from around the country and now some from Europe. I have one of his photos framed on the wall in my living room. Another frequent item was the metal yard décor – usually roosters or some type of animal or welcome sign.

Some might say I’m crazy to enjoy all the hustle and bustle of this festival when it’s so close to my house, and I might agree early on, but in the end I really enjoy living in the center of all the ciaos. It suits me just fine, and I may go a little crazy when a porta-potty is put on the side of my yard, or when people walk through my grass, and even when crazy people start moving my plants to such things, but in the end I love the Sandy Mountain Festival and all it has to offer.

Review Part I

Sandy Days

Every year the City of Sandy has the Sandy Mountain Festival during the second weekend in July. The festival is an arts & craft fair in the town’s Meinig Park along with music on two stages along with food booths from local non-profit organizations. Outside the park includes many other activities as well, which are to be enjoyed just as much. The Thursday before the fair is of course the much anticipated (and chaotic) parade that kicks off the event. After the parade starts the carnival for all the kids to enjoy - just the usual rides, carny games, and cotton candy. There are also smaller events Friday before the fair, as well as a beer garden with live music each night of the festival. Being that I moved into Sandy just 6 years ago I became fascinated with the festival and all it had to offer. We live only 2 blocks away from the park, our house is on the parade route, and the carnival is a block away from us. We are the center of the festival. Some years we throw yard sales, and some years we don’t enjoy the ciaos as much. As for this year it started off rough, but with the amazing weather and the delight of introducing Julia to our yearly summer event I was all set to enjoy the festival.

Saturday started off with watching all the traffic arrive into town and take over the sidewalks and roads around my house. I do get a little crazed by this too, people tromping through my yard and leaving garbage as they go can get a little overwhelming. But, I take a deep breath and call my friends to come park around the house and in our driveway. Of course there’s usually at least one incident of me telling people they can’t park in my grass, and have to stay in the gravel when they park on the side of the house and this usually ensues an argument from some white trash women who hasn’t figured out how to have a decent conversation with a person since all she does it talk to her dogs and smoke all day! (That’s another story in it self.) So, anyways, Julia and I take off to the fair, first to visit Tickle Creek Candles – the family business. Jon’s sister and mom, along with anyone else in the family who helps out here and there, have a booth every year now for the past 4 years and make candles that look like pies. This a huge hit at the fair every year, and they do great business. Back onto the path we walk the entire park, meet up with friends, and then around 2 o’clock (after 2 trips back home to cool off and have snack) Julia and I head home for naps, and then back again after Jon gets home from work.

In the evening we meet up with all our usual friends and some of out new friends. Julia’s friend Sidney and her mom met us at the carnival and we walked around. One look at the rides and Julia wanted to jump all aboard. Jon was much more reluctant then I, although I still had my reservation about putting her on a ride, we went ahead and bought tickets. The ride operator tells us that if they kids freak out they will give us our tickets back, so ok…here goes nothing. Julia gets in and grabs a hold of the fake steering wheel, tried to rock it like a rocking-horse, and as the ride starts it jumps forward hard and the biggest smile and laughter erupts from her face! Phew, crisis averted and a new found glory has arrived for my child. The pure joy that was Julia that evening was something I will cherish forever. The giggles, the smiles, and then of course the hard crash of sleep in the end made all the stress of the day melt away for me.

Now, Julia’s friend Sidney was also on the ride, and let’s just says she was a little more apprehensive about the whole thing then Julia. I think I have a very adventurous girl on my hands. Later on Julia rode the same ride again with her other friends – kids she will forever grow up with and call family.

The evening ended with us haveing a fire going in the back yard, the older kids falling asleep by the fire after chasing each other for an hour in the back yard, and me getting to hold Tyson and Dana’s baby girl as she fell asleep. Perfect!

The start of Sandy Mt Festival!

Dear City of Sandy,

You are pompous, unorganized, and ignorant in how to run a parade this year. In past years I have seen a smooth ran festival machine, but as far as today’s events went you are not that machine any longer. Here am I coming home to enjoy the coolness that is my house when I see a porta-potty in my yard! Yes, A PORTA-POTTY! I don’t care if you think that area belongs to you – IT DOESN’T! I care for the lawn there; I weed, mow, and take care of any snow, leaf, or grass – NOT YOU! And when I say I, I’m referring to my husband!

Okay, so I get over your stink’n porta-pot behaviors and set myself in for the staging area in front of my house. We’ve been gracious about the traffic, the people parking in our grass, the peoples walking through our grass, and the general ciaos that is the staging area of a parade. Not a big deal, we even like sitting and watching the floats and cars go by. Although, as I sit and watch the beginning of this unorganized event begins to unravel it’s self to me. One group of people looking for their staging area can’t seem to find their group – their in the wrong space. A VFW jeep can’t park in its staging area because, opps – you forgot to put no parking signs up for those who feel the need to park less then a block away from the parade route. So now, that said jeep is circling the block waiting for all the moms and dads to stop dropping off their kids in the wrong place.

Now, let’s talk about your traffic control problem. Now, like I said we enjoy sitting at our house and watching the set up, but we invite our entire tribe of friends and family to join us at the parade, which I have loyally blocked off a whole block of space so that all of us have perfect seats for viewing of this wonderful tradition that is the Sandy mountain festival Parade. That being said, how the HELL is my friends and family suppose to go to the parade if they can’t even park ANYWHERE near my house to join me? City of Sandy, let me tell you this, you can NOT block of access to the main artery of your city 2 hours before the parade even begins. You can NOT block people from parking near the parade route, or you will slowly loose interest in this parade. You will have an entire army of friends and family join in a boycott of your parade! Children will no longer want to join in the fun of the parade by riding on floats, or walking in the parade, and who really likes the incredibly loud horn on the tow trucks anyways? And really, you allowed Taco Bell to rent a U-Haul Truck with posters on it as a parade float! Just pitiful!

By the way City of Sandy, where the heck did the candy go? The kids want candy! They want audience participation! I hope the rest of the Sandy Mountain Festival has a brighter future in store then the shameful show that was the parade today!


Sincerely,

Your Loyal and Loving Home Owner