This was our first year as Vendors at the Sacramento Highland Games. Other Vendors had spoken highly of the event and I did as much research as I could about the event before applying. We applied for the 2008 Season only to be turned down. The Sacramento event organizers it seems have their standards. However it was not to do with our reputation , but more to do with theirs. This year as usual I contacted the Vendor Coordinator and as fate would have it, that a vendor had canceled for this year. Leaving a space that we were allowed to fill. For those of you not in the business, the number of vendors at an event is very important. If an event has more vendors than the attendance can support, then all of the vendors do poorly. Far too often the event organizers feel that the more the merrier, as they say. However for those of us in business, the key is a balance between too many and for the attendees having too few to select from. Many events even include vendors that are not even Celtic related. If for no other reason , it confuses those that attend a Highland Games as to what is Scottish and what is not. Having someone there that sells sun glasses for instance just does not make any sense. But you see all vendors pay for the space at these events, and the greed of the the event organizers takes priority over the purity of the event. If you are ever in the Sacramento area the last full weekend in April then I highly recommend this event. I was amazed at the number of displays and the entertainment available to the public. For the $12.00 entrance fee , there is more than a full day of things to see. Especially interesting in the military unit display. Scottish related military units from the era of the Romans to World War Two are there. Well displayed and outfitted , the camps were set up in period settings and there was over a dozen different units to take a look at. Several of them even had heavy canons that they fired off to the amusement of the crowd. The event is also blessed with a wide variety of musical acts. From a Grade Four Pipe Band Competition to well known acts such as Molly’s Revenge and even a punk Celtic group to round out the venue. A huge selection of food items were available from the traditional haggis to a modest selection of foods that anybody can eat. The only thing I was taken aback on was the prices of everything. Apparently in California they used to paying higher prices for just about everything than we are. This event is a two day event and even though it can be seen in one day, plan on two and really take all of it in.
