Windsor's Art In The Park is one of Ontario's longest-running craft shows at 33 years, and this year Ange & I thought we'd join them.  We'd heard good things about the show from other craft-show-folk, and we were impressed with the beautiful Willistead Park location.  We set up a borrowed tent with only moderate crankiness, then headed over to the Spirit Tent (very Catalina Wine Mixer) for our complimentary local wine and snacks on the friday evening.  I really wish I'd taken that profile photo with the giant inflatable beaver we passed which was gently swaying in the late evening light of the park.

We were staying with with my aunt and uncle, so after leaving the park, we sat around their kitchen table chatting with them and my mum.  When the lightning, wind and pouring rain started up, we got nervous, but what are you going to do but pour another glass of wine?

All was fine the next morning.  There were folks ready to shop when the gates opened at 10am Saturday, and throughout the day the people kept coming.  Thirteen thousand of them, apparently.  Ange and I were kept busy chatting about our pop culture heroes and answering the ubiquitous "how do you make these?".  Sales were good, people were nice, and much tattooed - with some pretty good art, we thought.  The Golden Girls pieces got a lot of attention (RIP, Rue) and who knew Windsor carried such a torch for Salvador Dali?

Although the weather was clearly unsettled, the rain held off until an hour or two after the show had closed for the day.  We'd been told that it always rains for Art in the Park, but that people just shop right through it.  We'd also been told that a storm was expected overnight, so we put all the product on tables in the center of the tent, covered everything with plastic and lowered the tent roof.  We ran through a brief but heavy shower after dinner, and heard from my aunt that it had stormed during the night (which we slept through).

Back at the park an hour before opening to reset our displays on Sunday, a couple of other exhibitors told us the show was canceled.  We thought they were kidding.  We did see a few tents collapsed, some big puddles and slabs of handmade soap lying in mud on our side of the park.  Our neighbours and new show friends Martha and John of Earth to Body had serious pooling water and leaks, and we understood from them that that the show actually was called off.  We went for a walk to see if it was really bad enough to abandon "the show must go on"....  I didn't take photos of the worst of it; looking at people's submerged livelihoods already feels like an invasion.  Of course it could have been worse: a tornado touched down in nearby Leamington, and a rained-out craft show is hardly as devastating as a flooded home.  But it sure is a bummer.

Adding insult to injury, we had to deal with dozens of earwigs and an annoying kid that hung around making statements like "my mother doesn't like permanent tattoos" as we packed up. 

Too bad the giant beaver wasn't there to bob in the newly-formed lakes; now that would have made a great photo.

Oh well, try again next year....

In the meantime, we're having a water sale: use code WASHOUT in BBJ's online shop or by email for 20% off any BBJ order through the end of June!

Our best wishes go out to Windsor, Leamington and all of Essex County for dry, sunny skies and a quick recovery.