Yes, it’s been a long summer. Yes, it’s been a rather dull summer. Yes, it’s not going to get any better until September, but that’s to be expected. That’s how Texas summers go: we sit back and wait until things start cooling down, and that probably won’t happen until the middle of October this year. Because of this, and a lack of impending shows, one might understandably assume that it’s quiet around the Triffid Ranch. It’s not, but just pretend it is, so the surprise is greater.
Anyway, aside from the number of calls from people assuming that they can use Venus flytraps to control bedbugs (and while a longer post in further detail is necessary, let’s cut to the chase: no carnivorous plant is going to control bedbugs, even if you hold the mattress over the plant and shake it really hard), the main focus around here is on next year. Expect a lot of new plant species, including many never seen at Triffid Ranch shows before, and several interesting experiments in larger containers. Details will follow, but let’s just say that the first Triffid Ranch show of 2015 will be one you won’t want to miss.
And on that subject, that first show is Texas Frightmare Weekend, running May 1 through 3 of 2015. Six years since the first appearance at Frightmare, and this little horror convention that could is turning into quite the monster. So much so that, by way of example, I was able to buy booth space at the 2009 show about two months before the convention started. Over the last couple of years, the vendor space tended to sell out sooner and sooner. This year? Spaces were open on August 1 at 3:00 CST, and they were completely sold out five hours later. This is why I recommend buying your passes now, before they’re all gone, the fire marshal counts heads to make sure that the hotel isn’t too overloaded, and the management at DFW Airport starts kvetching about how convention attendees outnumber people actually flying in and out of Dallas. We should all have such problems, I know, but keep it in mind if you assume that tickets will be available later in the year.
In the meantime, prepare for other developments, such as a radically revamped and redesigned Web site, well in advance of TFW. The rest of 2014 is going to be extremely crazy, so hang on.