The Battle of Two Faires

[Abe Sargent]

Yesterday, my chick and I went to the Ann Arbor Art fair, which was thoroughly boring. The prices are expensive, the vendors all have the same stuff, and its way too crowded. There were a few vendors that sticked out - a South American guy made these diorama things that were awesome. A few statue and sculpture people made some nice stuff. There was a plant and vine vedor with some unique stuff. We can across a booth selling wood flowers that looked very realistic, and we bought one for a buck. A few nice things, but considering I saw hundreds of booths in two hours, and I only came away finding something interesting in less than 10, that's a poor hit ratio.

Then we drove to Jackson for their Hot Air Jubilee with a few craft vendors, a few other sorts of vendors, Amer. Indian dancing, military vehicles, some animals including tiger, elephant for rides, kangaroo, various food vendors, some inflatables for the kids and such, laser tag, etc. No balloons though, the weather was all wrong. Totally had a blast.


Here's my observation in the car on the way back home. The Ann Arbor Art Fair is a liberal fair. Artists, and I use that term loosely, making crappy hippie things and charging way too much, people, despite their closeness, being aloof, lots of expression of various things, like street musicians (which I liked) and street performers, and so forth.

Then you have the conservative fair in Jackson, Military, more kid oriented (families turn adults conservative), many vendors like support the firefighters, support the boy scouts, support the Marines, church groups, ( I didn;t see a single church group in AAAF), a beef jerky stand, my chick found a great lantern made out of a mason jar, with a lot of wood around it and a working light from a carpenter vendor for 11.50, and that same thing in AAAF would have cost $30+ easily.

It was like the battle of conservative vs liberal. And yesterday, conservative won.

Example: At the AAAF, a company was handing out samples of some all natural pet food. At the JHAJ, a church was giving free face paintings to your kids with crosses and stuff as options. Can you got from one extreme to the other more readily?

And yet, country boy from Boone County, WV me was more comfortable at JHAJ. Funny, n'est pas?

[Passacaglia]

Next year, check out the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts.

[Mustang]

I read the title as 'Battle of Two Fairies'. Of course I clicked on it because I had no idea where it was going to go.

[Wolfpack]

Yesterday, my chick and I went to the Ann Arbor Art fair, which was thoroughly boring. The prices are expensive, the vendors all have the same stuff, and its way too crowded. There were a few vendors that sticked out - a South American guy made these diorama things that were awesome. A few statue and sculpture people made some nice stuff. There was a plant and vine vedor with some unique stuff. We can across a booth selling wood flowers that looked very realistic, and we bought one for a buck. A few nice things, but considering I saw hundreds of booths in two hours, and I only came away finding something interesting in less than 10, that's a poor hit ratio.

Then we drove to Jackson for their Hot Air Jubilee with a few craft vendors, a few other sorts of vendors, Amer. Indian dancing, military vehicles, some animals including tiger, elephant for rides, kangaroo, various food vendors, some inflatables for the kids and such, laser tag, etc. No balloons though, the weather was all wrong. Totally had a blast.


Here's my observation in the car on the way back home. The Ann Arbor Art Fair is a liberal fair. Artists, and I use that term loosely, making crappy hippie things and charging way too much, people, despite their closeness, being aloof, lots of expression of various things, like street musicians (which I liked) and street performers, and so forth.

Then you have the conservative fair in Jackson, Military, more kid oriented (families turn adults conservative), many vendors like support the firefighters, support the boy scouts, support the Marines, church groups, ( I didn;t see a single church group in AAAF), a beef jerky stand, my chick found a great lantern made out of a mason jar, with a lot of wood around it and a working light from a carpenter vendor for 11.50, and that same thing in AAAF would have cost $30+ easily.

It was like the battle of conservative vs liberal. And yesterday, conservative won.

Example: At the AAAF, a company was handing out samples of some all natural pet food. At the JHAJ, a church was giving free face paintings to your kids with crosses and stuff as options. Can you got from one extreme to the other more readily?

And yet, country boy from Boone County, WV me was more comfortable at JHAJ. Funny, n'est pas?

Having lived in AA, I've visited the Art Fair(s--technically the thing is multiple different fairs who all fall coincendentally during the same time period--good luck figuring that out) a number of times and yes, there's a fair amount of clutter, but there are some hidden gems amongst the yard-sale-level material. Not that we ever bought much. As you point out, these artists are seeking top-dollar for their works. It was always interesting and a bit of a challenge to try to brave the "free speech" zone, which was obviously a portion of the art fair area set aside so every leftist, communist, Marxist, and plain nut job could hand out pamphlets on the latest cause or conspiracy.

Never been to the one in Jackson, but I do remember going to a balloon festival up in Howell. If you look up "diametrically opposed" in the dictionary, then Howell and Ann Arbor are pretty much it. Just about everybody in Ann Arbor thinks everyone up in Howell and Livingston County is a Klansman.

[Schmidty]

This just in: Ann Arbor is the pit of Hell. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a Spartan fan. I hate that place.

The thing that sucks, is that I'm living in a miniature Ann Arbor right now. We go to the "Farmers Market" on Saturdays sometimes, and other than a guy who makes jerkey, and this lady that makes salsa, I just want to punch the rest of the people. All the same. Hippies and horrid college people playing awful folk songs as if they think they were Guthrie, 15 stalls selling "organic" mini bok choy, giant purses made of hemp, really ugly homemade jewelry, and on and on. The food is good though. A nice authentic Ethiopian stall, a good Indian one, and sell great Thai.

