Update - Today I visited 5 of the 6 shops. Other than the blocks and seeing each shop's completed quilt it was business as usual. No "fun", games, special shop hop deals or snacks of any kind. I enjoyed myself anyway as I got to run away from home for the day and I visited 3 shops that I had never been to before.
Maybe because this is a highly competitive area (lots of LQSs) I found that prices were very favorable with most fabrics (very good quality/brand name) below $8.00 per yard. I came home with 6 yards of fabric, 4 fat quarters, a cone of variegated thread (for the hop's quilt) and another thread. I call that a pretty good day.
In November there is another Shop Hop in the opposite directions...will definitely put that one on my calendar.