All of my anticipation and planning,
thinking what I wished to do, to see – came about – better than I expected. Sharing my Country Living Fair Reflections…
A Great Girlfriend Trip
This year both my daughters and one of my sisters tagged along with me on this awesome journey. My eldest daugher had been there last year with me and knew what to expect. As for my youngest daughter and sister – it was all new to them.
I Enjoyed Sharing Their Awe
Nestled in a wooded corner of Stone Mountain Park The Country Living Fair brings you in with gorgeous displays at the entrance; the awesome pile of pumpkins – the meeting place – and then the pavillion filled where the pages of Country Living Magazine open up to you.
What I Knew Would Happen and the Added Bonus
When we get together we have so much fun enjoying each other and laughing. A lot! What’s fun is that we all have the same laugh, which causes us to laugh all the more…I actually heard someone say to their companion, ‘do you hear them? They have the same laugh’! While visiting one booth I saw this sign and messaged it to my husband. Then I shared it with my sister and daughters. ‘Danny’s Song’ sung by one of my favorite music artist, Anne Murray became our ‘theme song’ for the trip. We would break out and sing a verse with the chorus from time to time…then laugh.
Then There are The Vendors
Paved serpentine paths line their way and loop about giving the vendors awesome spots to set up their displays. My sister and daughters were amazed at how they used the trees to showcase their wares – each one was very creative and drew you in to their booth.
A Happy Community
We come to an area where everyone is enjoying themselves – they’re just as excited as we are to see the wonderful things for sale – it was a happy community where everyone was patient and kind to one another – we shared smiles with strangers and gentle greetings.
Incredible Creativity
The vendors take their cue from what we like – they search for those items that are displayed in magazines, Pinterest and even blog posts. They also take what once may have been considered junk and turned it into art. I had so much fun hearing my daughters and sisters exclaiming at all of the amazing, creative pieces.
The Shows
Throughout the day there were many shows presented by some of the vendors and celebrities present at the fair. One of the ones I made sure to see was our own Rhoda Vickers of Southern Hospitality. Rhoda shared how she took items found at flea markets, Estate sales and such recreating them into gorgeous home decor. She also shared before and after pictures of her gorgeous home that she transformed with help from her dear father – my daughters and sisters were so impressed!
The Shopping
I didn’t find everything I’d hoped for. One of my favorite vendors wasn’t there…but, I did find many things that I’ll enjoy for a long time. I took the opportunity to buy for my children – Christmas ahead of time – some things I’ll transform for them and some things they’ll enjoy right away.
The Meet-Up
I was a wee bit late to the scheduled meet up – but I did make it to be able to talk to a few Bloggers – to meet the new Editor in Chief at Country Living Magazine, Rachel Hardage Barrett (she’s awesome!) and to join in the group picture. It was a joyous time!
My Tips
Here are a few things I’d recommend if you decide to go to The Country Living Fair:
- Wear comfortable clothes – sweaters and jackets you can discard later and good walking shoes
- Bring cash – fastest way to do your transaction and to stick to a budget!
- Be patiend and be kind – while at Cash and Carie’s booth I waited a long, long time in the line until she stepped in and checked me out herself (quickly because I had cash!)
- Bring your own lunch. The lines for the food trucks were long – finding tables was challenging – think picnic style-also bring plenty of water to keep hydrated
- Bring your camera or use your phone- there’s so much to see and so many photo opportunities
- Make use of the tents where they hold your purchases – we went back to the same tent near the entrance and later picked up our things – made the day easy
- Bring some sort of cart – several vendors sold these cute foldable carts – many, many people had them
- Be considerate of the vendors – you can consider haggling on Saturday and especially Sunday – Friday is just too soon
- Bring a friend – this is such a great trip to share with your family and/or friends – I loved that we developed a ‘theme song’ for this trip – making memories
- Consider purchasing the annual parking pass – you may return to Stone Mountain Park and you’ll save some if you go more than one day
- Consider a two or three day trip – there are SO many vendors and so much to see each day…you can pace yourself
- Go opposite of the crowd – most go by the first few vendors after the pavilion – it can get congested – if you go the opposite way you’ll be able to see more easily and quicker
I’m hooked! Whether I go to make a lot of purchases or not, I so look forward to attending The Country Living Fair in Stone Mountain Park each year – it is such a wonderful experience – especially with friends.
