The Alexandria Red Cross sponsors The Waterfront Festival in Oronoco Park in Alexandria every June. Watch out... caveate emptor!!! This is a sham that sucks in the crafters from all over the place. First of all, it is not a festival, but a kiddy ride carnival with a sound stage. Second... do not believe the numbers that they state. They are not 80,000, but closer to 7 or 8 thousand at best. With few exceptions, all of the vendors are FIRST TIME VENDORS. If it was a festival, not an amusement park venue, vendors would be lined up to return.

Some vendors lost large sums of money because of deception, intentional or not. One vendor traveled from Florida, and lost thousands, some from the Carolinas did the same.

I suggest boycotting them and warn others via the Web to stay away from this sham.