Gingham Tree

Date:		Saturday, November 8, 2008

Time:		8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Place:		George County Middle School Activities Building, Lucedale, MS.

Entry Fee Inside Booths:		$60.00 - Limited to 2 per exhibitor. Inside booths will not be available after July 30. 2007. Prompt return of your form is advised, as booths are assigned on a first come basis.

Entry Fee Outside Booths:		$50.00 - Additional $5.00 electrical fee. No commission will be collected. No refunds will be given even in case of rain.

Registration Address:		Please send self-addressed stamped business size envelope for prompt confirmation. No club member can take registration money. All Registration money must come through the post office. Gingham Tree Arts & Crafts Festival P. O. Box 534 Lucedale, MS 39452

Registration Deadline:		Registration applications will be accepted through October 15, 2008. After that date registration will be closed. There will be no registration the day of the festival.

View Booths:		To insure compliance with Festival policies (as outlined in our brochure), club members will be viewing each booth. We reserve the right to exclude the exhibition of any work or works deemed unsuitable (not handmade, etc.) for display. All media including paintings are accepted. Only handmade works produced by the exhibitor may be sold. No assemblies (kits--including but not limited to jewelry), factory made items will be allowed. Living plants or food items including jellies, jams, pecans, cookies, etc. may not be sold. No raffle tickets. Sand art booths for children are not permitted. Framed artwork may be sold only if the exhibitor is the artist. If jewelry has been purchased from a company or another person you will be asked to put it up and you will not receive an application for the following year.

Shoppers Guide:		Shoppers Guide is available, listing the name, city, telephone, craft, and booth number of each exhibitor registered before the September 15 deadline. These will be distributed throughout the day to the shoppers.

Spaces:		Spaces inside will be approximately 9x9 and outside will be approximately 10x10. If your exhibit has features which would made a difference in placement, please describe. A committee will confirm the receipt of fees and assign spaces as soon as possible. Printed location diagrams will be mailed to each exhibitor with confirmation of booth number; therefore, no location of booths will be changed after assignments are made. There are 69 spaces available inside (no more than 2 inside booths per exhibitor) and 250 spaces outside. Empty booths are to remain empty until the Registration Chairman authorizes filling them.

Tables & Electricity:		Exhibitors are responsible for their own tables and chairs. None will be furnished. Tables must have rubber tips or some kind of protection so as not to scar or damage the gym floor. No nails or tacks should be fastened to the floor. If electricity is needed, exhibitor is responsible for having 100 feet of heavy duty cord. Any electrical special needs should be noted on registration form.

Setup:		Before exhibitors can set up, they must check in with the registration booth. They will be directed to the proper unloading location. Registration will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, November 7, 2008. No one can line up before 4:00 p.m. on Friday. As we are using a school campus, we must not interfere with traffic. The gym will be open to exhibitors no earlier than 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 8, 2008. All displays should be ready to sell by 8:30 a.m. Members of the Lucedale Fine Arts Club will assist in setting up to avoid any confusion. All exhibitors must exhibit for complete hours of the show. Violators will be refused entrance to future shows. Security will be provided by the sheriff's department.

Help for Exhibitors:		Look for the Gingham Aprons worn by the Fine Arts Club members if you need any assistance during the day. Our job is to serve you and the buyers to the best of our ability.

Parking:		After unloading, exhibitors will be directed to a parking area in front of the school. This will allow more parking for our shoppers. We are expecting a record crowd this year and have tried to organize the parking situation to the most efficient flow of traffic.

General Facilities:		No smoking inside the activities building. Ample parking facilities will be available. Food vendors will be on site with a variety of food selections. A public address system will be on hand for announcements. Free coffee will be available at the inside food booth between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. No radios or video cameras.

Publicity:		Continuous radio, newspaper, television and other forms of advertising will be utilized to inform the public and promote the show. A complimentary shopper's guide will be available to shoppers the day of the show. Only exhibitors registering before September 15, 2008 will be listed in the shopper's guide.

Sales Tax:		In conformance with Sales Tax Regulations, a 7% State Tax on items sold will be collected from exhibitors, by club members, at approximately 3:00 p.m. Exhibitors (including those from out of state) will be asked to report their day's sales and remit the dollar amount to a club member that will come by your booth at 3:30 p.m. (new for this year) or you may take yours to the club member stationed at the information table located inside the gym. All exhibitors must turn in their tax monies the day of the show per the representative of the Mississippi State Tax Commission. NO EXCEPTIONS!! The club will provide the necessary forms for reporting and subsequently file them, along with the money collected with the State Commission. The Mississippi State Tax Commission has requested a list of all exhibitors and enclosed you will find their form for you to file. Anyone not having their tax envelope ready can bring it to the information booth at 4:00 p.m.

Motels:		No one will be allowed to stay on the school campus after we close registration, so please make arrangements for your overnight stay at one of our motels. Rocky Creek Inn, Hwy 98 East, Lucedale, MS 39452 Phone: 601-947-6900 Western Motel, 31 Ventura Drive, Lucedale, MS 39452 Phone: 601-766-3400 Dorsett Motel, 5135-A Main Street, Lucedale, MS 39452 Phone 601-947-2772 Holiday Inn Express, 1287 Beaver Dam Rd, Lucedale, MS 39452, Phone: 601-947-2099 We will have members of the George County Search & Rescue patrolling the grounds from 7 p.m. until 8 a.m. on Nov. 7, 2008. The Lucedale Fine Arts Club accepts no liability for exhibitor's wares left on site on Nov. 10, 2007. We will have the area under supervision for the time exhibitors are not on the grounds.

Free Coffee:		Free coffee and doughnuts will be available to the exhibitors at the inside food booth from 6:30 - 8:30 a.m. Each booth is entitled to two free cups of coffee and two doughnuts. Please wear your name badge for identification.

Restrooms:		Special accommodations have been made for restroom facilities. The 2 restrooms in the front of the Activities Building will be designated for ladies only and the girls' locker room for women exhibitors only. Also the boys' locker room will be reserved for men exhibitors only. The outside port-o-lets will also be available.

Rating our Show:		You will be given a sheet to fill out to rate our show. We appreciate your comments and are open to any suggestions you may have to improve our show. Please turn in the completed sheets to the Sales Tax and Information Booth.

Registration Next Year:		No Registration will be accepted prior to June 1, 2009. Exhibitor response to our Festival is growing tremendously and as you know, we allocate space on a "First come, First serve" basis. In order to receive an inside space, you must send your application in early and specify that you want an "Inside Booth". We will fill requests for specific booth numbers, if they are requested early, and are available. We are accepting checks or money orders only for pre-registration of the booth you have in 2008 for 2009. No refunds for cancellations. And remember Gingham Tree is always held the second Saturday in November. Make plans now for next year. A reminder to avoid late fees and to be included in the shoppers guide, get your registration application in by the August 31 deadline.

Changes:		Please read carefully the changes for the 2008 Gingham Tree Festival 1. Registration will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, 2008 until 7:30 p.m 2. No one will be allowed to enter the school campus before 4:00 p.m 3. No one will be allowed to stay on campus after 8:00 p.m. 4. George County Search and Rescue will provide security for the grounds; we accept no responsibility for items left by exhibitors on the grounds overnight. 5. Saturday Registration will begin at 6:00 a.m. 6. No exhibitor can dismantle their booth or bring a vehicle into the area before 4:30 p.m. 7. There are no refunds on booth spaces, those paid for this year or those pre-paid for the next year.