Gas Prices

Gas at COSTCO in San Leandro is holding steady at $1.84 and other stations are closing the gap. Chevron down under $2.00 in many locations and other brands in the $1.80's and $1.90's.

Lowest prices in the nation? How a Valero Station on Indendence Avenue in Independence, MO. They have gas going for the bargain basement price of $1.29 per gallon. I hope the rest of the nation follows suit.

If you want to search for gas prices, go to google and do a search on the city or state you want to check. For instance, gas prices New Jersey and you will see the link: New Jersey Gas Prices - Find Cheap Gas Prices in New Jersey You hit enter, of course and there you have it. You can get prices for just about any city or state that way. One of my favorite websites,

My 10 Favorite Shows

The following is a listing of our favorite shows to do. There may be some that we do not do anymore because of high expenses (designated by *) and there are one's included that are great locations, etc. This is just a listing and is in no preferential order.

Morro Bay Harbor Festival* Did this for years, but with the slow economy, income is small. Great scenery. Good Food. Did not do this event this year because of high expenses.

Cambria A&C Shows, Cambria, CA. 20 miles north of Morro Bay. Nice area on the Central Coast. Good Food. Relaxing atmosphere. Great getaway. Sales have been slow here and the weather could cloudy and cool. Always windy. Will be there in September 2009

Ceres Street Fair, Ceres, CA located 70 miles from Hayward. Decent event for us, been doing it for about 16 years now. Same space every year...shaded, etc. They treat you very nice at this event and make that extra effort to get you to your space for set up. Promoter's... grab your clipboards and take notes. They know how to do things. Also, hats off to the Manteca Street Faire because they are great at getting you to your space. Very organized also.

Monterey Custom House Plaza, Monterey. We do shows such as the Seafood Festival, etc. here and have participated in about 15 events over the years. Great location for an event. However, sales have dwindled for mostly all shows and we are all struggling. The Columbus Day event was not good. Promoters did their job, but people just did not come out and the ones that came out, did not buy.

Tyson Wells Sell-a-Rama. Every year in mid-January we go here to sell our goods. Around 900 vendors at this event and mostly RVers shop here and also attend other events. Many other rock, gem, mineral shows going on and the place is packed in January. We like to park overnights with our motor home in the BLM land during this event and it is relaxing, quiet, etc. When we set up here, we take our time..maybe 8 hours and we are here for 11 days before taking down. We're going to be there also for the Arts and Crafts Show which follows, but we have to move to another location.

Coos County Fair, Myrtle Point, OR. We do their county fair every July. A small event, but people are friendly. Nice to see the same people year after year and catch up on things. Good Philly Cheesesteaks, delicious Pizza and super Smoothies by Michelle and her family. My favorite county fair to do.

Fall Festival, Castro Valley, CA Been doing this event for the past 8 years or so. Very well run and organized. Kind of slow this year due to the economy, but it's been a great show for a number of years. Close to home, less than 10 minutes away.

Lake Tahoe events. This year we did the Miller's Y over Memorial Day Weekend and the weather was the worst we ever heard. However, I love doing shows up there since it is a beautiful relaxing area. We did several shows a number years ago at Commons Beach and they were nice. We'll return once or twice this coming year, but that weather strikes fear in my heart. In all my visits to Lake Tahoe, I never encountered something as unexpected as that weather. I usually stay away if I know weather is going to be bad.

Hayward Zucchini Festival. Only 2 miles from home and right now, that might be the only reason we do the event. A tradition? This is not a good money making event and it is not enjoyable as it once was. Much more riff-raff strolling around and a lot fewer booths, as other vendors have departed for better events, Many things wrong with this show, which includes forcing vendors to pull down and load up in the dark. They want the music to go until 7:00 and then have us wait longer. The promoters will not listen vendors cries over this, They might when they are down to 10 vendors. They had 22,000 this year and they used to draw more than double that. Need better music. Zucchini bread is terrific. A large drinking crowd.

Ten Shows we will never do again.

TEN SHOWS I WILL NEVER DO AGAIN. For various reasons, I have not intention of participating in these events. The first five were truly bad events for us (and others) and treatment and respect of vendors was very bad. The bottom five represent mostly dis-interest from the buying public. The last one just had plain old lousy hours and terribly hot.

1, Jackson County Fair, Medford, OR
2. Chandler Ostrich Festival, Chandler, AZ
3. Almond Blossom Festival, Quartz Hill, CA
4. Daly City Fil-Am Festival, Daly City, CA
5. Almond Blossom Festival, Ripon, CA
6. Douglas County Fair, Roseburg, OR
7. International Festival of the Winds, Marina. CA
8. Tucson 4th Avenue Street Fair, Tucson, AZ
9. Central Valley Pizza Festival, Lemoore, CA
10. Cornfest, Brentwood, CA

Stay tuned...I will be listing the 10 most enjoyable events I would return to anytime (with reasonable booth fees, of course)

Wal-Mart worker dies after being trampled

Wal-Mart worker dies after being trampled by 'Black Friday' shoppers in New York

NEW YORK - A worker was killed in the crush Friday after a throng of shoppers eager for post-Thanksgiving bargains burst through the doors at a suburban Wal-Mart, authorities said. At least four other people were injured, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island was closed. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a "tragic situation" and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.
"He was bum-rushed by 200 people," co-worker Jimmy Overby, 43, told the Daily News. "They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too. ... I literally had to fight people off my back."

