In January we warm ourselves by the fire and recover from our Christmas fairs. Hat People takes a much needed break ~ from Christmas until New Years ~ when we allow the exhaustion that has been held at arms length for the month-and-a-half leading up to Christmas, to have its way with us. In short, we collapse. We encourage you all to order hats online or visit Shops that feature our Hats during the month of January (or any other time, for that matter). We have not yet been tempted to leave the Hearth Fires of the Hat Ranch, for a January Art Festival in Florida.
I have decided not to list specific dates for fairs in this ~ our news/calendar ~ ! My new plan is to provide links to the various Festival sites and let them update the where's and when's. So if it is bold and underlined, it's a hot link to more info. The one glich in this plan is that not all of the fairs we do have web sites. If this is the case, I usually link to local Chamber of Commerce sites.

Lithia Artisans Market of Ashland, in collaboration with the Lithia Arts Guild of Oregon; called the fine folks of Southern Oregon (and beyond) to gather in celebration of Valentines Day at the first annual HeartFest (2006). The HeartFest was convened at the Briscoe ArtWing, in Ashland, Oregon; present home of Hat People Studios! Briscoe ArtWing occupies 6 rooms, in one wing, of the former Briscoe Elementary School. Hat People production studios are in room 4 at the ArtWing, while shipping & web design are handled in our home studio at the Hat Ranch. Because the HeartFest is an ArtWing event; Carol & I decided to host a Mixed Media Valentines Making Benefit in our studio. This year we had a great time selling hats and making Valentines with kids, adults, seniors & adolescents alike.

The Market Season in the Pacific Northwest officially begins with the opening of the Portland Saturday Market. Hat People tries to make it to Portland for at least one weekend in March
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We missed going to Yachats, Oregon for the 33rd Annual Yachats Arts & Crafts Fair, but we do make this one occasionally, so I will mention it. This is an exceptional fair featuring Artisans that I rarely see elsewhere on the road. It's a great excuse to head for the coast, there are many nice places to stay. If you go; say "Hi!" to Jackson at Toad Hall for me; he makes a good cup of coffee.

Next is a fair that is dear to my heart ~ if I may be so personal ~ it is the first fair we did as Hat People, and this year we celebrate our 28th Anniversary. In Roseburg, it is the Inner Space Family Spring Fair, and it is special in many ways: 1) The food is great 2) The folks that sponsor the fair are friends 3) They let me cook pancakes on Sunday morning for all the vendors 4) Entertainment is rivaled by few fairs — artists include — Baby Gramps, Prof. MuckNectar, Artis the Spoonman, Scott Huckabay and many more. This fair is the official kickoff to another Hat People season.

The oldest crafters’ market in the United States opens its season in April — the Eugene Saturday Market. We plan to attend every Saturday Market in April unless the weather gets totally out of hand. I will also attempt to do at least one Sunday, at the Portland Saturday Market, weather & stamina permitting.
In May the
Lithia Artisans Market opens. A delightful 15 minutes by car from the Hat People Studios: it is found along the creek, on Calle Guanajuato, in Ashland Oregon. The Lithia Artisans Market is open weekends May thru October. We are usually present — every weekend — unless we are on the road. If you visit Ashland during the week and are in need of a hat, please feel free to call us at our studios, the numbers are: (541) 973-4325 (cell) or (888) 930-4287. Ashland is home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and combines an artistic/cosmopolitan tone with a beautiful small town setting.

The Whole Earth Festival always falls on Mothers Day weekend. Wavy Gravy will be there burning sage at the front of the stage, in between jokes and stories with a Coyote twist. The Whole Earth Festival draws folks from near and far, and Hat People will be there.
A Midsummers Dream ~ Art & Music Festival is another collaborative project of Lithia Artisans Market & Lithia Arts Guild of Oregon. Hosted in Ashland on the grounds of the Briscoe ArtWing, the festival is a fund raiser for the Ashland School District. Two Stages, Artisans and Food ~ Carol & I need to figure out a mixed media event for this one too. Anyhow, the Hats will be there, and I hope you'll be there too.

A Midsummers Dream ~ Art & Music Festival may finally draw us away from Seattle's Fremont Fair, but it's a great fair with a fantastic parade and I recommend it with unbridled enthusiasm. Fremont is unique. Enclosed by Seattle, it offers a refreshing mix of art, community and alternative culture within the city. The Lenin Statue, perched on a corner across the street from the Rocket Ship, says it all ~ it's not politics ~ ART makes the world go 'round. The Fremont Fair marks the beginning of our busiest time of year; by now we are making hats in earnest.

