Up, Up and Away at Quechee

This year's Quechee Hot Air Balloon Festival is not quite like our first fair back in

1972 at the Fanwood, NJ railroad station. Here we are with Kekewawa as she called herself. I think our hair has changed color! And Kate has grown up nicely into a beautiful, talented woman. Further, I am so glad that I wised up and centered on dolls rather than all those doodads! Love the costumes. Kara (K2) created a gored skirt of doll fabrics for me to wear as we launch the fair season at Quechee.

Once we accomplish Open Studio Weekend on Memorial Day Weekend, we are ready. Ready for anything. The ring of success that bellows from that weekend often is a sign of the year to come. It could have something to do with the open door, open bridges and open roads. Although this year we had fewer visitors, there were more sales and potential orders. Visitors were very interested in the process and many stayed for an hour or more. By design and by luck our inventory is down. There are

six girls gracing the Montpelier State Visitor Center along with their kitty buddy Camilla, as visitors and sales continue to grow-- not at all like last year. We are doing lots of things differently especially in the advertising area. Our new banners, new brochure and signage are all creating interest and continuity in an appealing, exciting look.

So, yes, even though there is much work to be done like cleaning out the van of three home school boxes of indexed National Geographics, a tidying and repair of the forever deacon's bench, we are ready to launch our fair season in Quechee, not down on the field this year (thanks to Irene) but on the grounds of the Quechee Inn. We know we will be seeing special collectors and friends Julie and Katie who are picking up their Promise Room girls, Angelina and Jennifer.

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The poster girl for this fair is Jennifer, our hot air balloon princess. There is a new one ready for adoption. Although spoken for, Belinda, our new Little Bo Peep, will come along for seeing and touching. I am keeping Saint Nicholas who belongs to Pat for two more weeks, as time is short to create one from scratch. There is not 24 hours to spare!

On the Visit page on our website you'll find our fair and event schedule for the year. Notice our big event is the Bundle Reunion on July 14 and 15. Kate will have been here the week before but she will leave behind her Monogram to make a presence, and evidence of her being here will be visible in our gardens. After all, she's the one who made me want to play outside in the dirt.