Application payment dates, review dates, and the vendor selection process

New vendor applications are posted onto the website in September each year. Applications are downloadable using Adobe Acobat. Vendors from the last year's Festival will have a packet emailed to them a few weeks earlier.
Tip: Keep your contact information current!

As applications arrive, they are recorded with the date of postmark or credit card payment and vendor checks are deposited. Appications are batched and sentto the selection committee. Vendors with payments that don't clear are notified and the new postmark date (when the payment was sent) is noted.

The first review postmark date (usually early November) is indicated on the application and applications in by that date go to committee for the jurying process.

"Jurying" means the selection committee will go through the applications in date order to make selections for quality and relation to our organizational purpose. We want a wide variety of products and as few duplications as possible. You may have a postmark on your application by the November deadline a number of vendors with same or similar product may be ahead of you with earlier postmarks. Mailing your application in October helps a great deal.

New applicants should always send lots of pictures and descriptions so we have enough information to make a decision on your products. Links to your website are also good - just remember to tell us which products you wish to bring.

The Wait List

Vendor applications not accepted in the first review are contacted and asked if they would like to be put onto the wait-list. Wait-listed applications are reviewed if someone has to cancel. Usually this is about the end of December but can be anytime up until the week of the event.

If the vendor applicant is not interested in going onto the wait-list, the fee payment is immediately returned.

If the vendor applicant IS interested in going onto the wait-list, the application and fee is kept until an opportunity arises. (A check will not be deposited but we will hold onto it and we will not run the credit card until you are offered a space.) If an opening comes up, the Festival will immediately try to contact the vendor by phone and email with the offer of space. If there is a rapid response needed, we will let you know how long you have to make the decision. (Varies on how close the event is...)

Once the wait-listed vendor accepts the offer, the fee payment is deposited or the card is run. Once payment is cleared, the vendor receives the official notification of acceptance and any other information previously sent to vendors.

Cancellations and No-shows

Festival cancellation deadlines are hard deadlines. We ourselves have to make hard deadline contracts with print, sound, tent rental and other companies and must make deposits and payments in advance.

Cancellations MUST be made in writing to the Festival Board of Directors to be valid. Your Vendor Chair can help you with the process. Please notify us that you aren't coming, even if it's last minute and just days before the event. Explain your reasons for the cancellation and we will try to work with you as much as possible.

No-Shows are automatically put onto a 'watch' list and any future applications will be so marked but not automatically banned from consideration.

But a second no-show will result in automatic disqualification for future events. Two no-shows demonstrate complete disrespect for the Festival and all the volunteers, performers, and other vendors that work so hard to create a fun, family oriented, and quality event.