Food Vending News and Application information
Electrical Upgrade: This year we are working on upgrading all the
vendor's electrical hookups. Each vendor will have their own box with a variety
of plug-ins to choose from. You will not be allowed to plug into any other
vendor's power box without their permission. We are also working a a waste water
system for the vendors area and will let you know how this
progresses.
Going Green: Blissfest is trying to do its part to reduce, reuse and
recycle. Last year the composting program did pretty well and we will
again encourage food vendors to contribute to the compost bin. We will use this
compost on our orchard trees and vegetable garden.
This year we ask the food vendors to not sell bottled water. Blissfest is
expanding our own excellent well water distribution system to include drinking
fountains and fill-up location in the concert area and near the vending area.
Water containers will be made available and signs will be promoting the quality
of our water.
Blissfest Hospitality : Our own hospitality area will be using composting
dinnerware this year. Any vendor who wants to purchase composting dinnerware can
jump on our order. We will be ordering by Mid- May. Contact us for pricing and
availability of composting dinnerware.
Worker Tickets: We will require all food vendors to purchase their worker tickets by June 1 and get them to their workers. There will be no will call for vendors this year at the main gate. We have been having problems with folks scamming entry into the festival claiming they are workers for food vendors.
Basic Information Letter for 2008
This letter is being sent to all the food vendors from 2007 to confirm your
participation in the 28th annual Blissfest to be held July 11-13,
2008
at 3695 Division Rd. near Cross Village, MI. I need to know if you are
planning to participate this year ASAP. Please contact me by March 7th to
reserve your space. You can simply leave a message on the Blissfest phone at
231/348-7047 or email us at jim@blissfest.org.
If I do not hear from you by then your spot will be made available. I have a
number of interested vendors eager to take your place. I am also enclosing
an application form that will be due by May 1, 2008 with your
application fee and the site deposit for 2008. The worker ticket orders are due no later that June 1,
2008.
All food booths will again pay a $150 entrance fee of which $125 is non-refundable and $25 is a site cleanup deposit. In addition, Blissfest will charge 10% ( 5% for non-profit organizations) of your gross receipts before any deductions as a fee. We expect to collect this fee before you leave the festival. Be prepared to show records of daily receipts and a weekend total so we can determine your fee. We trust that this will be an accurate and honest accounting. A $25 service fee may be assessed those who neglect to pay within 30 days.
You will loose your cleanup deposit if you fail to thoroughly clean up your site by Tues. morning. This includes: compost, recyclables, paper, cigarette butts, beer tabs and all concession materials. We suggest you bring a leaf rake. Your deposit will be sent back to you after we have inspected your site or deducted from your % fee. Recycling of cardboard, glass, plastic and metal is mandatory and containers are provided on site. The recycling coordinator will stop by to orient you. Describe your menu and a brief sketch of your booth showing serving side and dimensions. There is a limited supply of electricity and we encourage you to conserve as much as possible. Use propane appliances instead of elemental heating devices when possible. With your application be sure to describe your electrical use and needs, i.e. peak amps. average amp. draw and special hookups. Individual concessions with large electrical demands(above 20 amps) will pay an additional $10 electricity surcharge/ 10amps. Remember that concessions need to use "hard use" electric cords (Type SO or SOO wire) outside the booth. This is required by Emmet County for our carnival permit. If you need clarification regarding this, contact Carl Winter at 231/631-6756.
We typically allow setup on Thurs. afternoon and will let you know specific times set aside for setup to keep things as orderly as possible. Contact us if you need to request special consideration regarding setup time. Parking will be restricted to designated areas and strictly limited in the food vending area. Please note that the festival sells ice cream as a fund riser and we will require pre-approval if any ice cream or related items are sold. We will also be handling the ice concession and can supply you with ice at a good price. We suggest a cart or wagon to help transport your ice. Ice will be available at the Blissfest Ice Cream Booth.
Blissfest requests that food venders donate some food to the worker/ musician hospitality tent on Sunday afternoon as the fest is winding down and you have extra. Donations of meals for our raffle are also encouraged. We can provide you with a receipt for tax purposes as we are a non-profit tax exempt entity and you can deduct fair market value of food donations. The hospitality coordinator will contact you during the festival for donations for the Sunday afternoon meal. Your participation would be much appreciated and we will be glad to give you some mentions from the stage to promote your booth. There will also be some food vouchers used by staff and guests that we will reimburse you for when you check out.
You will need to comply with Health Department regulations and they will inspect on Friday. Contact Michelle Delves at the Northwest Michigan Health Dept. (231) 347-6014 or 3434 Harbor-Petoskey Rd, Harbor Springs, MI 49740.
The temporary food application form for the Health Dept was changed in 2005 and must be processed by them no later than 1 week prior to the event or you will be denied. Additional online information can be accessed at http://www.nwhealth.org/foodtemp.htmlThe booth fee entitles you to two workers tickets for the weekend. Regular workers for your booth will cost $10 each for the weekend based on 1 ($10) regular worker pass/$800 of volume. For example if you generally sell $4,800 worth of food you would be allowed 2 workers with your application plus 6 additional at $10 each i.e. 6x $800=$4800. Additional workers above the base rate will be $20 each. Any worker requests beyond 20 will pay $30 each. We are trying to stay reasonable with the worker passes policy and also provide an incentive to use your labor wisely. Please send in your request and money for regular and additional worker tickets with your application fee. There will be no gate lists for workers so be sure you follow up on this so you have tickets to distribute to all of your workers prior to the festival. A second mailing with tickets and site designation will be sent in early June. Send your application fee of $150 payable to Blissfest to ensure your reservation. Deadline for applications is April 15, 2008. Send to: Blissfest, 325 E. Lake St, Petoskey, MI 49770. If you have further questions please call Jim Gillespie, Director at (231) 348-7047, email is
jim@blissfest.org.