This Saturday, October 3 — Martinsville's OKTOBERFEST

THIS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, I'll be selling and signing books at the 45th Annual Oktoberfest in Martinsville, VA, from 11:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. I'll have copies of The House at Black Tooth Pond, Balak, Fugue Devil: Resurgence, and many others, perfect for the Halloween season. My table will be located on East Main Street, near the corner of Lester Street, just across from Rania's Restaurant. In addition to scary people like me, there will be vendors of all varieties — jewelry, holiday items, arts, crafts, clothing, home goods, and food. It's always a good time!

An Oktoberfest Weekend

October has been my favorite month for most of my life, certainly as an adult. It's the Halloween season, don't you know! Since I was a kid, going up to the Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall has been a family tradition. Apart from colorful fall foliage, the primary attraction for many decades was breakfast at Mabry Mill; sadly, the restaurant is no longer open. The leaves haven't turned yet, but the Virginia mountains are always beautiful, so we didn't mind going a little early this season. On Friday, Brugger and I drove up to Villa Appalaccia, our favorite winery within traveling distance, where we enjoyed an excellent tasting, a partial bottle of their excellent Dolcetto, and some light nibbles that we brought along with us. Following that, we drove over to nearby Chateau Morrisette Winery & Restaurant, where we had another very good tasting, followed by dinner at the restaurant. I had Osso Buco, which was enjoyable enough, though I'm afraid it was hardly my best dinner here. The shanks weren't as tender as they should have been, and the sauce did not go well with the accompanying polenta. Still, the restaurant is beautiful, with traditionally excellent food, and consistently good service, so my enthusiasm for it is no way is in no way diminished.

Below: Ms. B. and Old Dude at Villa Appalaccia and a couple of sunset views from the terrace at Chateau Morrisette.

Yesterday—Saturday—Brugger and I hauled ourselves, my books, and bookselling accoutrements uptown for Martinsville's 44th Annual Oktoberfest. I've been a regular vendor here for many years, and predictably for an event like this, sales can be very much hit or miss. Happily, this one was not at all a miss. I sold a record number of copies (which put me well into the black) and met lots of avid readers. I also ran into several good friends, some of whom I've not seen in far too many years.

 

Happily, good friends (and frequent traveling companions) Terry & Beth came up from Kernersville both to wander about Oktoberfest and hang out with us poor miscreants. After the fest was over and we'd broken down and packed up all our stuff, we all retired to Ground Zero for drinks and dinner. Ms. B. made a fantastic Italian chicken with basil & Parmesan on pasta that made us all very, very full. And then... cheesecake. Woot!

 

Below: A couple of images of Church Street during Oktoberfest.

Today, Ms. B. spent some time fixing up the living room to usher in the Halloween season, and this evening, we watched Night (Curse) of the Demon, which means things are getting real.

Beyond our own little corner of the world, things are far less content and "normal," so who's to say how the rest of our October (and beyond) will fare? For us this weekend, the world turned out to be very nice. I sure wish we all could enjoy much more peace, tranquility, and fulfillment. That said, I desperately wish certain people and parties wouldn't make that so damned hard.

Oktoberfest Success

I've participated in Martinsville, VA's Oktoberfest as a vendor numerous times over the years, even when we lived in North Carolina. At some of them, my books have sold well, and at others... whoa, where did everyone go? Sales-wise, today's was probably the best I've ever had here. Once again, these local, not-necessarily-book-themed events have lately been a real boon as well as a dingy-dang fun time. It was all the more enjoyable in its way because I was set up in front of my old church from many, many moons back. I guess some of those folks always figured I'd end up scaring people.

Several old friends ended up dropping by my space, including my seventh-grade US History teacher, who is still going strong. She lives right around the corner from me, as a matter of fact, so I might better mind that do all my homework.

Charles Roark from Star News TV focused on my book table for a spell. Unfortunately, the sound didn't come out that well, but you can check it out at the 25:00-minute mark. Thanky, Charles!

Star News TV at the 43rd Annual Martinsville Oktoberfest

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A Busy Season

It's been a busy — and very successful — summer and early fall for promoting and selling my scary books. Some big venues and some not-so-big, but this year in particular, my book sales in what I'd call non-traditional outlets, such as local breweries, specialty shops, and festivals, have been healthy indeed. I've got a few more coming up for the fall season. This weekend, I'll be in Elizabeth City, NC, for a four-author booksigning event at Seven Sounds Brewing Company (see yesterday's post for details). On Saturday, September 21, I'm attending another multi-author event, hosted by Martinsville/Henry County Is for Book Lovers at the Spencer-Penn Centre, in Spencer, VA, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. There will be lots of food and craft vendors as well, so there's plenty of fun even for folks who might be too scared to visit with the scary author. Ha-ha!

