• May 2025 Turning Challenge: Long Neck Hollowform! (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Phil Hamel winner of the April 2025 Turning Challenge (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Dion Wisniewski for "Basketweave" being selected as Turning of the Week for 12 May, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

County fairs as club recruitment venues

Kalia Kliban

Kalia Kliban

Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Messages
196
Likes
905
Location
Sebastopol, California
Has your local club ever done a demonstration booth at a county fair (or similar event)? Was is useful for getting folks into your club? Was it fun? I've been pondering this for a while and wondering if it would be a good way to get the word out that our club exists.
 
Our clubs have done public demos at all sorts of similar events.
State fairs, county fairs, county park earth day, first Friday in the park, Pioneer Days, woodworking shows…..

These are fun things to do as a club. Members get to know each other better, newer members can even get some mini lessons.
Members get experience explaining woodturning & demonstrating

The community gets some entertainment and learns a bit about woodturning.
Not every event gets a new club member but 5-6 events might bring in 3-4 new members.
Many events will result in people giving a tree that has to come down to the club.

Do it to have a good time and you will succeed!
 
Our club runs a stall at the local farmers market in Wanganui New Zealand each Saturday. We have a lathe running most of the time making spinning tops. Members can sell thier work through the stall and the club takes a commission from the sales. We roster three members each week to man the stall.

The stall has been running for about ten years and has been very good at getting word out about the club and attracting new members.
 
We have a booth at the local 9 day fair where we demo with two lathes and members can sell work. A lot of people see woodturning for the first time there and we occasionally get a new member. I'd say the primary benefit is to the members. It's a lot of fun, there's a lot of interaction with more experienced members coaching less experienced, and quite a lot of stuff gets sold. It's a chance to spend 6-8 hours on a shift with 3-4 other club members and really get to know people. It's my favorite club activity I'd have to say.
 
Our club does many festivals and events. We have two coming up in the next month, the Milford Art Affaire and the Gather of the Guilds. Also the Appalachian Festival is held every May. I have not personally gone to one, but hear they are a fun time for my fellow members!
 
We did a " turn your own pen" day at the Charleston Farmers Market. We supplied blanks and pen kits and invited people to turn a pen. It was a huge success with 79 people making a pen.
 
We have had a booth at an annual craft fair and the members seemed to enjoy the activity. It definitely got a lot of interest from the crowd and many people expressed an interest in the club and learning to turn. Follow through was not great, however. Maybe 1-3 new members per 2 day show.

The pandemic and age has been hard on our club and we don't quite have the leadership, energy, and manpower to continue the effort at this time. Eventually, hopefully, we'll return in the future.
 
Roger Wiegand said:
We have a booth at the local 9 day fair where we demo with two lathes and members can sell work. A lot of people see woodturning for the first time there and we occasionally get a new member. I'd say the primary benefit is to the members. It's a lot of fun, there's a lot of interaction with more experienced members coaching less experienced, and quite a lot of stuff gets sold. It's a chance to spend 6-8 hours on a shift with 3-4 other club members and really get to know people. It's my favorite club activity I'd have to say.
Click to expand...
I would have to agree. We did a demonstration bth at a woodworking show. No sales allowed. It was a blast! Our first meeting after the event was packed with new people. Several joined the club.
 
Not a fair but as close as you can get without being one. We demonstrate at all events at the Ag Museum. They also let us sell. I cannot give a number on membership but we do get some benefit from this. It is amazing how many say the will come to a meeting but never show up. I would guess maybe 1 or 2 in 10 who profess interest may show up.
 
We do multiple events a year that we pack our midi lathes up and take with us. 2 lathes for short one day fairs and 4 lathes for the multi day local county fair and the wood working show that just started back up. They all are very welcoming and ask us to come every year. We do lots of talking to people, demonstrating and give out hundreds of tops to kids. It lets us recruit new members and interact with the public.
 
I just demonstrated for the Willamette Valley Woodturners (Salem, OR) last night and there were several new members at the meeting who credited the club’s presence at the fair for their reason for joining.
 
Our county fair is in progress right now, so I'm thinking ahead to next summer for our club. All these stories are really encouraging, and I'd love to hear from more folks.
 
A local wood carvers club sets up at a few events, but their hook to pull people in, is their open hours where every body is invited to come to their club and learn to carve one morning and evening a week. Our turning club has had some luck with setting up at some events and also putting notices in the paper inviting the public to come to our meeting. We have had one or two "learn to turn" meetings for the public and beginners. when we set up to sell at one event, I am always amazed at the variety of items produced by one group of turners. I think that also helps the public understand that turning is more than bowls and rolling pins and helps interest them.
 
Well short of advertising in a local publication. I think these sortsof demos would help with public awareness and will eventually lift that awareness and should draw like-minded folk to the clubs, for me its a good thing
 
Kalia, I was a member of the London turners, what we did was to try have the visitors involved , we did give out ballots and ask them to tell us their best liked pieces, and yes we did get new members that way.

Rather than just walk past they would take a closer look and also ask questions, so conversations happened that way and info exchanged.

I took this picture before the opening of the exposition.

Woodworking exposition.jpg
Here are visitors getting info about the turners club.

wood show.jpg
 
Last edited:
Robert Satterfield said:
Interesting lathe stand!!!
Click to expand...
That was my just bought new Midi lathe at that fair, (box sits behind the turner on the floor) and one of the turners wanted to try it out, improvised stand, it worked.

There were 4 lathes being used for visitors to see the turning being done, small tops were given as presents to the kids.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top