The Grommet That Saved the Day

This photo explains why yesterday was fine instead of a horrible, expensive disaster.

I'd gone to Indianapolis on Friday to set up for a one-day show on Saturday.  Weather forecast was for thunderstorms, some severe, later on Friday night.  Most artists had chosen to set up their tents on Friday instead of getting to the park at 5:15 on Saturday morning for setup (because, really, 5:15 a.m.?!? I am self-aware enough to know this was not a functional possibility).  

So I put up my new tent, complete with the screens that display my earrings, set up the tables and table covers, put the sides on, anchored the tent, and crossed my fingers.

Sometime around 9 that night, the storms began.  I sat in my hotel room, across town from the show site (cheaper hotel rates), and anxiously watched the weather radar.  Until the television signal was knocked out.

When I got to the show at 6:30 the next morning, this is what I found.

The side wall didn't fall in -- I took the picture after I'd gone
into the tent to assess the damage.

Horrifying?  Yes.  Disaster?  No.

My new tent has grommets in the middle of each side that anchors the roof to the frame.  If you look at the photo, you'll see that while they didn't keep all four corners from giving in to the 60mph+ winds that accompanied the 2+" of rainfall (it was kind of biblical, this rainstorm), they all held on and minimized what might have happened.  The velcro corners apparently only gave in after the storm, because the wet inside the tent was minimal. 

I was really, really fortunate.  I probably should have run right out and bought a lottery ticket.