Since I spoke so much about pre-CookieCon classes yesterday, I decided to focus today's post on some of the other event kick-off activities happening at CookieCon!
After a morning pre-event class with Myri Sanchez (Chapix Cookies), I went to Liz Adams' (aka Arty McGoo's) special event - The Sock Hop. Liz and Mr. John, her husband, sure know how to liven up a crowd! They had games to help meet people and cookie decorating contests. Mr. John even dressed up like Elvis and serenaded the women in the crowd. Liz definitely made a statement with what looked like a poodle skirt, but which had a mixer on it instead. While the event was a little noisy, everyone was happy and excited to be there.
Later in the afternoon, registration opened, and vendors began their set-up. The registration line was long, but well worth the wait. This year there were no trading cards (a vehicle used in the past to meet other attendees), so there was less formal meet-and-greet. But we cookiers are resourceful and friendly people, so that didn't prevent us from connecting!
I did enjoy watching the vendors in action. There were boxes everywhere and dozens of people trying to set up their merchandise. I talked with Michele Hester, owner/founder of SugarVeil®, and she said that SugarVeil® will have a hands-on session during open decorating on Saturday. Michele promised to walk me through the entire process from mixing to removing the SugarVeil® from the mats. I can't wait! The Stencil Ease booth was very popular with lots of excited customers. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Yay, glad to hear that my partner's booth is getting some early interest! And I didn't even pay or otherwise bribe Econlady to say this! 
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However, the highlight of the day for me was meeting Ann Clark, owner of Ann Clark Cookie Cutters, founded in Vermont in 1989. She is a very sweet, genuine woman who, with no business experience, built the largest cookie cutter company in the US. It's more than a business; it's a family. Every employee of Ann Clark brings an energy and excitement to what they do, which is contagious. Ann Clark was also very generous to CookieCon attendees, giving each of us a set of cutters in our swag bags, including one specially made for CookieCon attendees. We were promised the cutter would never be sold.
Tomorrow, classes by the official slate of CookieCon instructors start, and they look interesting!
Kate Sullivan, aka Econlady, is a retired economist who started cookie decorating over a decade ago when her seven-year-old daughter wanted to take a cookie decorating class. While her daughter lost interest, Kate continued to explore cookie decorating, always looking for new ideas and techniques. Kate’s cookies have been featured on a trading card at CookieCon 2015 (pictured left) and also in Cookie Connection’s Practice Bake Perfect Challenge #14. A year ago, Kate took over as Newsletter Editor of the National Cookie Cutter Collectors Club, where her decorated cookies are showcased on the cover of each newsletter. Kate is a long-time veteran of CookieCon, having attended since the very beginning, so she is sure to bring us the up-to-the-minute CookieCon inside scoop.
Photo and cookie credit: Kate Sullivan
Note: This article expresses the views of the author, and not necessarily those of this site, its owners, its administrators, or its employees. To read more CookieCon 2017 updates from our special Cookie Connection Correspondents Team, click here, and for CookieCon event photos, click here.
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