2005 South Dakota State Fair

Finally, we've managed to participate in a large event (around 200,000 in attendance). Getting from California to South Dakota with all of our display and merchandise was a challenge, doing almost 40 hours of driving in about 50 hours. We made it there and got set-up with a few hours to spare, just enough to get a partial night's sleep and fake a cheery smile for the first of the visitors the next morning. After a day or two we were better rested, better set-up and enjoying the success of our efforts.


We were set-up in the "Dakota Market Place." The display cases were designed and built by me, out of California redwood. They come apart and stack together (filling only the under-bed space and beside the beds in our front 5th-wheel bedroom.		*At the back of the set-up is the Isurus hastalis* jaw, which was a big "draw" and crowd-pleaser. It's the one with the big mouth (no comments please).**

Thanks to a last-minute supplier, I got some dinosaur stuff just in time for the event. We didn't sell a lot of it, but the kiddos loved it. The shark tooth necklaces sold well, but the real hit were the nice sea shell necklaces that my wife was selling		At times, we were all very busy - me, my wife, my daughter and my mother (who was generous enough to show up and give us some help). All-in-all, it showed us that we could make a living on the road. And that's our ultimate goal. So we're retooling slightly and planning to do more events in the future.