02/08/2024
O'Shavings Country Craft Show
It saddens us to have to say that after 25 years, O'Shavings Country Craft Show has had its final event.
A month prior to the 2023 Show we were informed by a female Staff member in the Planning Dept at the Municipality of The Town of Lincoln that a "Special Event Permit" would be required to continue. We requested they "Grandfather" us for 2023. They said they would - then continued to interfere in assorted ways.
Applying for the permit isn't the issue (nor the $80.00 cost) but satisfying all the requirements creates multiple issues - and COST, which would have to be passed on to our Crafters.
Items such as seeking off-site Parking (cost), Attendants at the off-site parking (cost) and a Shuttle Service to and from said off-site parking (cost) as well as others are made even more costly by another requirement forcing us to reduce the Crafters attending by at least 25%.
We would be required to provide a "comprehensive site plan" (for a Craft Show?) with no guarantee it would be accepted - and after last year's fiasco it's doubtful it would be.
We would need to apply for a "building permit" if our Crafters tents "aggregate area is 60 square meters and over..." - for a Craft Show?
What can we say Folks?. Clearly Municipalities today can not understand simple things. I suppose if we were or had a Corporate Sponsor that the language be better understood at Town Hall.....but again, based on last year's communications with Town Hall...... we have our doubts about that too.
We understand clearly the need for Public Safety, which is why we required our Crafters to all use flame retardant tents and have fire extinguishers in each tent. We have had on-site First Aid since the very first Show.. We have helped innumerable Agencies, Community Groups and Individuals by giving spaces for free to help them help themselves fund-raise. We have donated to countless of these but never had our picture placed in the papers handing over a cheque because we wanted to keep it low-key. Envelopes of cash were dispersed to struggling families anonymously......because it is incumbent upon all of us to look after each other. .
Operating and Promoting this Show has given us the opportunity to teach our own children what it means to be part of a greater Community and of the obligations that come with belonging.
We would like to thank all of the Crafters we've had the pleasure of working with over the past 25 years.
We would like to thank our neighbors for their patience on Thanksgiving weekend, and please be aware - blocking our Show will have no impact on Traffic, it will continue to be busy as always......sorry.
We would like to wish Vineland ArtFest ( Twenty Valley School) and Balls Falls Craft show all the best in the future.
Thank you Everyone for the past 25 years -it's been Educational.
The Mewhiney Family.
