Saturday, October 29, 2011

The Belated Swiss Days Post

I have been meaning to post about this for a while and then forgot all about it.

There are all sorts of Festivals throughout our state all summer long.  One of these happens to be Swiss Days in the little town of Midway.  In case you didn't know, many of the little towns in Utah were settled by Swiss Immigrants.  Midway is one of them.

One of the things that makes this festival so popular is the number and variety of vendors.  I would describe it as an arts & crafts fair, a holiday boutique, and home decor show, with lots of food and treats to choose from all rolled up into one tiny town's big festival.

Throughout the past 14 years of living here, I kept hearing about Swiss Days.  It seems like the thing to do the weekend going into Labor Day is for women, their mothers, sisters, friends, etc. to attend Swiss Days.  And it never failed that whenever I'd see someone with great wall art or a fabulous piece of clothing, they'd always say, "Got it at Swiss Days."

I posted on FB in August about how I was contemplating venturing down to Swiss Days this year, as I had been a Swiss Days Virgin up to that point.  Well, that started a thread of conversation, which led to my friends Mel, Meesh and I planning our Swiss Days excursion.  Mel (and her daughter Syd) had been before and Meesh & I approached it like children experiencing Christmas for the first time.

I had a list of some things I hoped to find.  I had desperately needed a new purse and had the money set aside for that.  I was also on the lookout for certain Christmas gifts.

So with my list and money in hand, we left home early Saturday morning and got down there before the parade started.  I noticed a few parking lots just outside of town which provided free shuttle service to and from the center of Swiss Days.  However, Mel, being the veteran of the group, poo-pooed that as she had the inside scoop.  We drove on into town and at the very edge of the action there was a small private cul de sac of about 4 homes.  Apparently, these neighbors open their driveways, yards, and curbs for Swiss Days Parking, for a fee of course.  It was worth it to pay the $10 vehicle charge and be parked close, especially if one of use wanted to purchase a big item.  What a pain that would have been to lug around.  I had heard from others who went that at times they had to wait 40 minutes for a shuttle.   We counted the cars that were parked in the circle at any given time and figured they easily brought in $1000 each day of the festival...  divided by the 4 houses, that's not bad.  We noticed that the husbands were the ones running the parking operation.  We joked that the wives were over at Swiss Days spending the parking money.  Probably not far from the truth.

Anyway -- we saw lots of fun things, some odd, some unique, and some way over-priced.  The grossest thing I saw was a booth selling baby dolls with REAL HAIR.  They were promoting this by showing that since the hair was REAL, you could actually style the doll's hair, then wash it out, etc.  The thought of the buying locks from other people, and then transplanting it into these doll heads made me nearly lose my breakfast.  I throw up in my mouth again now just thinking about it.  Bleh.

I had the chance to listen to artist Jon McNaughton speak about a month before and was impressed by his (controversial) artwork {{McNaughton Artwork}}.  Let's just say he mixes politics and religion in his art and many people do NOT like it.  His belief is that our Constitution was Divinely Inspired, and that our government and society have seem to forgotten that over the years.  Regardless what you believe, I think it's interesting at how much controversial attention his work draws. I mean, people can paint nudes and put them in museums and call it "art" and yet, they cringe because this guy chooses to display his political and/or religious beliefs through his work?  Something doesn't seem right about that.  Anyway -- back to the post...  This artist was there, signing his work.  I was so excited and had to buy one of his prints.

I found the Christmas gifts I was looking for and for much less than I expected to pay, which was awesome.  I would show you, except it would ruin the surprise for the recipients.

Previously, I had seen some handbags I loved online, priced anywhere from $50-$120.  I didn't want to spend that much. I looked at nearby retailers (Kohl's, Tarjay) and purses were still $40-$60, although none were the right size or style I liked.  I have always done smaller purses.  But, this time I wanted a larger handbag.  Something big enough to conceal my gun (when needed) and something I could stuff a notebook in for class. I also wanted something red.  I love red.

Then I saw it -- the bag I wanted  NEEDED was at Swiss Days and it was just under $40!  They had 1 red bag left, so I took that as an Omen and bought it before someone else could snatch it up.


As many of you know, I also have a thing for spoon rings.  Well, the price was right for this little diddy, and I couldn't resist.  I love it.  It was truly the one "splurge" for me.

For lunch, they had everything from Navajo Tacos (fry bread) to anything else greasy on a stick and deep friend you can imagine.  But, I was good and had a grilled chicken breast and a bowlful of fresh berries.  My only food-splurge was the caramel apple we split at the end of the day.  Oh sooo good.

So, there you have it.  My review of Swiss Days.  Will I go again?  Definitely.

Thanks Meesh, Mel & Syd for making it so much fun!

{{More on Midway Swiss Days HERE}}

5 comments:

Puphigirl said...

I have not yet been to Swiss Days. People have suggested it as place for us to do our BBQ booth. Maybe some day.

Holli and Billy said...

Oh man. I LOVE Swiss Days!

Deborah said...

I lived in Utah for three years and never even heard of Swiss Days! Oh how I wish I'd gone. (Really cute bag and ring, by the way!)

Cassie said...

Cute bag! Loved it! I have never attended swiss days...maybe next year.

The Willeyes said...

Can't wait to go again :)