This coming May 3-4, 2008 The "Great Green America Fest" will return to the PA Renaissance Faire facility at Mount Hope, PA, right off the PA turnpike at the Lebanon exit. A special school day will be held May 2nd, 9-3pm to attract field trips from local districts.
Highligts of the weekend will be musical artists. 80+ vendors featuring organic and environmentally-friendly products. The Renaissance Fair grounds encompass 35+ acres and is an interesting layout to hold such an event as the "Great Green America Fest". The website is www.greatgreenamericafest.com
I spent the day at the great green america fest last year - here's the link to my review of the event. I was underwhelmed by the experience last year - everything seemed so contrived, the vendors didn't strike me as being particularly "green" in reality, and the whole thing smelled like a thinly-veiled ad for the renaissance faire. One piece of constructive advice I had for the organizers was to reach out in 2008 to the businesses out there working on the green agenda - small ventures that are offering new and innovative ideas & products to the consumer. I get tired of hearing from the deep-pockets guys who are on the verge of "greenwashing".
Well, I saw the flyer at our borough office today...it was the first I had heard of it. No one I know in the green building or sustainable fields had been conctacted yet. So, I went to the website and saw that the organizers want $250 for a booth space for business vendors. $250! That's a huge amount of money for a small business, and that for a new event with a questionable draw (and the layout is too huge to create an impact for any one vendor). Oh, did I mention that the vendor needs to supply all their own tables, chairs, everything? I'm sure that the big businesses touting themselves as "green" will be out in force again. I am worried, however, that yet again a golden opportunity to rally ALL the region's green and sustainable-focused organizations together in one spot will be lost.
Will it truly be a great, green, america, fest?
