2023 Summer Show Update

It looks like we have another completely full event! Vendor application deadline was March 31, 2023, so anyone wishing to submit a vendor application now will need to plan to pay the $25 late fee and you will be placed on a waiting list.

Show Committee is in the process of reviewing all applications and assembling the booth map. They expect to start mailing "welcome" letters early next week.

Please remember that if you'd like to have any "new" products juried in, to send photos and a jury request email to: ShowCommittee@artistsandcraftsmen.org

While we hate to see any of you go, please also remember that the deadline to cancel your booth is June 1, 2023. Requests MUST be in writing and cancellations after June 1 are NOT eligible for a refund.

You can find the cancellation notice form online at: https://artistsandcraftsmen.org/pages/show-cancellation-notice

Seeking Sponsors for Summer Show

ACF, in conjunction with the Food Truck Festival, is seeking sponsors for the 2023 Summer Show. Funds from sponsors will be used to cover event expenses, including but not limited to paying for things like the Trolley parking lot shuttle, advertising expenses, and more!

Do you work at or know a local business you think might be interested in sponsoring? Please share the Sponsorship info with them, or have then contact Lindsay at 406-249-9181 or WebAdmin@artistsandcraftsmen.org.

Design Contests

Don't forget to submit your artwork for three design contests. Designs are due April 19, 2023 for:

1 - our 2023 Christmas Show Poster design.

2 - ACF logo stickers

3 - Event or Organization T-shirts

Design submissions can be photography, painting, drawings or any other form of graphic design. Sticker designs MUST incorporate the ACF logo.

We will grant 1 credit to each person that submits one or more designs for each contest. Winner will get a 2nd credit.

Members will vote on the design winners via online/digital ballot after the April 19th General Meeting.

Send your designs by email to WebAdmi@artistsandcraftsmen.org, or you can submit them online here: https://artistsandcraftsmen.org/pages/photo-drop

We have some fantastic designs submitted so far and we can't wait to see what else you all come up with!

ACF takes on Art Commissioner Role for NW MT Fair

ACF has been asked to take of the Art Commissioner position for the NW Montana Fair & Rodeo in August. This means ACF will be in charge of the "Fine Arts" contests and displays. We will have volunteer opportunities and even an option for you to earn a FREE booth at Christmas Show (wink, wink) Stay tuned for more details to come!

Advertising Opportunity

We're making a printed "Event Guide" for Summer Show this year and we'd love to offer some advertising space to all of you. This booklet will have it all - event map, vendor list, photos, event details, food truck menus and MORE!

We are also offering ad space to event sponsors and the general public, but we are going to give any ACF member who wants to purchase ad space for a discounted price:

1/8 page - 2.5"x2" - $50

1/4 page - 2.5"x4" - $100

1/4 page - 5"x2" - $100

1/2 page - 5"x4" - $200

full page - 5"x8" - $450

To see the non-reduced advertising pricing, or to get a copy of the flyer to share with a local business or two, please reach out to WebAdmin@artistsandcraftsmen.org.

If you're interested in purchasing ad space for your business, please send an email to

WebAdmin@artistsandcraftsmen.org by May 1, 2023. Please also plan to pay for your ad space by May 15, 2023.

Designs/Artwork for your ad space will be due by May 15, 2023.

Have questions or need help designing your ad space? Please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're happy to help or design it for you.

Spring Cleaning Art/Craft Supply Market - May 6, 2023

ACF will once again be hosting an art/craft supply market - think garage sale for craft supplies and tools. This event will be held on May 6, 2023 from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm in the Grandstand Building at the Flathead County Fairgrounds.

This fundraiser is for our “Create it Forward” scholarship fund. Last fall when we hosted this event, we raised nearly $800 for the scholarship, after paying the building rent and other expenses. Therefore it was our biggest fundraiser of the year! So, we are eager and excited to do it again! There are 4 other events also taking place at the Fairgrounds that day, so we expect lots of foot traffic and a great turnout.

Some suggestions for types of items you can sell would be anything that is considered an art/craft supply, tool or part. You can also include vendor display items, canopy tents, tables, display stands, grid walls, etc. We will also consider allowing the sale of tools. This is NOT a garage sale for all your discarded things, but if you have an items that could be considered as an “upcycling” supply, we may consider it. Please contact Lindsay with questions about specific items.

If you’re interested in participating in this event and clearing out your surplus supplies, please consider the following: 

• You can participate at the event, sell your items, and help with customer service during the event
  • plan to donate 10% of your item sales to the scholarship fund – ACF will send you a check for the rest of your sales money after the event.
    • Items must be tagged to include your name and item price. Tags will be pulled at checkout and totaled after the event.
  • Three (3) 8-foot table spaces will be reserved for your personal items, then we ask that all participants also watch over at least one “donation” table. There is potential for additional table spaces as space allows, depending on number of participants and quantity of items.
    • You do not need to fill 3 tables – if you have less than that, that’s okay too.
  • Receive 1 ACF participation credit toward your 2024 Membership Tier.

