Posted by Meri Abrams on April 15, 1998 at 13:44:18:
I have received the following message from SOCS and
would like to share it with members of this group.
They are one of the better festivals I have attended
over the years. It looks to me like they have no
plans to do otherwise than to serve us, the Stitchery
public.
Thank you for letting me share Jean's message with
you. All I can say is that I support SOCS and am in
complete agreement with Jean on this one!
Meri Abrams
=============== received from SOCS, 04/15/98 ===========
This message from Jean Farish may be shared or posted
as long as it is done in its entirety.
Rumors have a way of taking on a life of their own.
Personally they sicken me because there is no way to
"fight" them. The person who starts them NEVER comes
out and says so. I used to try to track down the
source to figure out why and how a particular rumor
got started. I found that it's a waste of my energy
because the people who are so quick to mouth off to
others will not talk to the person who is the victim
of the rumor. Okay, so that is how I feel about them
in general.
Spirit of Cross Stitch has been victimized by rumors
from the very beginning! You'd think we would be
accustomed to them by now, but we aren't. Rumors can
be dangerous! It puzzles me as to why our strong
efforts continue to be undermined. I have always been
accessible to any and all companies who do business
with the Festivals. If people have a question, I
really do think it's best to ask me directly.
In the last few days, I have been asked was the
Festival on the "auction block" and told that
students "aren't coming" to the Festival because
they aren't sure there will be one!!!! If students
aren't coming to the Festival because they think we
aren't having one, then we do have a problem. We
mailed out THIRTY-FIVE thousand of our 72 page Guide
book to the Knoxville and Valley Forge markets and
are preparing for the Des Moines and Ontario mailings! We printed 80,000 of these Guides! Why would we have done that if we weren't going to have the Festivals? Currently, we have hundreds of 30-second TV ads airing in the Knoxville area; have had newspaper ads running for weeks now, start our radio ads this week and we have bill boards up, too. Why would we do any of this if we weren't going to be there? We are BULLISH on cross stitch, the Festivals and KNOW we provide something terrific for the consumers.
For anyone who wants to know, here is the simple fact. The Spirit of Cross Stitch Festival or any of the related businesses, like the TV show, are not "on the auction block."
I LOVE putting on the Festivals for the joy of all
the stitchers who come. I love to see and feel their
excitement. I am glad that we have succeeded in
putting together what I believe to be the largest
premier consumer event for cross stitchers over the
last nine years -- so that the stitchers can continue
to retreat to the Festival for a day or a long
weekend of relaxation and fun.
Let's put these rumors to rest. I am going to
Knoxville to teach, sell my wares and have fun.
End of message. April 15, 1998. Jean Farish (mamasocs)