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A note from the editor...
Hello FNO Exhibitors and Food Vendors,
This month, Robert Berman shares a nice article about life on the
road. Enjoy, and be sure to send me new food/commercial vendor
resources when you come across them!
The newsletter will now feature an artist of the month. Below, read about Stacy Rus of Precious Luxie jewelry.
Best,
Julie
FNO Marketing Chick
Festival Network Online
http://www.myspace.com/festivals
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« Newsletter Archive - To view previous newsletters, check out our archives!
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Life On The Road
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 by Robert Berman
Following
the festival circuit across North America can be an exciting adventure,
after all how many jobs provide a built in vacation environment.
Your friends back home are jealous that you have seen the four corners
of the country and everything in the middle – you spend hours showing
them your trip pictures and home movies – trying desperately to
separate one highway from another and what state park you saw a
specific national monument, luckily you have your notes.
For those of us who have traveled thousands of miles, spent time in big
and small communities, lived in hotels and motels for months on end and
can write a book on fast food and clean restrooms in North America, the
life style of constantly being on the move, being a road-warrior, is
not for everyone. We miss our families and friends back home, and
we don’t always eat properly.
We have all made friends on the road, our traveling family.
People that we continually meet at different venues, we know their
first names; recognize their cars, trucks, and RVs. We can spend
hours of time catching up; how we spent our winter, where we have been,
the price of gas, problems encountered, where we are headed, our venue
plans and of course whether Hillary should be President.
Who are these people that we call friends? There is Jeff and
Wendy from Maryland; they have the Silver Winnebago, with a heart on
the back bumper. There is Madeline and Cynthia they’re sisters
from Illinois, they tow a 12 foot royal blue concession trailer,
encased in festival decals, behind their Dodge RAM 4X4 and lets not
forget Big Jim from Tennessee, the ham hock barbeque king. There
is the Florida Everglades, two brothers, and two sisters who dance and
sing and of course there is Baldy selling his state flags – we are all
jealous of Baldy, he can off load his table and set-up his flags in
less than 10 minutes and pack-up in five.
The people that we meet year in and year out are acknowledged when met
and never forgotten as we see the back end of their vehicles leave the
festival grounds. Some go north others turn south, some east and
others west, some travel in mini convoys others journey on their own
and we are left wondering when and where we will meet up with them
again.
Following the festival circuit is a lifestyle much more than it is a
job. There are times when life on the road can be lonely.
One motel begins to looks like another, TV reception leaves much to be
desired, and every highway exit has a McDonalds, KFC, and Taco
Bell. After a long hard day, we take in the local community
atmosphere, nodding our heads, smiling, and waving at familiar faces,
have a dinner that is based on cold beer, potato skins with cheese, and
a few dishes of peanuts or trail road snacks – I did say that we don’t
always eat properly!
There are times when we forget what day it is, whether our current
venue is over on Saturday or Sunday and are continually plotting our
route for the next drive down an interstate highway. We try to
remember all of the family’s birthdays and anniversaries and
acknowledge them with phone calls, parcel post presents – thank God for
Wal-Mart, and greeting cards back home. The advent of cell phones
gives us the comfort of knowing we can be reached at any time.
So why do we put up with this lifestyle – it’s not for the money!
We may only be in these cities and towns for a few days, and in some
cases, we can’t remember one from another, but that’s not the situation
in many cases. We all have very special memories that will never
be forgotten. We know many people from all over North America
from different walks of life and yes, in most cases, they are not truly
friends, but there are exceptions, there are those people that you meet
that you do stay in touch with year around – people that you consider
special and have enhanced your life.
Following the festival circuit is not for everyone, but my hat goes off
to those who spend months on the road to provide me with some fun,
entertainment, and good food when they decide to visit my community.
Article provided by:
Robert Berman owner
of the website Mobile Catering Business, the only website and forums
exclusively for food concession, vending cart and mobile catering
businesses.
For more info visit: http://www.mobilecateringbusiness.com
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Featured Artist
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 Stacy Rus of Precious Luxie is FNO's Artist of the Month.
"Precious Luxie jewelry
was created in the spirit of all things vintage and with an affinity
for posterity. At its best, my work sparks a dear memory for my
customer -- a memory of an event, a specific moment or person, or even
a period of time. I want to maintain a sense and appreciation of the
past while staying current, fresh and awake.
When you purchase a piece of Precious Luxie jewelry, you
are obtaining a work of art complete with all my innovation,
inspiration and careful thought. I want you to bring your own history,
personality and story to the jewelry too! My work is not complete until
my customer uses it to accentuate and pop their own sense of style and
flair." - Stacy Rus
http://www.preciousluxie.com
http://www.myspace.com/preciousluxie
Email Julie Cochrane if you are interested in appearing here.
Put "FNO Artist Feature" in subject line.
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We're always looking for ARTICLES about working
in the
festival biz, tips, ideas, techniques, resources...
Send to: julie@festivalnet.com
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