Wow! Has everyone been taking grouchy pills?

Most callers have been ... fairly nice and understanding when we've explained to them why listings for bazaars are being handled a little differently this year at the Idaho Press-Tribune. First of all there's the reduced space of the newspaper, the economy, our efforts to treat everyone the same, and ... the economy!

But then there are those who really don't want to understand and are just downright mad! Mad that there isn't a dedicated page that lists - on the same day each week - all the upcoming bazaars, mad that there has been "next to nothing" in special stories on "at least the bigger events" with descriptions of what's being sold, if there are any special features, like candy and baked goods, mad that photos of their last year's event was never printed and just plain ... MAD!

One sweet bazaar publicity chairman told me that the ladies in her group we're all blaming her for the lack of attention. "We've been advertising with the Idaho Press-Tribune for years and it's never been like this," was one of her comments.

And the truth is ... she's right! ... In my lifetime (which is a space of MANY years, I've never seen anything like what we're going through in the world either.

I talked to a slightly irate woman just a few days ago, who wasn't at all involved in the publicity of a bazaar, but was still as angry as can be because she wanted to plan her weekends around those wonderful holiday, seasonal free-for-alls and we weren't helping her to do that, she said.

"You guys are making it harder for everyone," she screamed over the phone. "This is something we all look forward to every year and now we don't even know what's happening!

That's when the idea hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Have you looked at bazaars on our web calendar?" I asked.

"Oh yes," she responded, "but who wants to have to click on every day just to see if a bazaar is listed?"

"But you don't have to do that," was my answer. "Let me help you generate your own list of bazaars. Really. It's as easy as 1 ... 2 ... 3!"

That's when she went to her computer and I waited and prepared to walk her through the process.

"Have you gotten to our Web site," I asked? (idahopress.com)

Once she got there I had her scroll down to the calendar icon. It's on the right side of the main page. Then I had her click on the highlighted day. (It will always be the day you log into our Web site). That brought up the community calendar for that day and the next few upcoming days as well.

"See, " she said, "you have to look through everything listed to find the bazaars."

"No you don't," I answered with confidence. "I promise that this will only take a few moments and then you're going to know about every bazaar listed. Click on 'search' at the top of the page," ... I waited while she completed my request.

The next page brought up 'search dates.' The first date will be the present day and you don't have to do anything at all to it. You just decide how far you want to search and enter that date as the ending date in the date range.

"Why don't you enter Dec. 25, 2009 for your final date," I suggested. "That way you're sure to bring up all the bazaars we have," I continued instructing and secretly hoped that no one had posted an 'after Christmas' bazaar!

"OK," she agreed hesitantly. "But I don't want to look through two months of other events either. I just want bazaars!"

That's when I asked her to scroll down to the Search Categories on the same page.

"I'm there," she said. "Now what?"

"Put a check mark at the Bazaars/Arts & Crafts category," I instructed, "and then click on the 'begin search,' button underneath!"

There was a moment of silence and heavy breathing, as if she was preparing to blast me if my instructions 'failed to produce,' but then a scream of delight!

"I can't believe it, there is a HUGE list of bazaars right there on my ... wait that's the one I was looking for, ... and oh there's another one, I didn't even think they were doing anything ... and the dates and times, ... Wow! How great!"

... Click ... the line went dead ... happiness ensued!

As I said, easy as 1 ... 2 ... 3!

Happy Bazaaring!