Page 18 of Starfish Cottage
People nodded again, their smiles fading now.
“Well, I want to open the floodgates again, and this time hopefully the tourists will keep coming.”
People shifted in their seats, leaning forward with interest.
Maddie went through her whole presentation. From the idea for the festival to the interest she’d already received from the fan club to her ideas to expand that to appeal to broader interests. She showed the map of the locations in town that they could set up vendor tents and her ideas on what events and vendors might take part.
“I think many of the businesses here could have a tent. That way tourists coming will get introduced to your products as well as our beautiful town and will hopefully want to return for weekends and vacations.”
Jules raised her hand, and Maddie nodded toward her.
“I was thinking we could offer special discounts and packages to bring people to the Beachcomber,” Jules said. “Like discount getaway weekends. Maybe some of us could get together and offer packages.”
“Great idea!” Rose said.
“I could add some coffee discount cards to the package. Buy one get one free,” Cassie, from Ocean Brew, chimed in.
“And I could offer a discount on meals,” Harley added.
Burt Hastings stood. “I could have a moonshine-making display complete with bathtub.”
Everyone turned to look at him, and he blushed. “What? My grandfather taught me when I was a boy. It’s not like I make moonshine at home myself anymore.”
From the looks on people’s faces, Maddie got the impression that maybe he did make it at home, and it wasn’t much of a secret.
In the back row, an older, white-haired gentleman raised his hand. Dwight Ryder was somewhat of a killjoy and always had something grumpy to say. Maddie hated to call on him, but she did.
“How is all this going to get done? Sounds like it takes money, and this town doesn’t have any.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Pearl piped in. “The Baking Show paid a hefty fee for permits and such. We can use that money. Isn’t that right, Belinda?”
Belinda Simms, who ran the town hall, nodded.
“Well, there’s still a lot of work to do,” Dwight persisted. “Is it that much money to pay for all the labor?”
“We can save by doing a lot ourselves. I’ll be happy to spruce up the plants around town and help set up the tents. I’m not afraid of a little hard work.” Lorna Baxter, who owned the landscaping business in town, was always eager to lend a hand. She happened to be sitting next to Dwight and elbowed him good-naturedly in the ribs. “What about you, Dwight?”
“Err… no. I guess I could help.”
“Now that’s the spirit!” Rose said.
“I’ll help with any carpentry work, repairs, and setup that need to be done. Free of charge,” Dex said, looking pleased to be lending a hand and oblivious to the angry look on Lorelei’s face.
“Ahem!” Heads swiveled toward the back where Constance Harbinger was standing, a look of disapproval on her face. Speaking of a killjoy, she was worse than Dwight.
“It seems like this event is centered around alcohol.” Her lips puckered in distaste.
“Well, Marco Rosonewasa bootlegger,” Maddie pointed out, feeling defensive. “And we do have a built-in audience for an event about him, but that’s not all the event is about.”
Constance lifted her chin. “Really? It seemed that way in your presentation.”
She had a point, but Maddie wasn’t going to let her spoil things. So what if it was mostly about booze? Then again, maybe that would be off-putting to some folks. She didn’t want to attract only people who liked to drink to town and wanted a broader scope than just the Marco Rosone fan club.
“I have some other ideas that don’t center around moonshine that I haven’t fully worked out, so I didn’t present them yet. I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” Maddie would be surprised, too, because she didn’t actually have any other ideas. She’d come up with something, though.
That seemed to placate Constance even though she still looked doubtful. “We’ll see. The town bylaws are very strict about alcohol displays and availability. I’ll have to consult them.”
“I’m sure we don’t want to break any of the town laws.” Maddie looked around the room, which was suddenly very silent. “Any other questions?”
