Above, you may savor the view I enjoyed most of this past weekend, as I sat in all my splendor in the Viking camp at iFest Minnesota, at the St. Paul RiverCentre. As you can almost see, I was conveniently close to the French patisserie, which is behind the woman in the white sweatshirt – though I can say with pride that I only purchased one of their offerings – a strawberry-and-whipped cream crépe, which I divided with a friend. (I’m taking my doctor’s warnings about blood glucose seriously.)

The whole festival, Friday and Saturday, was pretty generally a success. This is a festival that had gone on for decades, and then died during Covid. But now they’re trying to revive it under a hip new name. The results were promising. Friday was mostly a day for school groups, so the place was filled with shrieking younglings. Such a crowd does not buy a lot of books, though. After the kids were gone, attendance was poor, and we worried a little. This, by the way, is what our camp looked like:

We were conveniently close to the Men’s Room (which I always appreciate) as well as to the food booths. The cultural exhibits (with their wares) were way over on the other side, and I never ventured there. This is not a time for discretionary expenditures.

We were also close to a music stage. Generally I enjoyed the music, but some of it did get a little loud – which made it difficult for a deaf old man to sell books.

But sell books I did. Crowds were gratifying on Saturday, and I had one of the best bookselling days I’ve ever had. Two different customers sprang for the whole Erling Saga all at once – and one of them bought Viking Legacy too.

I was also surprised (and pleased) by the interest so many people displayed in the Vikings. I sold Viking Legacy to two or three people who were distinctly non-Caucasian; genuine interest without personal stakes, which I have to admire. I spent some time telling a young woman in a burka about the extent of Viking voyaging. I spoke of Christian faith with a lovely young Phillipine woman. And I was “interviewed” (sort of, it wasn’t recorded that I could see) by somebody from Minnesota Public Radio who was curious about our group.

So all in all, a great (and profitable) weekend. Sunday I crashed, of course, a spent force