Cooperfest, 2018

   Yesterday I spent  the day in the shop
because it was Cooperfest, an Octoberfest celebration sponsored by the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce and Brewery Ommegang.  There was a 'family-friendly' street fair on Main Street with craft booths, food trucks, bouncy houses, games, etc for the entire family.  Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side...it did rain a couple of times, and the planning left something to be desired.
   While I was putting up the usual display on the outside wall of our shop, I wonder what the frame that was being assembled in the lower parking lot next to our patio would hold.  I noticed they were very close to the stairs to our level and mentioned it but was told by a rather rude woman that 
'they were the Brewery and had permission to block the stairs.'  Now I didn't think that was right so I went next door to Diastole and told Phil.  He agreed and told his boss while I tried to get ahold of Judy who was setting up our booth for the craft fair on Main St.  We ended up spending the day with this 
blocking our view of the entrance to Doubleday Parking lot and the view of our patio display from the entrance to Doubleday Parking.

The manager of Doubleday Batting Range joined us in protesting the 'blimp' parked next to our patio and also included the line of 'rent-a-john' portapotties that ran across the parking lot blocking access to the batting range entrance.  He went off in search of Matt, the director of the Chamber, who Judy was also trying to track down.  In the meantime I opened the shop and while sales were OK they were not fantastic.  Raising the tent did not improve the view from Main Street, as you can see in this next photo.

If you didn't know what was behind the tent you would never have found us! The batting range's manager returned 'still
breathing fire and 
with smoke coming out of his ears'. I think he walked over Matt, leaving footprints on both sides!  Anyway, Judy never got ahold of Matt until the end of the day when he finally answered her calls and promised to get back to her on Monday or Tuesday.
   Around 3pm there was more commotion by the tent as a gate was added to block our access to the lower parking lot.  Now customers had to walk around the

garden and climb up to our level there or go back to Main St and walk up to the corner and down  Chestnut St to where Doubleday Court meets it across from the fire department and walk a block back to where the shops are.     Eventually,  a fence was put around the
rent-a-johns, too, dividing the parking lot and limiting access to us and the batting range.

   The tent was used to house the night's entertainment and as a beer booth.  The night's
entertainment started it's sound check around 3:30
successfully drowning out any music we had playing in the shop.  By 4pm they were serenading us with their repertoire of Golden Oldies...wither we liked
it or not.  (And their Girl Singer was flat a couple of times in her first few numbers.)
   I ended up having a very good day and the girls in the booth on Main St did, too, but it probably would have been better if people on Main St could have seen the display on the side of our building and come over to check it out.