Nassau County police said the 34-year-old worker was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at about 6 a.m. The man's name was not released and the cause of death was not immediately known. A police statement said shortly after the store's 5 a.m. opening time, shoppers "physically broke down the doors, knocking (the worker) to the ground." A metal portion of the door was crumpled like an accordion.

Bay Area Flea Markets/Swap Meets

Bay Area Flea Markets/Swap Meets

I have compiled a listing of Flea Markets within the general San Francisco Bay Area and have created a page in my Starving Vendors website. I have information on each .... dates, location, application info, etc.

http://www.starvingvendors.com/bay_area_flea_markets.html

Included in these listings are: Berkeley (Ashby Station), Solano Swap Meet (Concord), DeAnza College (Cupertino), Chabot College (Hayward), Ohlone College (Fremont), Alemany (San Francisco), Laney College (Oakland), Capitol and Berryessa Flea Markets in San Jose, Vallejo.

For Great Buys on shell necklaces (custom-sized, hand made), cowrie chokers and a lot more, please visit our website: http://www.dandlcreations.com/

Oregon County Fairs

Oregon County Fairs 2009

Once again in 2009, we are planning on doing 4 fairs in Oregon, beginning in Mid July.

First, we will travel up to Winchester Bay (July 17-19) for the Oceanfest, our third time there. It has gotten quite windy there and we discussed dropping this event from our schedule. However, it is enjoyable and in a nice location.

We will head south on Highway 101 and across to the Coos County Fair in Myrtle Point. A small county fair, but everybody is friendly there and the weather is somewild mild, breezy at times.

Next up, we will be going north to Olympia, WA for the Thurston County Fair. We have done away with two of our other fairs we did this year, which were pretty poor....Deschutes County Fair and Douglas County Fair. We will be in Olympia from July 29-August 2.

We will head west after that, along the Oregon Coast to Tillamook for the Tillamook County Fair on August 5-8 and head home after that. It should be an enjoyable trip for us. If you are interested in our products, please visit our website www.dandlcreations.com to see our shell necklaces, cowrie chokers, wrap skirts and a lot more. Visit www.starvingvendors.com to read reviews about shows we have done along with other pertinent information.

Cheesesteak Shop in Castro Valley

The Cheesesteak Shop, 3422 Village Dr, Castro Valley - (510) 581-6793

Been going to this one for many years. A little distance from me..maybe 6 miles. Steaks are decent but no quite up to par with the genuine, authentic, original Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches back East. I always order the 15" Cheesesteak with everything on it. Pretty good. However, I do have an issue with the Cheesesteak Shop because whenever I pick up cheesesteaks for the 3 of us, I order one with no cheese, but everything on it. Dammit..twice in a row they just gave me a plain steak sandwich with NO ONIONS, NO PEPPERS... just steak. Am I missing something here?

For more information about Philly Cheesesteaks, please visit my website. Recipes, videos, etc. I also have a blog dedicated to the Philly Cheeseteak. http://thephillycheesesteak.blogspot.com/

Cheesesteak Shop in Hayward

We shall be getting a Cheesesteak Shop in Hayward. Passed by it and it looks like they have quite a bit of work getting it ready and it looks like it might be open in another month. This is located on Hesperian Blvd in the mini-mall that has Target located in it.

I have a new blog dedicated to the Philly Cheesesteaks and I am listing loads of recipes, info, etc. Check it out.

Has anybody been to Calvin's World Famous Philly Cheesesteaks located at 1411 The Alameda in San Jose. Opened earlier this year and I have read mixed reviews on it in Yelp.

For other cheesteak shops in the Bay Area, you can check out my website, The Philly Cheesesteak

129th Bok Kai Festival

The Bok Kai Parade and Festival Feb 28-Mar 1, 2009

This event is held in the Chinatown district of Marysville, CA yearly. We did the show a number of years ago and I do believe it was held just a bit earlier. click here for website They do not have any info regarding booths for vendors and there is no listing in Craftmaster's. They get a good turnout for this event and I was amazed at the total length of the parade. Several hours and quite enjoyable.

The Bok Kai Festival, honoring Bok Eye, the Chinese God of Water, pays tribute to the many Chinese who worked the gold mines in the 1800s. There was a time when they claimed that it had not rained on this festival in it's 100-plus years,. However, on Sunday, March 7, 2006, they had a downpour on that Sunday, but the event continued. A bit wet.