Next month — Saturday, October 5 — come visit my vendor booth at the 43rd Annual Martinsville Uptown Oktoberfest, in Uptown Martinsville, VA. I'll have plenty of scary books on hand — Fugue Devil: Resurgence, Deathrealm: Spirits, Gods of Moab, Blue Devil Island, West Virginia: Lair of the Mothman, and several others. Ms. B. may bring along some of her art journals, watercolor paintings, and other nice items for sale as well. Oktoberfest features a passel of vendors with artsy-craftsy things, foodz, a beer garden, and other goodies of all sorts. It runs from 11:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.; admission is free.

In November, Ms. B. and I will be attending a somewhat belated Dark Shadows–themed Halloween event at Seaview Terrace (a.k.a. the Carey Mansion) in Newport, RI, which served as the exterior of Collinwood in the original Dark Shadows series. I've been to numerous Dark Shadows events, and I've visited Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, NY, and the Lockwood-Mathews mansion in Norwalk, CT, both of which appeared in House of Dark Shadows way back when, but I've never been to Seaview Terrace, so this will be a first. Ms. B. and I are both very much looking forward to it.

Books, Brews, and Bashes

I'd like to express my thanks to Traci Morton, owner of Magnolia & Main Books, for hosting what turned out to be an excellent book signing event yesterday. We had a good crowd, and I sold a slew of books — which I gleefully devalued with my signature. Magnolia & Main is a charming little store with lots of books, both new and used, plus other assorted goodies. Local folks — please stop in and check it out! And thanks to all who came out for the event, particularly those who braved a torrential downpour early in the day. I really do appreciate it. Several old friends that I haven't seen in ages popped in, which meant a lot to me.

Magnolia & Main is located at 810 Main Street, Ridgeway, VA 24148.

After the event, friends Terry, Beth, Bob, and Yvonne all headed with Brugger and me over to Renewal Brewing in Uptown Martinsville for a variety of refreshing beverages. We had earlier determined we should all have dinner together, and as we were debating a suitable destination, Bob & Yvonne up and invited us to their place. So, we paraded over to their house and enjoyed an incredible dinner, plus good drinks, and lots of good music and other entertainment. It would have difficult to ask for a better day. Well, that big old rainstorm during the morning damn near drowned us, but at least we all survived.

Except maybe Ms. B. there. She's looking a little rough after diving into The Monarchs. I worry for her soul.

Upcoming events where you may find me raising hell and wreaking havoc include NecronomiCon, Providence, RI (August 15–18, 2024); MHC Is for Book Lovers, Spencer, VA (September 20, 2024); and Martinsville Oktoberfest, Martinsville, VA (October 5, 2024).

First Friday

The Martinsville, VA, Oktoberfest, which would have been tomorrow, is another casualty of COVID-19. However, vendors who were signed up for Oktoberfest will be setting up at a series of pared-down events—First Fridays—with the first being tomorrow night (October 1). I'll be there with several books available—The Monarchs, Blue Devil Island, Young Blood, and my Ameri-Scares titles West Virginia: Lair of the Mothman, Michigan: The Dragon of Lake Superior, and Ohio: Fear the Grassman! The event will be at the Martinsville Farmers' Market location location (65 W. Main Street, Martinsville, VA). Come on by from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, October 1, to check us out.

Martinsville Oktoberfest, October 2, 2021

I have reserved a space at the Martinsville Oktoberfest, coming up on October 2. I'll be bringing plenty of copies of my Ameri-Scares novels (West Virginia: Lair of the Mothman, Michigan: The Dragon of Lake Superior, and Ohio: Fear the Grassman!), my novelization of  The Smith Brothers’ movie Young Blood (which was filmed in Martinsville), some of my Dark Shadows audio dramas, as well as The Monarchs, Blue Devil Island, Other Gods, and more.

I figured I’d put together an author banner to slap on the booth canopy, so I came up with the design you see above. I’ve requested a booth adjacent to authors Stephen H. Provost & Samaire Wynne, which I hope will actually happen.

If you’re anywhere in the southwestern Virginia area, I hope you’ll come check out the Oktoberfest — it’s always great fun — and stop by to support your local authors. We’d love to see you.

Martinsville's Oktoberfest Turns 40

The smiling gentleman under the hat is Mr. Stephen H. Provost, former journalist and author of dozens of books and short stories, which range from historical nonfiction to biographies to straight-up horror fiction. His latest, Martinsville Memories, is a pictorial history of my old hometown, Martinsville, VA (see "Martinsville Memories at Oktoberfest," September 30, 2019), which made its debut at the fest. For the book, I wrote the foreword and provided the author with a few antic-dotes of no small amusement. Today was the day of Martinsville's 40th annual Oktoberfest, and it turned out to be an appropriately big event.

Last night, Ms. Brugger and I headed out from Greensboro, stopped to visit my mom in the nursing home, took care of some necessary Mom-related business, and then satisfied our never-ending craving for dinners at Third Bay Café with dinner at Third Bay Café. Afterward, we shared a couple of glasses of wine at Shindig, a relatively new and very promising bistro in Uptown Martinsville. This morning, about 10:30-ish, we hauled ourselves up to Uptown and met Stephen and his wife Samaire — a noteworthy author herself — at their vendor table on Church Street. I had planned to join them just to co-autograph Stephen's new Martinsville book, but he and Samaire kindly offered me some space to sell and sign a few of my own books.