The
4th of July finds us home again at the Lithia Artisans Market. On the 4th, Ashland pulls out all the stops with a parade, art fair, and lots of fireworks. It's also our 24th wedding anniversary!

Of all the fairs that we do, the Oregon Country Fair is the largest. More than fifteen years ago a coalition of artists, and the Oregon Country Fair organization, purchased land from the Kesey family and gave us a permanent home. Near Veneta, west of Eugene, along the Long Tom River; the Oregon Country Fair is definitely in the country! Having a booth at the Fair is like having a piece of real estate for the strict purpose of an Art Happening/Party/Campout/ Community Reunion/Get Together. There are parades, trees, grass, art — stages devoted to Rock & Roll, Belly Dancing, Story Telling — you name it! It's a gas! To find us: make your way to the Main Stage — at the beginning of the field that opens onto Main Stage is White Bird (the First Aid Station). We are directly across from White Bird, booth number 238. This year the Oregon Country Fair will move into the forest in mid July. It is like no other.

In August you’ll probably find us back in Harbor, Oregon for the Brookings-Harbor Art Festival. The coast between Brookings and Gold Beach is beautiful. The mountains march down to the sea forming cove after cove with plenty of easy beach access. Brookings is the only town in the state of Oregon with two state parks within its city limits. Azalea and Harris Beach State Parks are wonderful places to spend time enjoying the natural world.

And, of course, we will be on Calle Guanajuato at the Lithia Artisans Market on the weekends we are not traveling.
In September our only fair away from home is the North Country Fair, scheduled near the Fall Equinox in Arcata California. Arcata has a classic town square, complete with a statue of some important statesman. Last year I was told that the statue was simply for sale, sometime in the distant past, so the town bought it for the square? Ah yes, ART! Anyhow, the statue looks great, and the North Country Fair is full of fun — with music, dance, an All Species Parade, a fantastic Farmers Market and more.
Issaquah Salmon Days Festival
is a wonderful example of the Arts and Science coming together to raise the awareness of thousands of folks. The Festival is scheduled to coincide with the Fall Salmon Run. You can actually go down to the stream and see Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye Salmon in the stream! It is very inspirational. I was so moved, I designed a web page around a photo I took of kids watching Salmon entering the Hatchery, through the viewing glass. It’s all about Salmon....check it out!

At this point my Crystal Ball gets a bit hazy. We may jury for another Art Fair in October, but not for certain. We will definitely be a presence at the Lithia Artisans Market and I may travel north for a Saturday in Eugene and a Sunday in Portland, but nothing more specific.
In November we try to get to the Eugene Saturday Market at least once, but we usually miss the Portland Saturday Market.

The Eugene Holiday Market opens at the Lane County Fairgrounds the weekend before Thanksgiving and we will be there. The Holiday Market is consistently the finest indoor craft fair Hat People attends. I say this because it's all there. The Exhibit Hall is as big as any in the state allowing for a great diversity of fine art, craft and good things to eat. The Artisans are professional and their offerings are the best.

Thanksgiving Weekend will find Hat People covering two bases: we will return to the Holiday Market in Eugene and also be present for the Lithia Artisans Christmas Faire in Ashland at the Historic Armory. I am particularly proud to be participating in the Lithia Artisans Christmas Faire, because, as a longtime board member of the Lithia Artisans Market, I know how hard the community has worked to bring us to this point. Thanks Everyone! The Christmas Faire will be offering free Hot Apple Cider to everyone who drops in, and a percentage of all sales will go to Formacion de la Joven Guanajuatense, a home for girls in Guanajuato, Mexico - Ashland's sister city.

The Holiday Market in Eugene, at the Lane County Fair Grounds, includes every weekend, plus the final days before Christmas ~ including Christmas Eve! See you there!

Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah.

I wholeheartedly encourage you to visit these SHOPS — they all feature Hats by Hat People.

Fedora Primo at 216 Pier Ave. in Santa Monica, California (310 399-8584) is just off Main Street. Frank is a great guy and deep into Hats.

Joan at Greater Goods has a wonderfully eclectic store with drums, carvings, clothes and HATS! At 515 High St., across from the 5th Street Market in Eugene, Oregon; you'll find one of the nicest shops in town.

It had been a life dream to open a Hat Shop, and Doug did it — Midtown Hatters — at 4120 Pennsylvania Ave #1 in Kansas City, Missouri is a dream of a Hat Shop.

The Hat Store on 314 Broad St. in Nevada City, California has Hat People Hats. Stop by and say “Hi” to Greg.

James will reopen Parvenu-Hat Box at a Lloyd Center kiosk in Portland during September. James always carries a good selection of Hat People Hats.

Back to Festivals in January
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