Third Weekend of Faire

[Capt. Morgan]

Weather Report:

A few showers early with scattered thunderstorms arriving by the afternoon. High 83F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

So, all you guys out there with armor on, wear your Lightening Rod on your helm!

(Hmmm....I wonder if the Shire will be absent of children this weekend...all tucked away at home reading Harry Potter...The Gods know if it wasn't Faire Season, that's what I'D be doing!!!)

Roman Weekend eh?

*walks away shaking her head*

I never did like the Romans...but that is a long story...

[Lady Catharine]

**wears bed sheet**

**Hail Caesar**Beats breast..

***now where did I put that other toga?***

[Lady Catharine]

Muirgen, enlighten me, how were Roman's treating you this fair den?

For I shall see on the morrow!

[Sir Trevor]

Man.
Today was really hot and muggie.
Very uncomfortable.

Saw several cast members in the first aid tent throughout the day.

Was great to see Peter and Christy, and to have a chance to talk to them.

Eric even showed up today!

Did I mention how hot it was?

Eventually the rain came. Sometime around 4:30.
Really cooled things off. Also emptied out most of the shire

After that though, things got really crazy and fun!

Bardic Wind did their whole show in a huge downpour. It was awesome.
The cast did all kinds of crazy stuff in the rain and mud.
At one point, there was even a human bridge across a large wet area just down from the town square.

Pub sing was pretty crazy as well.
Zoltan's moose song was quite the interesting bit.
As well as Gibbon's and Axel's birthday song exchanges.

Overall, pretty miserable early in the day, but tons of fun at the end.

[DunedainRanger]

Now it is time for our 30 day check-up.

I've seen enough, have you?

I hear a lot of people jumping up and saying how much fun they're having, and how good everything is. Is it? Or are your eyes simly filled with the favored images of those you love and know?

I see empty joust audiences, long stretches of once filled lanes now with only a few vendors. A mud show no longer packed to capacity, streets with less than a dozen people wandering them.

I hear families talk about leaving early because they saw everything already?

Who is viewing this objectively? I see friends, too. I spend a great deal of time with them. I could spend the whole day with those handful of people enjoying the absence a year made, and miss the emptiness of the streets around me.

I witnessed a celtic weekend with less people attending than opening weekend last year.

What, past the vail of your favorite acts and close friends whom you haven't seen for a year, have you seen that has made this year worth the price of admission?

I ask this honestly - it is not an attempt at sarcasm. Becuase I think I must have missed something. It truly came to mind when last Saturday I walked from the chess board to the Stumble Inn and saw only one cast member, only a handful of guests visiting booths, and only one show running on a stage.

As long as all of you are satisfied with paying through the nose for the opportunity to hang out with a few friends you could have arranged a meeting with at the local restaurant, then I would have to say this year is so far a success.

But for me, I feel as if I have been robbed. There's nothing for me to do. I've visited all the vendors more times than I can count, and seen all of the shows. The only left is to see the two odd feature acts that come in, and that only gives me about 4 hours of new entertainment the whole weekend.

Please correct me if you think that I have judged harshly, but I think the check-up has come back with the diagnosis of terminal cancer. This faire is dying. If it weren't for Owain Phyfe, I would not bother coming back. Sorry if this is too negative for you - I think everybody needs a little dose of reality now and then, though, don't you?

Oh, I didn't even mention the cheap carnival games you see regularly at small town community festivals - the kind that you can't really win at - or the lack of anything remotely exciting to do outside fairyland. Even that, no matter how well done, will begin to bore a child after a few days. Where are the rides? Why didn't someone try to find a replacement for them? Sad.

I looked at the pictures of that Virginia Festival that had passed on, and that's the future I now see for this faire. Maybe it would explain why Richard hasn't chosen to write any further in his story - becuase Avaloch is lost. And I so enjoyed to read what his heroes would do next to thwart the slimy villains each day.

Too bad. I really loved coming here. Maybe they can find the cure for this malady sometime in the next year. Dame Judith, taking sides doesn't matter when one has lost and the other is dying.

I shall see you all next weekend then. I look forward to spending some time with The Spoiled Vixen crew. I hear they party well.

[Sir Trevor]

You bring up some good points.
Yes attendance is down. And that worries me. If there aren't people there spending money, then people aren't making money. If they don't make money, they won't be back.
We are already thin on vendors as it is.
And I don't even want to think about what would happen if the acts aren't making enough to survive.

