What single thing at faire hurls you off into the depths of rage?

[Archer]

It may not excuse the price under discussion but I'd lay a little wager that it gets worse before it gets better . . .

                 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=619XZwtj-fw

       I've given up soft drinks anyway and feel better physically as a result of that choice.   

[LadyDracolich]

No, I have to say that my earlier comment does garner quite a bit of strong emotion from me. As a former professional equestrian, it does anger me when I see so-called "professionals" demonstrating poor riding skill and horsemanship. Just because you are a rennie with a draft horse and lance does NOT mean you are a qualified professional equestrian worthy of demonstrating something as dangerous and requiring of skill as jousting. You not only endanger your life and someone else's, but that of your horse who is too good natured to tell you what a moron you really are. I have seen great jousting and riding skill on the faire circuit, but I have seen more idiots in armor and on a horse than I care to count. I wish faire management would realize this as it happens at one of my favorite faires in the NE.

And, should you question my fervor on this subject, you only need ask Lady Mikayla. She refuses to watch any joust with me... Though I generally refrain from watching any jousters other than the Knights of Valour or Patrick Lambke.  

[irish]

well.....for me it is.....
UNCONTROLED children! good, gawd!
i have seen children hit, kick, climb on and are just mouthy, towards actors at faire. where are the parents? WATCHING!
makes my blood boil! and yes, i have corrected a child, softly to stop. if they don't the first time, i will say it again, firmer.
i have stopped to chat with a parent, pretending i did not know it was their child with these words....."can you believe that? i wonder where the parents are of that brat? that kid should be taught some manners!"
then i smile and walk away. it usually 'nips it in the bud'....

[Merlin the Elder]

I like your style, Irish! 

[Archer]

Something in the way of information/thoughts for those who complain (or have negative reactions) about child behaviors. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa3Dp5AmKSM

[DT_Masters]

Just lightening the mood round here ...

Do they even sell cowboy boots in NY and MD?  LOL!  Some folks have to choose the least of evil in garb ... what do you wear on your feet with a kilt if you don't have gillies or ren boots?  I guess I'm just so happy to see a man in a kilt I barely notice what he's got on his feet.  Much like you probably wouldn't notice the elastic in my polyseter chemise.    LOL!

   

I'll address this one alone.

One of my favorite pairs of boots, in fact probably my first pair of cowboy boots, were suede. I wore them for many years, got lots of compliments on them.........and bought them at a store in Boston, Mass.

[DT_Masters]

Now to the topic.

I generally don't get angry at faires, have rarely left one feeling bad. About the only one was where I had a difference of opinion, badly stated, with another person.....so one learns to keep their opinions to them self.

HOWEVER, the other night I was at a belly dancing show and it did bug me that I could hear the man talking to his date a table or so behind me, over the performance. If one is going to be at a show, show some respect for the performer.

Years ago, I saw a man get up and head toward "Sholo", on stage, in a possible confrontation. That's never good but "Sholo" handled it professionally.

The other little things? Cell phones? Not too crazy about them but learned to live with them. Further, even if the person is in garb, one should recognize that some of us are more into it than others and that we should not lessen those who are not. Of course, it can get difficult and it is slightly irritating, but really, very slightly, when you have to break character to get a point across. A few years ago, someone complimented me on my camera and I immediately responded in the cover story, about the strange device that the gypsies gave me when I traveled with them................and confused my complimenter. Again, however, such is something of an occupational risk.

Star Wars, Star Trek, or even Clockwork Orange? Yes, it is out of place, but in keeping the faires going, tolerated. We want people to come to the faires, have fun, ....spend money. We don't want to shoot ourselves in the foot by being very strict on appearances.

Of course, Star Wars figures are much easier to deal with if you look at them with an eye of the era. He's not a storm trooper, but just a knight with very expensive, fancy armor.

On taking pictures. I rarely ask in "open air" and follow the legal protocols in that the focal point is where a reasonable person has no expectacy of privacy, they are not profit, not for advertising, nor displayed in a way insulting to the person. If I see someone turn away from the camera, I turn away from them. I rarely take sole cleavage or bum shots and in those times when it might appear that I am, those shots are not displayed. (Those are "intelligence shots" where I'm capturing a detail of the costume or of a performer for future recognition.) My style of photography is to get the face and most of the person. Admittedly, cleavage shots do occur, but that's more of the subject matter than the focal point of the shot.

