Dear Artists and Crafters:

You are cordially invited to take part in Marion’s 35th Annual Art in the Park and Craft Show, to be held Saturday, September 15, 2012. This fall fair will take place from 9AM to 5PM, in Marion’s beautiful Central Park, located in downtown Marion, Kansas.

The charge per 10’ x 10’ space is $75.00, payable in advance. A reservation form is enclosed for your convenience. Please return your paid reservation by August 12, 2012 at the latest. No refunds will be given after this date. No refunds will be given for inclement weather. Sorry! Our show will be limited to 225 spaces.  Early applications asking for the same location as the previous year will be given top priority. Applicants accepted after the registration deadline will be placed at the back of the park.  Artists wanting additional space, even if the space becomes available due to a “no show,” will need to pay the same set rate for that space.

You may set up on Friday afternoon after 3PM, or Saturday morning after 6AM. We do ask that you remain set up until the fair closes at 5PM. You will need to provide your own tables and seating. If you have a canopy, please indicate the size on your application.  If you are setting up on Friday, do not worry about the safety of your crafts. The Boy Scouts will be on hand to patrol the park all night, as well as help crafters unload items. We do ask that you tip the Scouts, generously. The money should be given to a Scout Leader or an Art in the Park Staff member. The money they make is used to obtain equipment, etc., for their troop.

After the 2004 Fair, a committee decision was made that we are going to jury more closely.  It came to our attention that there were many booths selling market made products during our Fair in 2004.  We now ask for photos to show all the different types of items you will be selling at your booth.  For example:  painted items, sterling silver jewelry, sweatshirts, braided rugs, floral arrangements, etc.  Our intent is to keep the integrity of our Fair up to the standards we have worked to achieve over the last 30 some years. 

We ask that all items in your booth be handcrafted by you, and please NO IMPORTS. After viewing your photos, we may call to verify this, so please include your phone number.  ALL ITEMS FOR SALE MUST BE HANDCREATED AND CRAFTED BY THE EXHIBITOR!!!  Do not apply if you plan to sell products you do not make.  COMMERCIAL ITEMS ARE NOT ALLOWED.

All new exhibitors must send in four (4) photos or slides of your products and one (1) photo of your display set up.  ANY APPLICATION WITHOUT PHOTOS WILL BE RETURNED.  Please do not assume you are in the show if you have exhibited in the past.  Please label each photo with your name and address.

BOOTH SHARING - Booths may be shared by different artists.  Each artist in the booth must complete and sign an application and each must abide by all show guidelines.  Shared booth applications MUST be sent in at the same time.  (Photocopies are acceptable.)

SUBLETTING PROHIBITED - Exhibitors may not sell or give their booth space to anyone.  The registered exhibitor and their merchandise must be the one occupying the booth.  If you are unable to come, please call so that we can contact those on our waiting list.

To draw potential customers for your wares, we maintain area-wide advertising throughout the year. We have a playground nearby, offering a safe environment for children, and we have a large food court available. Our committee provides each artist with complimentary coupons, to be used at the food court. We also have a drawing for gift certificates at 4PM during our show. These certificates may be used in any artist’s booth, before the close of our show. We ask artists to accept the certificates as cash, and bring them to our information booth to be reimbursed. We feel this is an added drawing card to promote our show and benefit the artists. Admission to our show is free to the public. And we provide a free shuttle bus service the day of our show, to help with parking. We ask that you help us with the parking situation, by moving your vehicles once you have unloaded, and ride the shuttle bus back to the park. We want to keep parking near our event available for customers with money to spend. The shuttle bus will continue to run, until everyone has had a chance to retrieve their vehicle. Please help us help you by cooperating with our parking policy and moving your vehicle ASAP after you unload.

*Electricity is available for an additional $10.00 fee. Please indicate if you want electricity on your application. Due to the overwhelming demand for electricity and a limited supply of outlets, please request power only if you are using a saw, cooking, lights, etc. Please do not request electricity for cash registers. You will need to supply your own extension cords.

**Trailer Parking is available for an additional $45.00 fee per vehicle, for those needing access to additional stock during the show. You will be asked to drop the trailer, due to limited parking. Only artists who have pre-paid for trailer parking will be admitted in this area. No empty trailers will be allowed in the back of the park. A list of artists who have pre-paid for trailer parking will be given to the attendant at the park driveway gate. Only names on the list will be admitted for such parking. We appreciate your cooperation with this matter.

Again, we appreciate your cooperation and understanding as these policies have the interest of everyone in mind and have been made to help make things fair for everyone, and to benefit all involved. We thank you all for participating in our Marion Art and Craft Fair, for without you, we wouldn't be able to hold this event.  We will be looking forward to seeing you again.  And if you have suggestions, questions, or concerns, please let us know. We try to make our show better each year, and hope you are available to join us for this popular event!

Thank you,
Judy Christensen, Chairman

Margo Yates, , Executive Secretary