Today we hit two festivals, and it was like visiting two different planets.

First stop was Betty Zane Days in Martins Ferry. I’ve been going for years, and somehow it manages to get more expensive and worse every single year. Food prices keep climbing, but the overall experience keeps heading in the opposite direction. That’s almost impressive in a depressing sort of way.

The crowd didn’t help either. There were way too many people who looked like they hadn’t made a good decision in years. Every few feet someone was looking for a handout, asking for something free, or creating some kind of drama. It just wasn’t a place you wanted to hang around very long.

Then we drove over to the Arts & Crafts Festival at Wheeling Park in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Complete night and day difference.

The park was clean, the vendors were friendly, and people were actually there to enjoy themselves instead of causing problems. There were plenty of handmade crafts, good food, and a relaxed atmosphere. You could actually walk around without feeling like you needed to keep one eye on your wallet and the other on whatever weirdness was happening nearby.

It’s funny how two festivals can be so different. One left me wondering why I bothered going. The other reminded me why I still enjoy getting out and seeing local events.

Next year I’ll probably skip Betty Zane Days and spend more time at Wheeling Park instead. Life’s too short to pay more money for a worse experience.