The Artists, Crafters and Entertainers of the Festival
Lacey and Dana got their things ready to haul over to the festival. Dana had everything stacked up on his hand truck. Lacey pranced along side Dana as they wheeled it across from the camp and through the festival site.
The festival grounds stretched out over three blocks right in the heart of town.
In the first block there were only a few trees, but in the second and third block old oak trees with wide canopies covered much of the park. Beneath the oaks there was a bounty of shade falling upon a thick green lawn. It was cool beneath the oak trees and Lacey liked to stand under them out of the hot sun.
There were white canopy tents set up all along the park's edge. As Dana wheeled his gear through the park Lacey trotted out ahead to greet a tall woman in a yellow skirt and white blouse. She was setting out her silver and turquoise jewelry. She had a straw hat on with a wide brim. She had a finely crafted silver and turquoise hatband on it. She said, "good morning." with her bright eyes and wide smile on her face.
Lacey stopped and sniffed her hand as the woman stooped down to give her a rub. Her hands told Lacey that she was a crafts person. Lacey sniffed at her hand in just one spot. Lacey was getting a story from that skilled hand. It was right there in the scent. All her experience was in the smell. All of the things she had touched Lacey could detect with her nose. There were things that Lacey could smell from days and weeks and even months ago. A dogs nose can understand things we never could.
"Well, what a sweet dog you have." said the jewelry lady.
"That's Lacey the Performing Dog." said Dana. "We'll be performing today."
Dana got ahead and called back to his dog, " Come on girl!" Lacey obeyed and ambled along.
The path through the park was lined with one booth after another.
Lacey would run ahead and make friends with folks and then run ahead even further all the while trying to stay ahead of Dana.
A man who made stained glass lamp shades was in one booth. Another specialized in hand thrown pottery. You could buy a hat, get your fortune told, or see a man build the handle to a knife right in front of your very own eyes.
Lacey found these things with her nose. It didn't take her long to get from one scent to another. For instance the man who made soap had different bars made with different ingredients. You could get soap made with milk, honey, lavender, peach, cinnamon, and vanilla. Lacey's nose bobbed from one basket to another identifying each smell individually. Sometimes the soap was meant to make a person smell good and sometimes the soap was meant to be especially gentle and nourishing for their skin. Each bar had its own shape and scent. Lacey could hardly run her nose over each basket quick enough.
There was a beekeeper too. He had jars of honey. His bees had collected pollen from sagebrush, once they returned to the hive they would make it into honey. Some of his other bees from other hives had made honey from orange blossoms. He had samples and the children who had snuck out of their houses early had found his booth and they all wanted to get a free taste. Lacey ran up and crowded right in with all the other kids to try and get a taste too. The kids all noticed and laughed especially at Lacey's little tail that was swinging madly in expectation of such a treat. They knew what she was up too.
Beneath the canopy of oaks along the rows of white tents there were glass makers, blacksmiths and candlestick makers. A person could get their back massaged, or buy unusual ointments that could help folks with sore muscles and joints. You could buy jars of peeled garlic marinated in olive oil. There was a couple that sold plants from the desert. They had yuccas, cholla, barrel cactus, prickly pear, and sugarro. Lacey was real careful not to take a sharp thorn in her sensitive nose. There were hat makers, painter's, and potters. You could find fresh baked cookies, watercolor paintings or a woven rug. You could get fresh apple cider, a sculpture or a pair of handmade leather sandals.
Dana and Lacey walked along the path in the fresh morning air watching all their new friends filling their shelves and display cases with their handmade goods.
A man who made diggery doo's was warming up one of his new instruments. Lacey's ears perked right up to the sound. Each person's booth offered something different. Each one of them had a story to tell about how they came to do what they did. Some learned from their family and some fell into it by accident. No matter how the story goes the one thing you learn from these people is that they had to keep doing it. They had to try again. Each time they tried they learned a little more. Each time things turned out a little better. They love the part of the work where they grow and learn new things. Lacey could sort of run her nose along the edge of the craft fair folks booth and she could just sense that there was a lot of time and experience to be found here today.
"So long as I keep learning I suppose I'll keep doing it. The day I'm not learning anything is the day I quit." These were the words of silver haired man who was displaying his photograph's.
Finally, after Lacey and Dana walked from the west end of the park all the way across to the east side they came to the stage. This morning a man who sang western songs had come to play. He sang about wagon wheels, barbed wire, dingo dogs, Doc Holiday and a place called Tombstone. He was the first act of the day. Lacey and Dana would share the stage throughout the day with other performers.
And so it goes, on and on, each helping the other, here on Mother Earth, beneath a smiling sun. Dana said, "Lacey girl you're just like all the rest of the animals in the park. You've learned to work with me in the show. You work hard to do your tricks and in return you make people happy. Your effort helps me put food on the table and a roof over our heads."
Dana always talked to Lacey as if she understood every single word, and even if she didn't, she still seemed to know what to do. There is just something funny about how dogs come to understand us.

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