This past Saturday, May 5, in addition to being Cinco de Mayo, was the BBQ Festival on the Neuse in downtown Kinston, just minutes away from the studio of Barley Hollow. It was my first sale of the year, and it was a good one. Many thanks to everyone who came out to the Festival on the Neuse and visited our table in the Farmers’ Market. I was pleased to be in the company of so many talented folks, including potter Yu-san Ishimaru, who is the Resident Artist at the Arts Council.

One of the first items to sell was the Big Brown Bowl. This was a personal best, coming in around 17″ in diameter. It was hard to decide to offer it for sale, but just as hard not to offer it. I’m glad it’s off into the world for who knows what kinds of adventures.

Later in the morning, Josh and April from Courtesy Press stopped by to deliver the new Barley Hollow calling cards. These beauties are letterpress printed on a very heavy bamboo stock. The textures and imprint are wonderful. It will be a real pleasure using these. Every step of the process working with Josh and April was a pleasure. Their attention to detail and quality is inspiring. The cards were even delivered in a very simple, yet elegant package. I has so much fun working with them, I’m looking for other excuses to do so again.

All things considered, it was a good Saturday at the market. It was a long day, starting at 8:00am and packing it in about 6:00pm. Stormy weather threatened all afternoon, but never materialized. There were reports of stormy weather all around Kinston, but the skies stayed dry for the festivities. About 3:00pm the Duck Race on the river took place, and simultaneously, the car show folks concluded their competition. The resulting streams of people leaving looked like the place should have completely cleared out, but there were still some folks around at 5:30pm. I only saw our end of the festival, but it looked like a lot of people to me. Initial reports I’ve heard suggest they sold out of over 8,000 lbs of pork barbecue, which would be a record for the event. Congratulations to the organizers and all the volunteers that made the Festival on the Neuse such a success this year!