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

[Keno]

Becoming a nursery.. I love kids but please ask me first before leaving me the baby to do what you want.  I understand some rennies have to perform, I'm good with that but if you just leave the baby with me just cause you want to go drink I'm going to be upset..

Oh man,  I hope you set them straight on that,  it's not a habit you want to encourage.
   Unless the person is a relative, I don't do babysitting, period.   And then only on very rare occasions, like privy breaks or some other emergency.
If they don't want the kids along, they need to leave them home.

My little ones call me crazy.  I remember one year.  A blond renni heard I "steal" kids and care for them.  She came up with her three month old baby and asked me to steal her for abit so she can work.  I said ok.  She didn't have work.. she went to drink the whole time and I didn't know til after the weekend was done.  Here is me being crazy part.  I waited til 11pm before just packing up and took the kid home with me.  I stopped for cloth covers and baby drink before home.  No one at my home even batted a eye at me bring home a 3 month old baby.  We took a bath, fed, and went to bed.  7am and back to faire.  She still didn't even come back for the baby.. Someone saying they were her sister came back for the little one.  Safe to say I didn't see her again.  I think I would of killed her for leaving her kid behind.

[PollyPoPo]

My little ones  ... she went to drink ...   I waited til 11pm  ... She still didn't even come back for the baby...

That's what Child Protective Services (or Social Services or whatever the name is in the area) is for.  The parental unit lied about why she wanted someone to care for the child, did not return in a reasonable time, then sent someone unknown to the unsuspecting caregiver to pick the kid up???   

Legal ramifications all around for everyone, especially the caregiver. 

Not to even think about the potential danger to the child when parental unit wants to go drinking again.   

[Rowan MacD]

My little ones  ... she went to drink ...   I waited til 11pm  ... She still didn't even come back for the baby...

That's what Child Protective Services (or Social Services or whatever the name is in the area) is for.  The parental unit lied about why she wanted someone to care for the child, did not return in a reasonable time, then sent someone unknown to the unsuspecting caregiver to pick the kid up???   

Legal ramifications all around for everyone, especially the caregiver. 

Not to even think about the potential danger to the child when parental unit wants to go drinking again.   

^^That^^.  I would have called the cops about the time I was ready to leave, and definitely by the next morning.   A parent like that doesn't need to have kids.

   Way back when I was much younger-I lived near a racetrack in Spokane, Wa.  It was a bad part of town, but we were poor.
   I was used to people parking on my street since we were the nearest free parking for the racetrack, which charged a buck for all day.
   The state welfare checks were issued on the first day of the month back then, and we were usually parked solid by 10AM on the first Saturday of the month.
   I was out watering the lawn in front of my duplex on one such morning.
   A woman pulls up in a station wagon and parks in front of my house.    She was maybe late twenties and had 5 kids in the car.  The youngest was about 2, oldest maybe 7-8.  It was a warm day.   
   This woman calmly gets out of her car, hooks her purse on her shoulder and starts to walk off toward the track.  Concerned about kids in a hot car ( I had a 3 year old daughter of my own) I asked her where she was headed. 
   She then asks me, a perfect stranger, to keep an eye on her kids, and that she would be back in a' couple of hours'.
   Not waiting to get an answer, she starts to trot off toward the track again.
   I yelled after her to tell her to pick up her kids at the police station.
   She kept walking like she hadn't heard me, so I laid the hose down and went into the house (no cell phones back then).   I waited for a moment to make the call,  to see if she was actually going to leave her kids there.
   Seriously, the woman walked to the end of the block before her common sense overrode her need to gamble.   She got back into her car and drove off, loudly cursing, kids still in the back seat.

   
   
   
 
   
   

[GryffinSong]

You guys are scaring me to death! This is my first year vending, and there is no way I'll babysit kids in my booth! The fear of people putting greasy fingers all over my art quilts is making me quiver. I'm planning to set up tables in front of the display wall in hopes that at least little ones won't be able to reach.