Overall, other than the "natural beauty", this place sucks.

[Fonzie]

I read the title as 'Battle of Two Fairies'. Of course I clicked on it because I had no idea where it was going to go.

+1

Suffice it to say, this wasn't quite the thread I was hoping for (no offense intended, Abe).

[Desnudo]

Farmers markets were invented as a test of your love for your wife.

[Passacaglia]

FWIW, everyone who lives in Howell is a Klansman. Except for everyone associated with the outlet mall.

[Tigercat]

more kid oriented (families turn adults conservative),

And yet mothers of children are a larger and more consistent "liberal" vote than fathers of children are a "conservative" vote.

Lots of good stereotyped imagery in there though, I could almost smell the "hippies" through my screen. :p

[dwardzala]

Yeah the AA Art Fair is an excuse to avoid AA for the week. The only redeeming factor is the live music, but that is hit or miss and frankly just not worth the hassle.

Plymouth Art Fair which is a week before AA is a bit better, not as crowded, but similar vendors and prices.

[Groundhog]

I read the title as 'Battle of Two Fairies'. Of course I clicked on it because I had no idea where it was going to go.

+1

Suffice it to say, this wasn't quite the thread I was hoping for (no offense intended, Abe).

+2

[Passacaglia]

Yeah the AA Art Fair is an excuse to avoid AA for the week. The only redeeming factor is the live music, but that is hit or miss and frankly just not worth the hassle.

Plymouth Art Fair which is a week before AA is a bit better, not as crowded, but similar vendors and prices.

Oh I'd probably say the same thing about the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts -- better for the live music, and if you're going looking for art to buy, you'll probably be disappointed. Most of my time spent "at" the Ann Arbor Art Fair was when I was working at the tent for Michigan Book and Supply -- in those days, we used that weekend to discount all the crap we hadn't been able to get rid of for a while.

[Logan]

I still have no idea what's going on in this thread.

[lynchjm24]

I also expected fairies. I figured it was going to be about Peyton and Eli.

I'd rather hang out with the Mannings then go to those two fairs though.

[Schmidty]

Here's an example of the shit I have to put up with on a daily basis. This happens to be an Amish version of the zombified folk singers around here:

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/1207/damnedhippie.jpg

[Abe Sargent]

As a reminder, Jackson MI is the birthplace of the Republican Party (which was liberal at the time, obv) and Ann Arbor of course is the birthplace of the highly pretentious mid-westerner who has no right to be.

[Solecismic]

Never been to the one in Jackson, but I do remember going to a balloon festival up in Howell. If you look up "diametrically opposed" in the dictionary, then Howell and Ann Arbor are pretty much it. Just about everybody in Ann Arbor thinks everyone up in Howell and Livingston County is a Klansman.

As someone who grew up in Ann Arbor and now lives in Livingston County, I just don't agree.

The person who is probably my best friend these days lives in Howell, and we go downtown on occasion. The Klan thing is a very sore subject to so many of us. Yeah, a horrible person decided to retire in extremely rural Unadilla Township, which is outside of Howell and has about 3,000 residents. He's long gone now. Nary a white sheet to be found, unless it's on a hotel bed.

Howell's young people bend over backwards to try and create an environment that's welcoming. It's just that with housing prices high, Livingston County doesn't have much ethnic diversity. One long-dead person - who really wasn't even part of that community - can harm the reputation of the nearly 200,000 of us who live in this county. It's sad.

I think most Ann Arborites understand this. It's more a joke to them than anything.

I spent a couple of evenings with friends at the Art Fair this week. It does seem very overpriced, though that has nothing to do with the Ann Arbor scene itself. The Ann Arbor fairs comprise what's probably the biggest art festival in the entire country. It's hectic and crowded and you get many top artists from all over (one tip - do not go on Saturday, when everyone comes from out-of-town - the artists are tired and anxious to wrap it up and it's twice as crowded).

I've checked prices on web sites, and, if anything, prices are a little lower at the fair because they have exposure to so many potential customers. But original art from top artists is expensive. I think too expensive in this economy.

I found a nice vase at a reasonable price from a guy who is based in Texas. A great centerpiece for my dining room table.

If you want to find the religious groups (as well as political groups), there's a piece of the State Street fair going down Liberty as you approach the Main Street fair that's lined with those tents. I don't think they paint faces, though.

Also went to Balloonfest a couple of weeks ago. Kind of dull, but a lot of hot-air balloons inflating and taking off if that's what you're into. More for the kids if anything.

[Schmidty]

I didn't mean to offend your home town, Jim. Now I feel guilty.

I still dislike fake hippies though.

[Mustang]

Here's an example of the shit I have to put up with on a daily basis. This happens to be an Amish version of the zombified folk singers around here:

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/1207/damnedhippie.jpg

Hey look, Wolverine's near sighted, pacifist brother.

[Abe Sargent]

I lived in Ypsilanti for 6 years and Ann Arbor for 1. I feel totally qualified to talk smack about either and/or both. ;)

[Abe Sargent]

If I had to pick somewhere in the Detroit metro area to live, I think I'd go with Royal Oak or Ferndale for their nightlife.