It is that Thanksgiving time of year and here I sit, thankful as ever. After a successful event, I can take up to three days to recover (recover meaning that the dishes get done, the floor gets swept, and I can start answering emails again). Our most recent event was the Millheim Record Bazaar, and I’m still basking in the glow of all that glory.
The Record Bazaar, much like other events we’ve hosted, reaffirmed that (how luckily) we can take almost any idea and make it a success, even in our one stop-light borough full of horses and buggies.
Our business model is a bit strange or even—you could say—non-existent. We’re throwing spaghetti ideas at the wall and seeing if they stick. For the most part they are. A tribute to accordions? Why not? Men’s Pie Contest? Of course!, Vinyl Record Sale? Hell yeah! Sheep and wool? Duh! Baaaaaaa!
Folks! We couldn’t do this without you . Most of you are starting to trust that when you come to the ballroom, you’re going to leave feeling better than when you came in. You’ll probably have a new friend (it might be my son Booker, who’s followed you around for the entire event, or Roscoe, who’s loved that you held him).
Not only are you coming to our events, you are participating in a way that is pretty unique to the ballroom. You do the dishes, stack the recycling, you hold our babies, and you try to be part of this. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Something true about local businesses—when you are supporting EcoVents, you are directly benefitting our family, and we are doing our best to reinvest whatever money we make back into our community. Honestly, it’s less about investing money and more about investing our time and hard work. And, many events partner to directly benefit local community endeavors, such as the fledgling local radio station, WSOV (through a live music/variety show), the East Penns Valley Library through the new Rural Renaissance Series, and PVCA (by providing zero-waste management).
The ballroom also doubles as a pop-up market-a place where local farmers, crafts people, and other businesses can grow and find support.
Thanks to you and your support, we’ve been able to offer these types of events:
Indoor Farmers Market
Dance Parties (Polka, Swing, 2-Step & more!)
Halloween Parties
Live Music Shows (Accordion Fest, Mike Swavely Reunion Show, etc.)
Listening Room and Rock Show experiences
Fiber Fest
Special dinners, lunches, brunches and catering!
Private weddings, card clubs, Red Hats, birthday parties,
Herbal Healing Series with Jennifer Tucker
Handmade Holiday Market
MayFly Festival Food & Craft Mart
New Year’s Eve Party!
Yoga Classes
Moving forward, we have a lot of work to do! Think of what could happen here!
Pop-up kitchen/Supper Club with guest chefs, Cooking Classes, yoga, Shamanic Training, Kids playgroups, Sunday Morning Dance Class. Whatever you’d like to see…. We’d love to hear your ideas!
And in case I haven’t done it enough, I want to thank you again for being such a top-notch, open-minded group of people. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
