One of this year's craziest weeks is over just as another one begins. Last week we ran simultaneously at the Pfitz and Watkins Glen International Raceway.

The PNat home stand began on Monday. I worked the first two games with Justin and Erin and Tank took over on Wednesday and ran things through Sunday while I headed to New York. With the help of Mike, Nigel, Casey and Christina it was a great week, mainly due to Friday night's rehab appearance by Stephen Strasburg. That game was a sellout, was hot and we sold tons of lemonade (75 pounds of sugar by the 2nd inning). Nigel had an exceptional night hawking as well. While that game fell just short of being a record breaker, it was still a very good night for Big Red. Saturday, usually our best night was a disappointment as the rains moved in but still a fair night. Oddly, on Sunday, we sold only 2 funnel cakes and 1 mini-funnel cake but bailed the day out with our lemonade sales.

Meanwhile, Peggy and I drove to Watkins Glen on Wednesday and set up our two locations on Thursday. We had one slight problem. While setting up stand 1, the trashmen grabbed one of my trashcans setting next to the tent that was loaded with supplies like powdered sugar containers, tongs, plates and funnel cake pitchers. Dumped them in the trash truck never to be seen again. We did some heavy duty scrambling to replace all of that stuff at the last minute but somehow got it done.

We opened Stand 1 on Friday, located right up from the start/finish line and had a suprisingly good day. Chuck, Ryan, Justin, Erin, and two newcomers, Joe and Jessica all arrived Friday and were ready to go on Saturday morning. At Stand 2, we also offered chicken tenders, fries and chicken sandwiches, plus lemonade to go with our funnel cakes, footlong corn dogs and pizza logs we were offering at Stand 1. Stand 2 was right at the end of the last turn. Had a car missed that turn they might have ended up in our tent.

We got through Saturday OK but the rains came on Sunday causing the race to be postponed until Monday. It was also brutally cold for camping after our bodies had become accustomed to 100+ degree days. 40 and rain was awful so our evenings featured lots of blankets.

My sales for the race was up from last year despite the much smaller crowd on Monday. But, in the end, Watkins Glen was at best a breakeven proposition for us as our expenses run super high with the rental of a big truck, rental of a golf cart at the track and the costs of travel for 8 people.

Thankfully, Strasburg made our week so in the end, it was a profitable period.

The next home stand starts tomorrow at the Pfitz so I'll be on the road again for the next 10 days. After the last game next Thursday, I have to move Big Red down the road to Richmond Raceway for another Big Dogs Offroad event on Saturday. The following week, (Labor Day) is the last home stand of the season followed by the Richmond Race, JMU football and Liberty football all at the same time. And you wonder why I'm a little crazy?

NOTE: Sorry about the pictures, folks. I'm having some kind of technical download issues.