A large, lovely moth we encountered this morning
on our way to Oktoberfest

For the first time this season, we experienced some honest-to-god autumn weather, with somewhat cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 60s. This proved heavenly. HEAVENLY, I tell you. Two days ago, the mercury hit 100 degrees in the area, and this, my friends, is nothing less than obscene. Never has that creeping little chill been so welcome. I don't know how the crowd this year compares to past years' Oktoberfests, but I can safely say this was a big one. We had lots of traffic at the table, and everyone moved a fair number of books. I unloaded a good many copies of Blue Devil Island, The Monarchs, West Virginia: Lair of the Mothman, and Michigan: The Dragon of Lake Superior. Both Stephen and Samaire clearly turned tidy profits. Ms. B. worked on some of her superb artwork and also wandered around checking out vendors to see if she could find any respectable shopping bargains. She found them.

I did run into a few old friends and acquaintances at the fest. Myron Smith, producer/director of numerous films made locally in which I've appeared — Young Blood (for which I also wrote the novelization), Invasion of the Killer Cicadas, Alice in Wonderland, and others. Scott Norman, a childhood friend whose grandparents lived next door to us. Baxter Robertson, owner of the aforementioned Third Bay Café. And a remarkable instance of Small World Syndrome ocurred. A nice lady stopped at our table and asked if I had a daughter who lived in New York City. I said I did, and it turned out her daughter and mine were friends. She had just moved to Martinsville quite recently. Who might have thunk that?

And... oh, Lord yes... there were funnel cakes. Big old ugly disks of fried dough, smothered in powdered sugar, which sifts all over everything — clothing, exposed skin, books, passing hippopotamuses, you name it. But they is good. Merciful heavens, they is good!

We all ended the day with our wallets having put on a little extra weight. On our way back to Greensboro, Ms. B. and I stopped for dinner at The Celtic Fringe in Reidsville, which has long been one of our favorite establishments for dining and imbibing. So all this was right and proper, and I must say that, in the midst of some of the most intense stress I've had to deal with in this life, our little jaunt to Martinsville this weekend proved both relaxing and rewarding.

It's gonna be another helluva week coming up. If you wish for me anything, please wish me well.

Addendum: Oktoberfest Photostory at The Martinsville Bulletin is here.

A terrifying trio: Mr. Provost, an Old Fart, and Ms. B.

Did anyone else notice a hippopotamus passing by this morning?

A good crowd taking advantage of the lovely Oktober weather

Scads of people listening to music and heading for funnel cakes

The lovely ladies of Oktober: Kimberly Ann Brugger and Samaire Provost

Ms. B.'s ink & watercolor rendering of a chonky little toad, which she completed
while we sat at our table

Martinsville Memories at Oktoberfest

This Saturday — October 5 — is Martinsville's 40th Annual Oktoberfest, and if you're anywhere within a reasonable traveling distance, you really ought to attend. Authors Stephen & Samaire Provost, Ms. Brugger, and I will all be there, in good company with Stephen's new book, Martinsville Memories, for which I have written the foreword. I will likely also have a few copies of West Virginia: Lair of the Mothman, Michigan: The Dragon of Lake Superior, and possibly others on hand.

Martinsville's Oktoberfest is always great fun, with dozens and dozens of local merchants set up around the Uptown business district. There shall be vendors with food and spirits aplenty, presumably including funnel cakes, as they are an Oktoberfest staple. Funnel cakes are ambrosia. Funnel cakes are damn good. One might say funnel cakes are an essential component of proper southern living. Hooray for funnel cakes!

Stephen's Martinsville Memories is a meticulously researched pictorial history of my old hometown. For six decades, I've loved Martinsville, known its inner workings, explored it inside and out, and yet Stephen has dug up facts even I didn't know about. As the author writes, "Martinsville has thrived as the town with the nation’s most millionaires per capita and struggled through factory closures during the era of globalization. Packed with more than 300 images and chock full of details, this volume offers a nostalgic trek through time, with stops at drive-ins, old hotels and iconic storefronts along the way."

Also on Saturday, the Valleystar Credit Union 300 NASCAR race will be happening at Martinsville Speedway. How the race will impact Oktoberfest, I dunno, but you'd best believe Martinsville is going to be hopping this weekend. Please join us. We'll be on hand to autograph Martinsville Memories and any of our other books we have available. Look for us on Church Street near the intersection at Broad Street.

For good measure, if you're into geocaching, a veritable trove of geocaches await you in Uptown Martinsville, many that I have placed myself. And don't forget: Funnel cakes. Keep saying this to yourself, and think well on the joyful prospect of it. Funnel cakes. Funnel cakes. Funnel cakes....