As for rage ... smoking. Anywhere, anytime, unless its VERY far away. Sorry, smokers, but we all spend tons of time, money, and creative energy on our garb and our art or craft. The risk of fire or smoky odor in my work or my clothing is very, frustrating. Not to mention that I'm allergic to it, but quite frankly that's the least of my worries when months of work is at risk.

[Keno]

My little ones  ... she went to drink ...   I waited til 11pm  ... She still didn't even come back for the baby...

That's what Child Protective Services (or Social Services or whatever the name is in the area) is for.  The parental unit lied about why she wanted someone to care for the child, did not return in a reasonable time, then sent someone unknown to the unsuspecting caregiver to pick the kid up???   

Legal ramifications all around for everyone, especially the caregiver. 

Not to even think about the potential danger to the child when parental unit wants to go drinking again.   

^^That^^.  I would have called the cops about the time I was ready to leave, and definitely by the next morning.   A parent like that doesn't need to have kids.

   Way back when I was much younger-I lived near a racetrack in Spokane, Wa.  It was a bad part of town, but we were poor.
   I was used to people parking on my street since we were the nearest free parking for the racetrack, which charged a buck for all day.
   The state welfare checks were issued on the first day of the month back then, and we were usually parked solid by 10AM on the first Saturday of the month.
   I was out watering the lawn in front of my duplex on one such morning.
   A woman pulls up in a station wagon and parks in front of my house.    She was maybe late twenties and had 5 kids in the car.  The youngest was about 2, oldest maybe 7-8.  It was a warm day.   
   This woman calmly gets out of her car, hooks her purse on her shoulder and starts to walk off toward the track.  Concerned about kids in a hot car ( I had a 3 year old daughter of my own) I asked her where she was headed. 
   She then asks me, a perfect stranger, to keep an eye on her kids, and that she would be back in a' couple of hours'.
   Not waiting to get an answer, she starts to trot off toward the track again.
   I yelled after her to tell her to pick up her kids at the police station.
   She kept walking like she hadn't heard me, so I laid the hose down and went into the house (no cell phones back then).   I waited for a moment to make the call,  to see if she was actually going to leave her kids there.
   Seriously, the woman walked to the end of the block before her common sense overrode her need to gamble.   She got back into her car and drove off, loudly cursing, kids still in the back seat.

Sadly where I lived I pick the better option.  Child services will not show up for two weeks even for a lost child and cops will not come unless the child had been left on its own for two days.  Also if you call child services and they do show up and you don't have the kid they will call the cops on you for hindering their work.  I also copied all the woman that picked up the kid info on her cards and a working phone number.  Also had a friend take a picture of her if we had cops come by.  Its the best I could do with my young age.

[PollyPoPo]

Sorry, Keno, for your experience and how authorities would fail you in this instance. 

I'm in Texas. In the San Antonio metro area, Child Protective Services takes their job seriously.   

Most commercial day-care facilities have a set time for kids to be picked up.  If they are not, then the day care calls CPS and the children are taken into the system.  Same thing goes for schools where parents are supposed to pick kids up in after-school care.

Kids left alone in a car without parental unit close by will also go to CPS and the parental unit(s) won't be picking them up at the police station - they'd be picked up by the police and charged.  Little ones in a hot car?  It only takes about 10 minutes for temperature to get above 120 on a 90 degree day outside.  A few more minutes brain damage and not too long after it's death, the younger they are, the faster they go. 

If kids are left alone, nobody may know for a while, but if a neighbor calls about kids alone in a house, cops are all over it.

Oh, yeah, I use the term parental unit because what I would really like to call these creatures would be zapped out by internet censorship programs.   Notice they never ask you to watch their purse or iPod or whatever, but think nothing of leaving a kid with someone and not even know their last name.

[Rowan MacD]

  Yeah Polly,
  The system has gotten a lot more proactive in protecting kids since the 70's -80's, and in some (albeit isolated) cases, it's a bit overzealous.
    In the 70's, It seemed to me it was a lot harder to get someone in trouble with CPS (in it's vestigial stages back then) and then only if there was criminal activity involved. 
    Back then, it was easier for repeat offenders to lose their kids for good too.  There was none of the 'they're better off being beaten to death by mommas BF; than quickly adopted to another family' mentality we have now.    It seems that no matter how careless, neglectful or brutal the 'natural' parents are, they hold all the cards.  The system will nearly always opt to leave the kids with them; and as long as that kid represents a paycheck, this kind of parent will choose that over the well being of their children any time.   


