comments and critiques of third year sought

[rengypsy]

we are in a constant review and reassessment of the faire, its entertainment, operations, soul and spirit, grounds, etc.

thus, we seek your invaluable input continually.

some things we can handle asap.  some may be addressed as the faire goes along. some still may have to wait until after the faire...

but we want to hear from you.

so, what's fantastic? what's working? what needs improvement? and what just isn't cutting it?

all comments are appreciated

hugs and huzzah!

rengypsy

[ThreeAcreRanch Soaps]

I love that there the Dragon's Kitchen booth down by the joust now!  Makes it very convenient for us vendors in that area!

The new gardens look fantastic

Only complaint is Saxon Moon seems to play to loudly.

[Merlin the Elder]

Well, seems like there was lots of new stuff this year, and I know we didn't get everywhere we wanted to go.

Pathways are the only thing that jumped out at me. They seemed less defined than last year, but that may just be psychological.  It might be helpful to put down additional mulch to define the direction you want to lead the patrons in, and in addition, it would provide additional padding to tired feet.  At least one spot that I saw had a hollow stump (cut pretty flush to the ground) that might could cause a twisted ankle should a small foot step in it.

I might have been better directed to visit all the shoppes had I not felt like I was wandering aimlessly. Does that make any sense?

I did not have a problem with the huge cockleburrs in the parking lot like I did last year. That was good!  I can't honestly say that I have any complaints. The atmosphere of everything is amazing. We brought a total of 4 new visitors in on Saturday, and they totally loved it!

[Hercules]

More "flushie" privies (tired of hearing boss-wench complain!).

Probably more of a vendor's responsibility then the faires' but for those butt-numbing cold days some patio heaters by the tables would be nice.

Entrance gate. I noticed on opening day (i.e. busy days) it tended to get bogged down as lines for tickets and lines to get in started to blend into each other. Entrance gate just seems too small and if the faire gets a high number of visitors it could get nasty crowded.

More choices at the pub for us weekend booze connoisseurs please. (just threw that one in hoping for the best   )  





 

[Zardoz]

Agree with Hercules on the entrance gate, I think as the attendance grows crowding could become an issue there. I think maybe putting a stand alone ticket kiosk out front (like TRF) would be a good plan too, on opening day I heard a lady in mundanes complain that she couldn't find or get up to the ticket window because of the crowd.  The regulars don't care, but it would be a shame if somebody new had a negative attitude about the whole faire because they couldn't get their tickets fast enough . You can never be sure what will set people off, I remember reading some stuff about the Celtic Fest where folks condemmed the whole event because of stuff like some food vendor ran out of shepard's pie before they got one.  

The faire dosen't have control over this, but I wish there was a way to get the county to blacktop Old Potato Road and at least part of old 20. Again this is something that I worry colors peoples first perceptions about the faire, and may be an issue in the future as traffic increases.

Inside the gate, I can't really think of anything I don't like, the setting, entertainers, cast and general feel of the place is why I keep coming back.

[LadyJessica]

Suggestions:

A pathway from Camping to the front gate. ( I really do want to see the gates open wide from that side at least once.    )

At the feast, there were VERY few times that I couldn't hear...oh and salt and pepper on the table would have been nice.

Ummm.....yeah...that's about it!  Thank you, to everyone, for putting on such a wonderful faire!

[Magpie Flynn]

I actually like the bumpy dirt road leading to Sherwood. I'll always remember the first time driving down it, with the canopy of trees over the road. It was like going back in time and I felt it set the stage. It was magic. Silly, I know, but every time I come to Sherwood I look forward to the "time travel" road.

[Merlin the Elder]

Funny, Magpie, but I almost feel the same way. The first time I saw it I thought, "Oh, Jeez!" But it wasn't so bad.  I don't know if it gets treacherous in wet weather, so that would be something to consider. Maybe when the county coffers start filling up with all the revenue that SWFF is generating, they might decide to help out!

The only other thing I can think of at the moment is Transporter service between my house and the front parking area...

[*Teach*]

Smaller souvener mugs (as my Lovely Lady suggested Sunday). We collect them from every faire we go to, every year we go and lately we have sought out the smallest ones possible just because it is getting to be a tight squeeze getting them into the house. Without small ones we may have to stop collecting them just based on space issues.
Road signs of some sort. I spend a lot of time giving directions and it would be far easier if I had something like that to point out to mundanes.
A camping supply store in the camp area. With some minor things like hand warmers, patches for air mattresses, duck tape and propane. Not really a full blown store but something to help out with those annoyances that pop up any time one is camping. It would save a lot of trouble (and possibly lives from traffic) of going out into the weird mundane world when something breaks or something is forgotten.

*Rum. OK, I always end with a rum post but this is a real one. Is there any way to get a liquor license and sell hard liquor without a huge amount of hassle? Possibly stocked with some hard to find things like Ron Zacapa rum or some such as that, not the regular basic stuff that many bring already.*

[*Teach*]

I do also want to point out that I spent all day trying to think of suggestions and this was all I could come up with.
Shows how fantastic our little faire is.

*Rum! It's what's for breakfast!*

[Merlin the Elder]

Teach, thanks for the reminder of one thing: the big beautiful sign would be better placed at the main property entrance rather than the campground entrance, or another big sign.  I knew where the entrance was, but some friends meeting us there did not see the entrance.

[Alerrick Afon Adou]

Better signs and more clear lane area.

[mpullen]

A camping supply store in the camp area. With some minor things like hand warmers, patches for air mattresses, duck tape and propane. Not really a full blown store but something to help out with those annoyances that pop up any time one is camping. It would save a lot of trouble (and possibly lives from traffic) of going out into the weird mundane world when something breaks or something is forgotten.

The Whoop Stop on Highway 21 has a good selection. Just about 3 miles from the faire area. I recommend their sub sandwiches, baby-back ribs, and beef brisket. I believe they give a discount for SWFF Participants. They also have a WiFi hotspot.

Establishing a dedicated camping supply store onsite has to take a large risk. What products will be in demand on a given weekend? Approved firepits is probably high on the list, but what other stockpiles are needed? Tampons, cigarettes, condoms, firewood, propane tanks, etc. come to mind. Do you have any idea on how many varieties of tampons are popular? If we stock a mass of something, will it get sold? Remember that whatever gets stockpiled, the owner has to pay taxes on the inventory at the fiscal year end. My Son wanted to setup just such a supply store on year one, but I gave him the reality check.

We have no objection to an individual who wants to setup a camping supply shop in the campgrounds. We just don't want to take the financial risk.

[mpullen]

Suggestions:

A pathway from Camping to the front gate. ( I really do want to see the gates open wide from that side at least once.    )

You have a path from the campgrounds to the entrance behind the Pub. No need to go to the front gate.

[Merlin the Elder]

The only possible way that you could make a store like that work would be by agreement with another retailer somewhere that would allow you to consign the entire inventory. There's no question that to try to stock "all the options" would be financial suicide in a non-consignment arrangement.

I kept seeing the Whoop Stop sign, but never actually saw the Whoop Stop.  Where the heck was it on 21?