Camping @ TRF

[SirRichardBear]

Coleman stye cooking and lanterns are allowed at least the last time I check the restrictions posted

[THELADYKAT]

Awesome cause I would like to be able to cook some food for my little one this weekend.

another ? to put out there does anyone have a microwave that I could use to heat up some food for the baby too?

[raevyncait]

Opening weekend the restriction was PROPANE fueled only grills & stoves. I would say check with faire before hauling a bunch of coleman stuff that isn't propane-fueled, just in case.

[xed]

No, inferring that anyone who does not appreciate techno music at all hours, or loud generators, or obnoxious looped up teens, should just move over to quiet family camping, is basically saying, punish the responsible people by putting them a mile away from everyone else, next to a railroad.
[Note: All distances exaggerated while making a point]

I never said anyone who doesnt like ravers should move to family camping.  The point that I was attempting to make is that it is not anyone elses responsibility to convince (the royal) you that he/she should camp anywhere/at all.  There are places to camp that are away from the ravers, if you want to.  If you DON'T want to put forth the effort to camp someplace where you won't be bothered, you are better off not going in the first place.

The things we deal with at camp are annoying at times, but there is always a silver lining if you WANT to look for it.

[Fenster]

I never said anyone who doesnt like ravers should move to family camping.  The point that I was attempting to make is that it is not anyone elses responsibility to convince (the royal) you that he/she should camp anywhere/at all.  There are places to camp that are away from the ravers, if you want to.  If you DON'T want to put forth the effort to camp someplace where you won't be bothered, you are better off not going in the first place.

The things we deal with at camp are annoying at times, but there is always a silver lining if you WANT to look for it.

There was nowhere that was not affected by the loud music on Saturday night.  Participants and shop owners that sleep in their shops were kept awake by that music.  The real question is why do the "ravers" feel the need to camp out at TRF?  Most likely because it's the only place that hasn't kicked them out yet.  If they tried to pull that crap at a KOA or a state or national park they'd be shut down, thrown out, or arrested. It all comes down to common decency and respect for others.  If they want to stay up and party all night fine, but doing so at the expense of others is plain wrong.

[batninja]

I've found that earplugs when sleeping go a long way.  Interestingly enough, I could still hear the 'thump-thump-thump' of the REAL drums at the fire circle over the raver music on their cheap car speakers.   

I slept like a baby. 

[ravic]

The music was heard for up to two miles away, which means that neighborhoods that have no part of TRF where affected.

[Fenster]

Checking the TRF FB page there seems to be a company DJ? that's been advertising huge partys at the campgrounds.  TRF says they are aware and on top of it....

[Breandan]

The music was heard for up to two miles away, which means that neighborhoods that have no part of TRF where affected.

Not to mention that in the twenty years I have worked at faire, I have only run into these problems over the last five or so. It's not about the parties, it's about camping with my friends and NOT having to get into a use of force where I have to hand a cuffed jackass over to local LEOs because he came into OUR camp and assaulted people. I have a pregnant wife and kid, if I am going to camp it is going to be with my friends, not the backside of nowhere. If I feel that the environment is too dangerous for my family- which I am still up in the air on- then I will not camp there, period. The campground is not some inner-city hellhole, and I wouldn't even attend TRF at all if it were that bad, but it is a HELL of a lot worse than it was for the first decade and some change that I have been out there. My challenge was both to see where the safe spots are this year, and to give a wake-up call to the utopian-minded.

When I voice my concerns, I am not talking out of my keester or bytching and whining pointlessly here. In the last few years I have broken up several fights, fended off aggressive drunks looking to start fights with innocent campers, intervened in two attempted rapes, literally carried several drunken/drugged women I found lying by the fire circle or in dark corners of the camp to the officers out there, or to their camps if I knew them, bandaged up one stab wound, tended to three victims of alcohol poisoning, carried a drugged and half-conscious woman back into patrons with her boyfriend's help, and- along with Fraser and a few others- scared off several potential thieves who were casing camps. I have had to hand over or point out and ID a half-dozen punks to the LEOs over the past few years, and it is getting damned frustrating. I come to faire to relax, not work. Those who say "I've never seen or had anything happen to me, I don't see what the big deal is" are- intentionally or not- flippantly dismissing those of us who HAVE had issues out there, often repeatedly. Its great that those folks have dodged the bullet, but a lot of others haven't. Please do not denigrate our experiences simply because you have been lucky and not endured them yourselves.

I have also been vocal about the solutions- increase security and actually make them do their jobs, fire any of the mooching LEOs that are soaking up ED pay and sitting on their butts, file a complaint with their department, and replace them with someone who actually wants to be there and earn their keep. Move the fire circle to a more detached and easily-monitored location, away from the campers. Have an excessive noise curfew kick in around 2300-midnight, and actually enforce it. I want the LEOs to be proactive in patrols, not reactive, and when someone comes to them with an issue for them to have some iota of professionalism and not sit on their overpaid butts saying something like "That's just faire, deal with it." Likewise, as in the case of opening weekend this year, when you see four men wrestling to pin down a naked drug-crazed assailant who has assaulted a half dozen men, women and children and bitten several of them, GET OFF YOUR @#$%*ING ARSE AND DO YOUR JOB! I still cannot BELIEVE that officer just sat there letting civilians engage in a use of force while he looked on. People like him are the kind of officers I hate working with.

