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  kat moran March 6, 2013 at 2:03pm

  is the peace river national show worth doing? fine art? Crafts ? i do fine art,late getting in but they are accepting us,is it worth 310.00have 1 day to let them know,any input, i live in the area

  thanks
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  Sheila Wissner March 23, 2011 at 9:44am

  I walked this show to see whether I would want to apply next year.  The weather was beautiful, maybe a tad on the hot side, and the site was perfect.  The parking lots were packed when my husband and I arrived early Sunday afternoon so I thought the artists must be having a good show.  I'm disappointed to read that some didn't do so well.  The quality of the show was high for the most part. I would have liked to see even more booths although I agree there was an overabundance of jewelers.  I can't imagine that the $2 entry fee would turn anyone off other than those who came just to walk their dogs.  I have a winter home 20 miles to the south so I may be another jeweler applying to this show next year.
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  Pat Falk March 22, 2011 at 8:52pm

  Also, I knew the show was heavily advertised as I heard numerous ads on the oldies station in Sarasota.  Also there was a big flashing sign on 41 going through Port Charlotte and you couldn't miss it.
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  Pat Falk March 22, 2011 at 8:49pm

  Geoff, 

     10 photographers listed in the program.  My sales were down from last year and the year before.  It really wasn't sand blowing in the wind, it was black and dirty.  You are correct, the grass was really dry.
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  Geoff Coe March 22, 2011 at 5:04pm

  Thanks, Pat!!

  Yes, people did mention the grass to me...they have a lot of activity in the park on weekends (not necessarily art shows), and it's been so dry that the grass has died, leaving sand in its wake.  And it was windy both afternoons.  :-(  They also mentioned that Richard did what he could to make things better.

  How was the show compared with last year for you?

  I did notice a lot of jewelers.  There seemed to be a lot of photographers, too, but maybe I just see them more because that's what I do.
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  Pat Falk March 22, 2011 at 3:58pm

  This was my third year doing the Peace River National Art Fest in Punta Gorda.  It is an easy show to do as you can drive up to your space to unload all day on Friday.   Richard is extremely easy to work with and very artist friendly.   People come out early in the morning for this show,  but fewer were buying, at least in my booth.  Most of my sales were small items.  I did hear of some big purchases, but those I spoke with were mostly dissapointed in their sales.  There were 95 artists listed in the program and of those I counted 26 jewelry, more than 27%.  :( The weather was hot-85 and sunny-and that may have been the reason for the thin attendance in the afternoon as I heard several customers complaining about the heat.  The show is held in Laishley Park near the Peace River and tends to be a very dirty show.  The grass was cut very short and there were many bare spots.  The wind picked up on Sunday and now I will be spending this week cleaning everything.  GRRRRRRRRRRRR!  Parking for artists is a bit of a hike, but the closer parking was needed for potential customers as it should be.  Also other events were taking place in the area.  The Visual Art Center sponsors this show in cooperation with Boulderbrook Productions.  Some members of the art center offer rooms in their homes for artists to stay during the show.  We did not take part in this program as we were within driving distance.   I did talk with a few artists who did take part and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.   Some of the host families even made the artists dinner.  How great is that to save on expenses? 
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  Meredith Kuntzsch March 21, 2011 at 10:20pm

  Good question Geoff. I'd like to know also. Especially since I'm in the area at that time of year.