Q. What is the fee to attend?
A. There is no basic or overhead fee to attend the Gathering.
Q. Then the class fees must be high – how much are they?
A. Teachers for the Gathering have volunteered their time and effort for next-to-nothing to share techniques and knowledge with others who have the same interest. In some cases, there may be a fee for supplies used, but students will also be given a list of supplies needed in advance and have the opportunity to bring their own to save on costs.
Q. How can you afford to do this?
Not only are we non-profit, we are not an organization. More like a bunch of friends interested in gourds who decided to vacation together. Along the way, ideas began popping up of activities that could be done together during the vacation… So far, we have been able to cover expenses incurred for rental of the Cherokee Indian Fair Grounds from the raffle and auction fundraisers. The more folks who donate items to either of these, the better the possibility that we won’t have to “pass the hat” at the end of the day on Sunday. There will also be income from booth rentals.
Q. So, how much is it really going to cost me?
A. Your total cost will depend on your travel costs, lodging, food, choice of area activities, how much you purchase from the vendors at the festival, etc.
Q. Where are we supposed to stay?
A. You may stay anywhere you like. There are many hotels in the area with a wide range of prices. There are also campgrounds, cabin rentals, and other accommodations available. We will be checking on group discounts for hotels once we have a better idea of how many will attend. That information will be passed along as soon as it is available.
Q. Will you be making my lodging arrangements?
A. No, but we will help you in any way we can.
Q. What if I won’t know if I can attend until closer to the Gathering. Can I sign up later?
A. Yes, you can let us know any time once the sign-up process begins. We begin the 'sign-up to attend' process early so we can have an idea of how many attendees to plan for, but we realize that not everyone can make plans months in advance.
Q. Do I have to join a gourd organization or some special club to be able to come?
A. No, we are not an organization or club.
We do encourage membership in the American Gourd Society and your state's society. Membership dues are well worth the valuable information and networking contacts received in exchange! Information for both the AGS and state societies can be found on the American Gourd Society website.
You may also be interested in receiving the Gourd Artist's Guild Gourdpatch Email List ~ the birthplace of the Gourd Artists Gathering.