Counterpoint to the bad, however, I freely admit there is some good- the camping clans do their best to keep things orderly, and take care of each other. For those lucky enough to belong to one, you have a cadre of friends who are- for me at least- 90% of why I still go to TRF these days. They are not immune to the predations of asshattery, but they do their best to keep each other safe. I voice my concerns because they are the things that need to be fixed. It is not all doom-and-gloom out there, and I don't want it to continue any downward trends that would take it to that level. Hence why I am raising hell about it- to encourage Terre to put pressure where he can to get solutions in place.

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

I can understand your frustration, Brother and i'm not trying to be flipant about the troubles.  You've been out there a lot longer than i have and seen a hellva lot more than i.  I'm not sure why some of the clans, that have families with them, camp so close to the Fire Circle.  It's a magnet to the trashed and being trashed they'll stomp right through whatever camp is in their way.  My first year, I couldn't relax because of all the border jumpers... escorted at least 20 out of McLot.  None were surly but a 6'4" scowling Scot, with a Blackthorn in hand, tended to moderate ones attitude.  I'm glad that my friends in McShuggenah decided to take in a pair of strays... nice and quiet and only one malcontent, last year, that scurried off when i swung up my Trench Hawk and yelled " WHO MESSING WITH MEGAN!!" 

*no one messes with my fairemily * 

[Riot]

I can understand your frustration, Brother and i'm not trying to be flipant about the troubles.  You've been out there a lot longer than i have and seen a hellva lot more than i.  I'm not sure why some of the clans, that have families with them, camp so close to the Fire Circle.  It's a magnet to the trashed and being trashed they'll stomp right through whatever camp is in their way.  My first year, I couldn't relax because of all the border jumpers... escorted at least 20 out of McLot.  None were surly but a 6'4" scowling Scot, with a Blackthorn in hand, tended to moderate ones attitude.  I'm glad that my friends in McShuggenah decided to take in a pair of strays... nice and quiet and only one malcontent, last year, that scurried off when i swung up my Trench Hawk and yelled " WHO MESSING WITH MEGAN!!" 

*no one messes with my fairemily * 

I remember that..

[eloquentXI]

I can understand your frustration, Brother and i'm not trying to be flipant about the troubles.  You've been out there a lot longer than i have and seen a hellva lot more than i.  I'm not sure why some of the clans, that have families with them, camp so close to the Fire Circle.  It's a magnet to the trashed and being trashed they'll stomp right through whatever camp is in their way.  My first year, I couldn't relax because of all the border jumpers... escorted at least 20 out of McLot.  None were surly but a 6'4" scowling Scot, with a Blackthorn in hand, tended to moderate ones attitude.  I'm glad that my friends in McShuggenah decided to take in a pair of strays... nice and quiet and only one malcontent, last year, that scurried off when i swung up my Trench Hawk and yelled " WHO MESSING WITH MEGAN!!" 

*no one messes with my fairemily * 

The a$$hat didn't leave when I said that he needed to because I didn't want him there. He was giving me the creeps and he wasn't backing off when I was being obviously protectant of Katy...

[Glaodian]

I can understand your frustration, Brother and i'm not trying to be flipant about the troubles.  You've been out there a lot longer than i have and seen a hellva lot more than i.  I'm not sure why some of the clans, that have families with them, camp so close to the Fire Circle.  It's a magnet to the trashed and being trashed they'll stomp right through whatever camp is in their way.  My first year, I couldn't relax because of all the border jumpers... escorted at least 20 out of McLot.  None were surly but a 6'4" scowling Scot, with a Blackthorn in hand, tended to moderate ones attitude.  I'm glad that my friends in McShuggenah decided to take in a pair of strays... nice and quiet and only one malcontent, last year, that scurried off when i swung up my Trench Hawk and yelled " WHO MESSING WITH MEGAN!!" 

*no one messes with my fairemily * 

Maybe I can bring a mortar tube with me when I camp with PR in November.  Then you can be my forward observer.   

[Rani Zemirah]

I can understand your frustration, Brother and i'm not trying to be flipant about the troubles.  You've been out there a lot longer than i have and seen a hellva lot more than i.  I'm not sure why some of the clans, that have families with them, camp so close to the Fire Circle.  It's a magnet to the trashed and being trashed they'll stomp right through whatever camp is in their way.  My first year, I couldn't relax because of all the border jumpers... escorted at least 20 out of McLot.  None were surly but a 6'4" scowling Scot, with a Blackthorn in hand, tended to moderate ones attitude.  I'm glad that my friends in McShuggenah decided to take in a pair of strays... nice and quiet and only one malcontent, last year, that scurried off when i swung up my Trench Hawk and yelled " WHO MESSING WITH MEGAN!!" 

*no one messes with my fairemily * 

Maybe I can bring a mortar tube with me when I camp with PR in November.  Then you can be my forward observer.   

Hey, no fireworks in camp!!!   

[Glaodian]

No fire required.  Just hang....and drop.