Back to the regular programing:
  About kids and soiling garb....
   I really wish that some parents would not give the 3-4 year old a vending cup of very sugary technicolor punch or strawberry lemonade with or without a lid to carry around; they nearly always find a skirt or shoes to drop it on or near.
   A non kid-friendly cup like that is too large for a small child to manage, and the plastic sweats, causing it to slip out of their grip.
    A pet peeve we have with our lone lemonade vendor, is they  offer their drinks in one size only, never offer lids and load the cups with ice, which they charge $3.00-$4.00 bucks for.  They give a dollar discount if you bring the cup back.
   Many little ones will ignore a straw and try to drink from the rim, spilling it all over themselves and anyone nearby.  Silk spots and stains like the dickens.
   

[jackrocks]

You guys are scaring me to death! This is my first year vending, and there is no way I'll babysit kids in my booth! The fear of people putting greasy fingers all over my art quilts is making me quiver. I'm planning to set up tables in front of the display wall in hopes that at least little ones won't be able to reach.

As for rage ... smoking. Anywhere, anytime, unless its VERY far away. Sorry, smokers, but we all spend tons of time, money, and creative energy on our garb and our art or craft. The risk of fire or smoky odor in my work or my clothing is very, frustrating. Not to mention that I'm allergic to it, but quite frankly that's the least of my worries when months of work is at risk.

Me too! It's my first year and while I love children -- and have four of my own I will be taking with me -- I am not about babysitting.
I am paying my fee to hawk my wares, dress up, stare at other peoples garb, and watch pirates sword fight. If I wanted to babysit, I would hand a sign in the local grocery advertising that and stay home!

[Serenity]

You guys are scaring me to death! This is my first year vending, and there is no way I'll babysit kids in my booth! The fear of people putting greasy fingers all over my art quilts is making me quiver. I'm planning to set up tables in front of the display wall in hopes that at least little ones won't be able to reach.

As for rage ... smoking. Anywhere, anytime, unless its VERY far away. Sorry, smokers, but we all spend tons of time, money, and creative energy on our garb and our art or craft. The risk of fire or smoky odor in my work or my clothing is very, frustrating. Not to mention that I'm allergic to it, but quite frankly that's the least of my worries when months of work is at risk.

Well, Gryffin, I am sorry to say you just lost my business before you even got to my home faire.  I am one of those smokers you detest so much.  And as a smoker, I put just as much time, energy, and money into my garb.  It's insulting for you to say that just because I am a smoker, that I don't.  I realize I may start a war by saying this, but I am tired of smokers being treated like second class citizens.  I am respectful of those with allergies.  I don't smoke in the shows.  I realize there are people who are not, but do not judge an entire group by the actions of a few.

[Rowan MacD]

   Serenity, most smokers (of which I am an ex) are careful and considerate of others.
   There are a very few who really don't care whom they are bothering, and I'm sure Gryffin speaks mostly of them.
   However, even the most well meaning smokers cannot control where their their effluent is going.  Given an unfavorable wind, even smoking within 30 feet of fabrics can leave a noticeable odor, and some customers are very picky about whether or not their purchase was made (and stored)  in a smoke free environment. 


  Gryffin-Due to that fact that there are precious few places in a Renaissance festival that some sort of incense, wood, grease, pipe or cigar smoke is not present most of the time, you may want to keep your finer quilts and crafts covered in plastic (it keeps them cleaner too) to avoid accidental contamination.   It's just about an unavoidable hazard.   Many a time I have come home from faire, and had to air out my garb because it smelled like a BBQ pit, smokers were the least of my worries.

[Serenity]

   Serenity, most smokers (of which I am an ex) are careful and considerate of others.
   There are a very few who really don't care whom they are bothering, and I'm sure Gryffin speaks mostly of them.
   However, even the most well meaning smokers cannot control where their their effluent is going.  Given an unfavorable wind, even smoking within 30 feet of fabrics can leave a noticeable odor, and some customers are very picky about whether or not their purchase was made (and stored)  in a smoke free environment. 


