To say that the 2007 Texas Scottish Festival was an interesting event is an incredible understatement!
We started the event this year pretty much the same as last year, with the exception that our tent was assigned to the Clan Area and not the Dog Area. Given that our specialty is Scottish Dogs, we were more than happy to be in and amongst our pup's kinfolk! Not to mention, being the only dog-specific group in the area, we were able to generate more interest than had we been located with the other dog groups.
This year we introduced our new line of WRNT Custom Embroidery (which will be available on the website soon) and some pre-made embroidered items. We were pleased with the reception and had several orders to fill.
Unfortunately, given all the rain in Dallas lately, Mother Nature had no intention of sparing the Scottish Festival. On Friday evening, after the event closed, we got a bit of a gully washer and the WRNT tent took some damage. Fortunately, we "packed out" almost all the items that could get damaged. The WRNT banner and our doggie-adoption signs got beaten up pretty good, but our dedicated team picked up the remnants on Saturday morning and made a good showing.
Saturday night, however, saw Mother Nature dish out more than our battered tent could handle and she really did a number on it - breaking metal spars and tearing the canvas fabric. Without cover it was going to be exceptionally difficult to host much of a booth on Sunday, so we decided to pack up what was left and vow to do better next year.
Even with the shortened (and somewhat soggy!) time we had this year, we managed to raise almost $300.00 ($200 of which is eligible for corporate matching) and gave out about a hundred brochures and business cards. We had several of our Rescue Dogs make an appearance and all were very well received.
WRNT looks forward to the 2008 Scottish Festival - so keep an eye on this site and www.texasscottishfestival.com for next year's event....and let's pray for no rain!
Our tent on Saturday - somewhat the worse for wear!