The 129th Bok Kai Festival, reputed to be the oldest continually held parade in California, will occur February 28th and March 1st, 2009 in downtown Marysville. The Festival opens with a 5K Run/Walk. Registration for the Run/Walk begins in front of the Bok Kai Temple on 1st Street at 8:15 a.m.; The Run/Walk starts at 9:00 a.m. The Parade, starting 11:00 a.m, begins on 6th and D Streets, and is followed by Lung Huang, the 150-ft golden dragon as he noisily winds and dances his way through the historic town of Marysville. Lung Huang's entourage includes lion dancers, martial arts demonstrations, floats and more. Lung Huang is currently been in the Bok Kai Festival since 1991. It is anticipayed that a new, larger dragon will be sited in 2008. The parade remains a unique small town parade and Festival unmarred by the commercial smoothness and artificial slickness that often accompanies other venues as they evolve. Following the parade, scheduled multi-cultural entertainment for the entire family including Lion Dancing & Martial Arts by the Hop Sing Society will take place at the corner of 3rd and D Street.

If anybody out there has been a vendor at this event during the past few years, please fill me in. dstefa4621@aol.com or leave a comment. We are considering doing it in 2009, since we do not want to do the Ripon Almond Blossom Festival where they have a couple rather snotty individuals working with their committee and they have a lot of unnecessary fees in addition to booth space. Please read my review on the Ripon Almond Blossom Festival.

Events in Tyson Wells 2009

Things To Do In Quartzsite
2008 - 2009

November 1, 2008 to Feb 15 2009 - Prospectors Panorama 4 shows
January 1 - February 28, 2009 Desert Gardens - Annual International Gem & Mineral Show
January 2 - January 11, 2009 Tyson Wells Rock & Gem Show
January 10 - January 25, 2009 Main Event
January 16 - January 25, 2009 Tyson Wells Sell-A-Rama
January 17 - 25 . 2009 Sports, Vacation & RV Show
January 28 - February 1. 2009 Hobby Craft & Gem Show
January 21- 25 2009 Annual Pow Wow
January 30 - February 8, 2009 Tyson Wells Arts & Crafts
January 28 - February 8, 2009 Rock & Roll Car Show
February 27- March 1, 2009 Blue Grass Festival at Tyson Wells
February 28, 2009 Chili Cook-Off & State Salsa Championship

DandL CREATIONS coming to Tyson Wells

We will be selling our merchandise at the Tyson Wells Sell a Rama from January 14 to January 25 in space X19. This will be our third year in that location and hopefully, we will return there for many years to come.

Once again, we will be offering our popular Shoulder Sling bags which we sold to a lot of the RV'ers wintering down out in the BLM. In addition, we have fannypacks, tote bags, wrap-around skirts, Betty Boop T-shirts and Dolls along with dozens and dozens of other items We also have a hand-made inexpensive assortment of shell and semi-precious necklaces, Stop by and check us out.

Necklaces from $5.00, Mini stools priced at $5.00 apiece/5 for $20. Boop Shirts $12. Dolls $5,00, fannypacks from $10, Shoulder Bags $12.00. Messenger Bags $15.00.

If you wish to purchase our hand-made custom-sized shell necklaces in sizes from 13-23 inches you can visit our website: http://www.dandlcreations.com/ Most popular is the puka shell. We have many shell designs to choose from. Buy two and get a free bracelet Good deal. Secure on-line ordering and very fast shipment, We also have wrap-around skirts too and our shoulder bags.

After that event is finished, we will be moving over to space PQ-3, where we will be parked with our motor home and shall be there from January 28 through the end of the Arts and Crafts Show on February 8. We will then be staying an additional week, departing on February 16.

So, you have a total of about 5 weeks to see us in Tyson Wells. Hopefully the weather will cooperate, but somehow we always manage to have a couple days of rain and it does a bit windy thee at times. SEE YA THERE.

Show Reviews

As I mentioned, we have quite a number of reviews on events we have done and have pages devoted to a fair number of other events. I think that you will really find a good number of these reviews, etc., quite informative.

More recently we have done the Antioch Holiday Craft Fair, the EOS Winery (Paso Robles) Arts and Crafts Show, Monterey Columbus Day Festival, Homefront Festival by the Bay,

Other events include the Castro Valley Fall Festival, Pittsburg Seafood Festival

You can read about our 'Tales of Woe' which are stories about some of the worst disasters and trying times we had to endure at certain festivals this year. the Memorial Day Lake Tahoe Miller's Y event put us through living hell on earth, Worse weather conditions ever for us. Imagine snow in May? Rain, wind, cold 38 degrees.

There was the Chandler Ostrich Festival a number of years ago when we had to deal with a two-foot lake of water caused by torrential downpours of 36 hours of rain, Bad show also, poor booth arrangement,.

Strange, eerie happenings on Highway 126 in Oregon on our way to the Deschutes County fair, which ended up pretty bad. Over 230,000 people and hardly anybody buying from anybody. Good show to stay away from.