  Gryffin-Due to that fact that there are precious few places in a Renaissance festival that some sort of incense, wood, grease, pipe or cigar smoke is not present most of the time, you may want to keep your finer quilts and crafts covered in plastic (it keeps them cleaner too) to avoid accidental contamination.   It's just about an unavoidable hazard.   Many a time I have come home from faire, and had to air out my garb because it smelled like a BBQ pit, smokers were the least of my worries.

This.  Thank you, Rowen.  Agree with everything you just said   It was just the tone with which she wrote that bristled me the wrong way.

[GryffinSong]

I'm so sorry my tone sounded like that. I certainly didn't intend it that way. Last year I went to my first faire in many years. I was not vending. I saw a smoker standing with his cigarette about two inches from a stunning gown. I was terrified that her gown was going to light up, and very surprised that the smoker hadn't even noticed. Hopefully that was a rare event, or perhaps he was drunk. I also saw a smoker standing immediately outside the doorway of a garb vendor, with the wind blowing the smoke into her pavilion. I hope that kind of behavior is rare, and I certainly don't hate smokers as people. In fact, I've been known to stop and say "thank you" to smokers who are smoking respectfully, and in areas that don't compromise people's work or garb. I'm putting everything I have into this art career, and things like that smoker who nearly lit up a gown have me very concerned.

Again, I'm certainly sorry if my comment was taken in a spirit of anything but genuine concern based on an observation at a particular faire. I hope I'm worrying over nothing.

[GryffinSong]

  ... There are a very few who really don't care whom they are bothering, and I'm sure Gryffin speaks mostly of them...

Yes, thank you. I'm concerned about the inconsiderate smokers.

Gryffin-Due to that fact that there are precious few places in a Renaissance festival that some sort of incense, wood, grease, pipe or cigar smoke is not present most of the time, you may want to keep your finer quilts and crafts covered in plastic (it keeps them cleaner too) to avoid accidental contamination.   It's just about an unavoidable hazard.   Many a time I have come home from faire, and had to air out my garb because it smelled like a BBQ pit, smokers were the least of my worries.

I did think about BBQ places and asked that my booth be away from the food pavilions. Hadn't thought about incense and such. Well, I'll consider plastic, although that certainly takes away from the renaissance feel. Maybe I should switch to iron work ... not too many worries about smells OR breakage. LOL

[raevyncait]

Smokers in general don't bother me, but inconsiderate smokers absolutely do. As a former smoker, who grew up in a household of smokers, and currently lives with 2 smokers, who do try to NOT blow it in my face, and not smoke within a couple of feet of my bedroom door (which is kept closed), I've become more sensitive since I quit than I was growing up.
I work in a perfume oil booth, which only has access from the outside (i.e. nobody comes inside the booth), and it's very frustrating to me to have smokers blow their smoke AT ME as I'm offering them a cork to sample a scent, and then say "I can't even smell that". I have had potential customers walk away because the smoker was waving his/her cigarette/cigar around, and the non-smoker couldn't get away from it.

It seems to me that common courtesy would dictate not smoking inside a shoppe, or immediately at the entrance.

Also, we are near one of the forges on site, and their smoke drives me crazy as well.

[GryffinSong]

The faire I'm doing doesn't allow smoking inside vendor's tents or immediately outside them. There is also a smoking area, but I'm not sure exactly what that means or where it is. Forge smoke doesn't bother me too much ... its more like a campfire smell, although I haven't vended near one. I imagine that if that smell got into my quilts a customer might not like it. Hard to say at this point. The last three years I've sold my work at greyhound events, and they were mostly no-smoking venues. Our biggest concern was male dogs peeing on our work, so I had to hang stuff above a certain point. 

I suppose there's always something to watch out for at any venue.

Anyway, I'm going to hope for the best regarding odors of any kind, and I'm sure that since I'm worrying about it something else entirely will go wrong.