But as to your question about fun, I'm having tons of it.
I still can't get half of what I want to do done in a day.
There are still shows I want to see. I have lots of rat pucking left to do. Sword school lessons each day. The themed acts to check out. Even trying to get those things squeezed into a day is hard for me. I can't walk for long without running into someone I want to talk to, or who wants to talk to me.
So I can honestly say I am having a blast.
Sure a lot of that is because I know tons of people there. Mainly because of my personality type. I don't wait for fun to find me. I go looking for it, or make my own.

[Kit]

We too are not all happy with this years faire. Lose the carnival games!!! And the lack of new vendors to spend my money on was even more depressing. I still hate the faire bucks. It's a total hassel and friends who attended for the first time with us purchased a mimimum so they would not be stuck with them after the days festivities. Celtic weekend was a total let down. One piper band? How about some other celtic acts. There are many celtic dance troupes and acts in the northern Ohio area that would gladly come out and perform for FREE! (Oh, but they might bring NEW people to the faire, and we wouldn't want that).
We have been attending for a number of years, costumed every year, and still almost no one stops to talk. It seems that there is a small inner circle of people who converse, but if you don't know them, they won't bother with you. (Or are we just too old for them?)
We love going to faire every year, but the last two years have been disappointing. Please do something to bring back the faire we love.
Sir Ronald - humble servent of Lady Kit

[Sir Trevor]

I do know they tried to get some celtic dance troupes.
Seems there are a lot of competitions this time of the year, so most are busy doing those.

We have been attending for a number of years, costumed every year, and still almost no one stops to talk. It seems that there is a small inner circle of people who converse, but if you don't know them, they won't bother with you. (Or are we just too old for them?)

I don't know about that.
Have you ever tried initiating contact?
I know, you shouldn't have to. But it is worth a try.

I think sometimes the cast aren't as quick to interact with garbed paytrons.

[Capt. Morgan]

kit said:

We have been attending for a number of years, costumed every year, and still almost no one stops to talk. It seems that there is a small inner circle of people who converse, but if you don't know them, they won't bother with you. (Or are we just too old for them?)

Too old?? Nay! I'm sure I've got a few years over you (Immortal wise! ) but by wearing garb you already establish a connection with anyone else in garb so step up and talk! Comment on garb, swords, jewlery, hats, rats...anything and you will find that Playtrons and Cast are more than willing to engage you in conversation! If you do come again (and I hope you will!) stop by the Drift Inn and say "Hi!" (It is our Main Base of Operation! and a great place to hang when it rains!)

Now...if we really want to talk about changes...I think the Pubs should have additional roofing that extends out from the Pub to cover the seating...that way, if it rains, the performers could still perform and patrons won't have to run for cover or just leave the Faire all together! Anything that can extend a show during a downpour, that keeps patrons and performers dry and that can help in the sale of food and drink would be benifical...would it not?

[Lady Catharine]

[flatlander]

Ahhh, for me the whole third week was great! I haven't seen Gibbon the Troubadour in years and that was worth the weekend. And, yes, his cd is with it's cost.

Things I don't like tho:

1. The funny money
2. The lack of new vendors/preformers
3. The increase in the games of chance

...Flatlander

[Sir Trevor]

I bet you really liked seeing Gibbon and Axel perform together then.

[bridget2284]

well I can tell you from the "new vendor" side that there was a serious lack of communication on the faire's part. If I had not had my heart set on working this faire, I would have given up trying to make contact back in
february. there was no one in the office to return emails, phone calls or snailmail until JUNE. for most vendors, that's too late to book a show for JULY.
I dont know if this is the norm, but if it is, I can see why so many vendors are leaving, left, or dont come in new.

[Hephzibah]

To start off from the get-go it WAS nice to see that the carousal was running this weekend for me. The past weekends I have heard alot of children wanting to go on it and the disappointment from it not running. Good job there

The weather was Ohio all the way. YUCKKKKKK Hot,humid, rain,hotter,more humid

And Axel and Gibbon together again ahhhhh........tonight was pure enjoyment, but I agree that a covering from the pubs to over the seating would defiantly help the faire

[Sir Trevor]

Yes, I talked to a few people about that, and all thought it would be a great way to keep paytrons in the shire.
They would have shelter from the rain, entertainment, food and drink available.
Then when the rain quit they could walk about the rest of the shire again.

About the only drawback I could see would illumination.
Trying to keep it bright enough to enjoy the show, while keeping the lighting looking perios would be tough one to pull off.