Strictly Christmas

Kathy's Korner

September 29, 2016


Okay, I promised you a report on the Destination: Dallas 2016 market, so here it is!

When you arrived you were greeted by Tiny, the handsome longhorn bull. From there it was ALL Texas and a race to the finish line. 

 



Wake Me Up When It's Over. Remember that song? That was what I was thinking the weekend of the market: just let us survive. And you know what, we did survive. In fact, we did more than survive. With all the planning, with all the stress, with one issue to resolve after another, with waiting for the next shoe to fall, with a new hotel and new staff, somehow it all fell into place and in my book, it was a great market ---probably the best yet. 

We had the most buyers and vendors ever.  We had NEW vendors and NEW stores. We had amazing teachers, needlepoint technique and business.  We had a great market, and we truly hope everyone had a prosperous, and an enjoyable market, too.

 


But I will be honest and say I am glad it is behind us. Well, most of it. There was the Saturday welcome party. Remember those cowboy line dancers I was given the job to find? How do y'all think I did? The amazing thing was we paid for two but got three, and they were a fabulous trio!!! They engaged the group and were so precious. And do you know what they said about us? They said they have been with groups with as many as 2000 people and could not get one person on the dance floor. They were so pleased when the music started and there we were on the floor, asking them to dance -- all ages!!  We are pretty amazing.

So it is no surprise on the questionnaire that goes to both exhibitors and buyers, when the question was "What was your favorite aspect of the show," it was not the number of buyers or beautiful new canvases, it was not longer hours to shop, overwhelmingly it was three line-dancing cowboys. They are certainly easy on the eyes.  Just as Glen Bailey has become a regular, I think these guys MUST come back next year.  



Then Sunday night we had our banquet, and I will say unequivically this was, hands down, the best banquet food we have ever had. Of course it was Texas cuisine -- did not know there was such a thing -- so how can you go wrong. And it was ALL you could eat. Take a look at the banquet room. Cannot go wrong with a big, lit up red state of Texas.



And it was so much fun to announce what the theme is going to be for Destination: Dallas 2017 and everything that could go wrong did, but as crazy as we are, I think that just made it all the better. The theme will be Mystery Stitching On The Orient Express. Raymond was an incredible train porter, late though he was -- where was that darn train? -- and his accent was impeccable. I am just not sure what country it was supposed to represent, but it was perfect. And Pete was a spot-on Hercule Poirot. And Dale was something -- again not sure what -- when he unexpectedly showed up in the skit, trying to save the day, bless his heart , pushing the baggage cart in his English riding boots. Now why anyone wears English riding boots to a Texas cowboy party, I have not a clue, but he wore them well and I am sure in his mind there is some logic there.

I promise you, the banquet next year is going to be an evening you will not want to miss. If you have not requested your boarding pass for the Orient Express, you need to get moving because the train only holds so many, and we want to see every one of you on that train sipping champagne and helping Monsieur Poirot solve the mystery. Because as I said at the banquet, "Someone will die."  

Here's a picture of the boarding pass you will need! Click on it to visit the Destination: Dallas website for more information. (Market dates tbd.)

Kathy


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