I switch off the camera when I enter a shop, in respect to the vendor, and do not take shots of items in the shop although if a suitable picture occurs in passing, I might try to get it shooting out from the shop. That just depends. Shots of Danes are not high on the list, but they can occur depending on the situation, such as how they are reacting to a joust, that springy "ride",  ......or on occassion, they want me to get shots of them.

Which comes to something of a point. How much is one selling the "industry"? I'm not an employee of any festival but when people come up to me asking directions, I try to be helpful. Some come to me about the whip or the ren shirt and I've tried to provide them with the information they wanted. I've even provided a brief cover story for that Black Knight known as Darth when a Dane said he was out of place..............warp coil accident.

[Merlin the Elder]

I cannot imagine anyone in their right mind confronting Sholo. The only thing I can think of that I'd be brave enough to call him is "Sir." He is actually a quite delightful person when out of his character.

[daggrim]

Hey Dinobabe, the same thing happened to me as a toddler, and I still have a small scar on my face many decades later.  I got nailed by another dog as an adult, too.  I'm not really afraid of dogs, but I almost always take a defensive posture around a strange dog, automatically.  I often carry an umbrella on my walks, and when hiking in the countryside, or the wilderness, I always arm myself with a stick, first thing.  I like dogs, but only after I know I can trust them.
Daggrim

[daggrim]

Irish...very smooth move. 

[raevyncait]

I cannot imagine anyone in their right mind confronting Sholo. The only thing I can think of that I'd be brave enough to call him is "Sir." He is actually a quite delightful person when out of his character.

He is indeed a delightful person out of character. 

I happened to be in the vicinity one afternoon at a pub where he performed once a day on a very small stage, that required him to set up his own speaker for his wireless microphone.  There were several women sitting on the edge of the stage, on the side, when he arrived. He said to them, nicely, something to the effect of "In about 2 minutes I'm going have to set up for my show on this stage, and will need you to move please."  Well, they took HUGE offense and mouthed off about "what if we don't move", to which he responded with "I could have Security remove you". They continued to get more and more belligerant, and louder as he walked around to the front of the stage and started setting up. When he refused to be drawn in further, they stormed off. About 10 minutes into the show (generally about a half hour, ending a few minutes before the next act arrives to do their own set up), Management showed up & called him off the stage to attend to "an emergency".  Those of us in attendance were ASTOUNDED, and when he returned there were a great many offers of "we saw what happened, we will write letters to mgmt in support of what really happened."  He was very appreciative of the support, and asked that we not do anything until he heard further from mgmt.  When I spoke with him the next day, everything had been handled and it was no longer a problem. It just astounds me what idiots will do! AND while I realize that I know the teddy bear that's underneath that "Nubian Warrior" exterior, if I were to encounter a similarly clad STAGE ACT, I would certainly, even in my most inebriated state of mind, know that being told that the stage on which I'm sitting was about to be prepared for his show was NOT A THREAT TO MY SAFETY, but rather a warning that it was not the best choice for seating.

[Merlin the Elder]

I'm reasonably sure I know of the stage you speak... Pardon the off-topic—I  realize that never happens on this forum—but this past season at Sherwood, we had the pleasure of finally seeing his stage show and THOROUGHLY enjoyed it! So when we got to Scarby, we took our friends to see his show. I got Sholo to include Nim in his act. He saved her for last and stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her and picked her up.  Nim has chronic back problems, and I owe Sholo for the "treatment" as she was pain-free for several weeks after that.

[Archer]

lol, what is up with that ? You do not seem to be actually "hurling off into the depths of rage" brother Merlin.  Free back treatments are a good thing.  

[Merlin the Elder]

It's okay, Archer. You'll get a chance to enjoy Sholo next April! You need "rage?" I don't like bad folks dissin' the good ones. Sholo is a good one. 

[Archer]

Excellent.  New experiences to look forward to, that is if Texas doesn't turn to a cinder 'afore we get there.   

MrHyde's pictures looked like they needed a volunteer bucket brigade, without any who were being "hurled into the depths of rage", that is.