• You can donate (drop off) your surplus supplies.
  • ACF will sell them and you donate 100% of money from sales to the scholarship fund.
  • Leftover items will be saved for future markets or donated to local schools for art projects

• You can be a volunteer – we can use all the help we can get!
  • Plus, receive 2 ACF participation credits toward your 2024 Membership Tier (must help for at least 4 hours)

Donations Always Welcome

ACF is always accepting donations of your handmade items for use in our "Create It Forward" scholarship fundraising efforts. So please consider donating items.

Have you considered donating a gift certificate instead of an item? Gift certificates make great donations items for a number of reasons:

• It's a great way to prompt a new customer to visit your booth and shop your items.
• Shoppers may end up purchasing a higher-priced item than the value of the gift certificate.
• If the gift certificate goes unused, you are not out an item.
• Customers get to pick something they want versus having one single item gifted to them.

We are also happy to accept gift certifications and gift cards of other local businesses.  

As always, any donations you provide will be tracked and you will received membership tier credits based on the retail value of the donated item. See pages 15-17 in the 2023 Handbook for more details.

Bring donations to the April 19th General Meeting, or send an email to WebAdmin@artistsandcraftsmen.org to coordinate a different drop/off pickup time.

Final Reminder - Last day to earn credits for 2023 Membership Tier is 4/30/23

Because the Membership Tier program is still in its infancy, for 2023 only, we have extended the time in which you can earn credits toward your 2023 Membership Tier up to April 30, 2023.

All credits earned from January through December 2023, will apply toward your 2024 Membership Tier. Therefore, for this year only, you can double dip a little bit. So keep up the great work, participation and support of ACF!

Here are all the ways in which you can earn credits before the end of April:

• Attend the April 19, 2023 General Meeting – earn 2 credits
• Attend the Outreach Committee Meeting on April 24, 2023 – earn 2 credits
• Attend the Picnic Committee Meeting on April 11, 2023 – earn 2 credits
• Submit designs for the various design contests – all due by April 19, 2023:
  • Submit 1-3 designs for the Christmas Show Poster contest – earn 1 credit
  • Submit design(s) for the sticker design contest – earn 1 credit
  • Submit design(s) for the t-shirt design contest – earn 1 credit
• Donate items for our Scholarship Fundraising – earn up to 6 credits (depending on retail value of donation(s) – see Handbook pages 15-17 for more details.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about this program or your membership tiers, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We will provide to everyone a summary of their credits earned in early May so you can see where you sit for the rest of the year and going into 2024.

Consider Joining a Committee

Outreach Committee, Fundraising Committee and Picnic Committee are very active this time of year and we can use all the help we can get. Considering joining a committee and attending the upcoming committee meetings:

April 11, 2023 - 6:00 pm - Picnic Committee Meeting

April 24, 2023 - 6:00 pm - Outreach/Fundraising Committee Meeting

Send email to WebAdmin@artistsandcraftsmen.org to get more information about these meetings including meeting location.

Plus, for each committee meeting you attend, you'll receive 2 credits toward your membership tiers.

Name Tags

All vendors are required to wear a name tag at all ACF-hosted events. You are welcome to make your own, or we always have disposable write-on name tags available for your use.

But, if you'd like to order a professional plastic name tag, please consider doing so. Your fellow member, Erin Solin, has been making name tags for us for a few years now.

Name tags are 2”x3” with a magnetic back. Safety pin backing is also available upon request.

Name tags will be available for pickup at the next General Meeting after your order date. If you need/want different delivery options, please let us know and we’d be happy to coordinate with you.

Standard name tags are $8 each

Custom name tags with your own business logo are $10 each

If you need help designing your "custom" name tag, or don't have a business logo, let us know and we'd be happy to help you come up with something beautiful and professional-looking.

Name tag order forms can be found online at: https://artistsandcraftsmen.org/pages/name-tag-orders

or send an email to WebAdmin@artistsandcraftsmen.org or call Lindsay at 406-249-9181 to request a paper order form.

Bulk / Group Shopping Bag Order

We all can be daunted by prices of general event supplies - right? How about the ever-increasing costs of things like decorations, business cards, boxes, shopping bags, ribbon, stickers, tags and other important things? While we can't help you with all of those things, we are going to try to help you with some things. So, we are working on arranging a large order of shopping bags.

We've noticed that there are some significant price decreases for shopping bags if we purchase in bulk. Plus, shipping rates go down as well. But who needs 1000 bags?!? So, lets all pool our money and go in on a large order together.

If you're interested in purchasing shopping bags before Summer Show & Christmas Show, please let us know what type, size and color of bag you'd be most interested in. Please also let us know how many you'd want to order. Consider order for your Christmastime events as well as we will likely only do this once per year.

For starters, we are looking at paper bags with handles in craft brown, white, black, or other colors. We have also looked into colored plastic bags with handles. Consider visiting PaperMart.com to see what other styles are available. We are willing to order any size/shape you want, but if your selection is custom to you, you may need to plan to order a full case to yourself.

As an example, here's a breakdown of some options: (there are many more on the website)

Colored paper bags

Available colors:

Black, Red, Maroon, Hot Pink, Coral Haze, Gold, Forest Green, Citrus, Sky Blue, Navy, Powder Blue, Aqua, Grape, Gray, Platinum