I don't often feel motivated to report on a show, but sometimes it's a must! This was our second year at this oceanside event and worthy of a review.
First, the venue - the Chincoteague community center is the location for both indoor and outdoor booths. I can only really report on the indoor, but the outdoor vendors seemed to be happy. Indoors, we have either a 10x10 or 8x8 space, with power available at extra cost. The Air Conditioning is great, event with all the doors opening and closing. Linoleum Tile floor is immaculate, as is the rest of the building. "Dan", the center coordinator, is on-site all the time and ready to resolve any challenges that may arise. The Wi-Fi is free, password protected, and great! Plenty of ingress and egress for load in and out. Tables and chairs are complementary.
Next, the promoter. Sam Serio owns and runs the event. Sam has years of experience as a vendor and it shows. He is the Jury, and is very good at it. No buy/sell indoors for sure, very little outdoors and those that are there do NOT compete with the crafters. Sam also allows a few commercial booths like Bath Fitter, and that's fine by me. They pay dearly, and keep costs under control. Sam charges a $5,00 admission fee, with multi day discounts, coupons, and late arrival deals. Sam also does a drawing on Friday and Saturday for a total of 4 - $50 coupons for next year's booth fee!
The Crowd - this is a largely tourist crowd that loves this event. They buy. They are not broke. Super bunch of shoppers, and we make new friends every year.
The Vendors - first rate bunch. Positive attitudes abound
The weather - last year hot, but this year was amazing
Hours - Friday and Saturday and Sunday, 9-4:30
The Island - Chincoteague is a vacation paradise. Whether camping, Hotel, B&B or vacation rental, you will have a magnificent stay. The annual Chincoteague Pony Swim is the Wednesday after the show.
This is a very nice event and the sales are great to good. Our take is that if you can spend 2 weeks in a beautiful place, eat, drink and hang out, spend 3 days at a show and come home with more money than you arrived with, it's a big win!
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The 28th Annual Chincoteague Island Blueberry Festival
July 24-26,2015
at the Chincoteague Center
6155 Community Dr.
Chincoteague Island,VA. 23336
www.ChincoteagueBlueberryFestival.com
Thanks for the link Alan, the place sounds wonderful!!
Yep,The Island Creamery (who by the way makes the Blueberry Ice Cream especially for the Blueberry Festival) was voted No.1 in the U.S.A by TripAdvisor. We are very proud of them.
Island Creamery! Voted best in USA a few weeks ago by one of the 50 rankings out there!
Sam, you are quite right about the mosquito control. We stayed in a rental house next to one of the canals and had no problems with mosquitoes. BTW, loved the ice cream shop in town :-)
This is worth a look as well: http://www.coastalliving.com/travel/top-10/2014-happiest-seaside-to...
Yes, we love this place.
The bit about the critters is true on Assateague, that Island which is adjacent to Chincoteague Island is a National Wildlife Refuge. Chincoteague Island has a mosquito control program that keeps them at bay.
Assateague Island is next to Chincoteague, and is a marvelous wildlife refuge, I spent a week there a few years ago. Got some great photos, and learned the value of DEET when doing sunrise photos there. The mosquitos are the size of Pterodactyls and the flies can bite through thick crew socks. The beach is wonderful there. The NASA Wallop's Island facility is close by and worth a side trip.
11 hours and 26 minutes drive. Might need to check it out!
Thanks! Not to far from my home state of Michigan.
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