Repeating the post here under Fish Mongers with expanded information in response to questions received. We've had a large number of new and renewing club members in the last few days, so I anticipate we will have a good turnout.
In place of our customary Fall All-Day Auction we will be holding an informal, outdoor, in-person marketplace event in the spacious parking lot of the Emmaus United Church of Christ in Vienna, VA. The event will be free and open to the public. Only PVAS members may sell. Anyone may come to buy.
Date: SUNDAY, October 4, 2020
Time: 12 - 1 pm seller set-up, 1 - 4 pm marketplace, 4 - 5 pm seller take-down
Where: Emmaus United Church of Christ, 900 Maple Avenue East, Vienna, VA
Fees: None at all, no entrance fee, no sellers fee, no MyGroupAuctions
What: Sellers can sell anything at the marketplace that they could normally sell in an auction or tag sale
Who: PVAS members can sell, anyone can buy
How: Sellers should post their items and prices in the Forum under Fish Mongers just as if they were selling items for pick-up at a monthly meeting. Buyers can pre-order. Sellers can bring additional items not pre-ordered for sale as if it were a tag sale. Do it your way!
Rain Date: SUNDAY, October 11, 2020 will be the new date if we're rained out on Oct. 4th. We are unlikely to postpone due to rain unless it's absolutely bucketing down all afternoon on the fourth. So far the weather forecast for Sunday looks good.
Restrooms: We will have access to the church restrooms.
What to Bring: The club will not be providing anything but the venue. Sellers can bring tables, chairs, and canopies if they like, or just sell out of their cars. Do it your way!
Payment Methods: Entirely up to the sellers. The club is not involved in the transactions. Some sellers may wish to use Venmo, PayPal, or other payment services to avoid handling cash due to health concerns. Sellers having particular payment requirements should communicate them to buyers ahead of time.
Donation Table: The club will have a table set up for donations to the club. Donors should let us know if they would like the fish to be offered for free or sold by the club. Any proceeds will defray venue costs.
Fish Health: Buyers and sellers should be prepared to shelter their live purchases (including plants) from temperature swings as this will be an outdoor event and the weather could be cool. Also, be aware that many people are currently using larger than normal quantities of hand sanitizer which can be deadly to fish and shrimp. Use extra precautions when taking purchases home by washing your hands and outer fish bags to remove anti-microbials before floating bags in aquaria and unbagging animals and plants.
People Health: Masks and social distancing of at least 6' will be required, no exceptions. Every person has a different risk profile relative to contagious disease such as COVID-19. Members or their household may fall into high risk categories. Each person should make their own decisions about how much and what kind of interaction they would like to have with others above and beyond masks and social distancing, and everyone should respect those decisions. For example, a seller may prefer to sell out of their car by handing purchases out of their window, or by placing them on the curb outside their vehicle to minimize person-to-person contact. To avoid confusion, sellers should consider putting up a sign with special instructions if they don't want people approaching them. Do it your way!
Socializing: We will designate an area away and downwind from the sellers area for people to set up their own lawn chairs or beach towels and socialize. Chairs must be at least 6' apart from each other (10' is even better) and everyone must wear a mask. Be careful to follow people's social signals. If someone doesn't want to be approached, please maintain additional distance.
Getting excited!
Many thanks to everyone who attended to make this a fun event. None of us was quite sure what to expect. It was gratifying to see who people travelled from far and wide including central PA, Raleigh NC, Richmond VA, and DE. So much fun to actually see people in person.
Special thanks to Michael Barber who made arrangements with the Church and ran the club sales table.
Special thanks to Jacob Waters who stored and brought items earmarked for the cancelled ShrimpFest event for the PVAS donation table.
Special thanks to Frank and Carol Cowherd of Aquatic Life Farms who made a generous cash donation to the club, enough to cover 2 hours of the venue. You rock!
Big thanks to Susan for managing membership.
Welcome to the many new members who joined the club in the days before and at the event.
We've cancelled in person meetings through the first quarter of 2021 and the Spring All-Day Auction in April. We'll definitely consider doing another outdoor tailgate in the Spring when the weather settles. In the meantime, we will continue holding our Zoom meetings the first Saturday of each month at 1 pm. We have a great presentation coming up in November. Stay tuned for a special announcement concerning the December meeting once details get nailed down.