The MAIN ST Fort Worth Art Festival epic journey!

The Main St. Fort Worth art festival is one of those legendary events an artist hears about and only hopes to one day take part in.  I don't know how I found myself so fortunate but I will be participating in this legendary event in 2023, in just a couple weeks. 

At 1,033 miles one way, this will be the furthest we've ever traveled for a single event.  And since it's so far, we've planned some stops along the way.  In Tupelo, MS we're stopping at the birthplace of Elvis Presley!  I don't say that in jest, I'm a huge fan.  My earliest childhood memory is of my Mom crying while doing dishes, when the news of his death came over the radio.  August 6th, 1977. 

Still showing love for the King, next we'll tour Graceland, a long time dream of mine and something I wish I could have done with my parents before they passed.

Another important stop, the National Civil Rights Museum where Martin Luther King jr. was assassinated. The Lorraine Motel still stands and I  believe Dr. King's hotel room, # 306, was preserved as it was on the day he passed.  I'll soon find out.

We are staying at campgrounds along the way and for our duration in Fort Worth, where we have some other fun stops planned.  Have you ever been in a see through restroom? This will also be the longest journey for our dog, Megs, so we she'll be stopping at a dog park or two to play with her friends.

Once in Fort Worth, we setup two days before the event begins and then anxiously await the "opening bell".  I don't know what to expect, at all.  I've heard artists say time and time again this event is the "best of the best".  One artist recently said "bring your inventory" and another said "I would bring everything you can".  I STILL don't know what to expect. :)

My photos are in limited editions of 100.  Not 100 of this size or this material, but 100 total of any print.  I'm tempted to find space in our vehicle to bring along my printer, mats, sleeves, tape, etc. so I can print each night at the event if needed!  In fact, I believe I have to find a way to make that happen.

Yesterday, I printed fifty-five 12x12 prints, tonight I will mat them to 16x16.  Tomorrow I'll do a full inventory of everything we have.  Based on that inventory we'll decide what else we need to print in advance and I'll square that up.  We travel in a pickup truck with roof rack and this towable trailer / RV behind us. Between the top of the truck, the backseat, the bed of the truck, this small RV and a hitch rack, we can take everything we need to an art show.  It's a huge amount of work and planning without any guarantee of how well we'll do, especially in a new market like Fort Worth.

So, wish us luck!  I will likely come back and update this post after or during the event.  And I'll also be sharing video of the event on YouTube at some point.

Hope to see you out there!

Joe