Problems with the community fire

[LadyElizabeth]

You could do the filming incognito and if asked, say it for a ren fair documentary for class and to pretend the filming is not occuring....  You'd have to do hours upon hours of filming though to truly document all the stupid stuff that's happening there!!

[Spanish_Peacock]

TRF is many things to many people.
To most of us it is a place of fellowship, camraderie, music, magic, beauty and tons of good old fashioned stupid fun.

TRF is also a business and additional security or checking for tickets or other measures costs money and affects the bottom line.

However, in my opinion, the intoxicated thuggish crowd who are not there for the fair are driving away people who are.

Many good folks won't come back and will share their bad experience with their friends & families, tarnishing the image of the fair we all love so much.

Other campers, thanks to lack of sleep, will only spend part of the time (and money) in the fair that they planned because of all the late night drama, loud rap, thieving and bovine poopie.
The non fair crowd, while generating revenue of $10 a carload, also leaves the biggest messes which costs money clean up, help fill up the port o cans which costs money to clean up and generate most of the criminal activity which costs money to clean up.

All that and the loss of goodwill makes the non-rennies a drain on the bottom line in my humble opinion.

Encourage your house members to call TRF  and respecfully express your concerns.
TRF Phone:
800-458-3435
Email TRF at:
TRFinfo@texrenfest.com

Lets get some of the old magic back!

[LadyTrinn]

Ds, We rolled in Friday afternoon/evening and no one asked us to brandish proof of ticket purchase....

On Friday I took Master Dillon to the fire, he wanted to see the people throwing/twirling fire and within about 10-15 minutes of being there we saw flapping boobs....not attractive AT ALL...and I decided it was time to go when someone threw the bottle of...crap, I can't think of what it's called...the stuff you spray on coals to start the grill....anyway, he threw that into the fire, so we left. (my mind is still addled from sheer exhaustion)

Honestly, I think the best way to deal with the fire circle is simply not to go...if enough of us don't go, eventually the entire circle will be filled with problems that will HAVE to be dealt with. I would really hate for one of our own to be injured trying to deal with anything going on over there...

[Blue66669]

Ok, seriously, why do we even bother with this fire? It's obviously drawing the wrong crowd, and really- we COULD do something different. Why not have another fire, somewhere in a clearing- far from where everything happens. Let the crazies have their fun around the "pseudo-circle", while we go and have the REAL fun elsewhere.

[LadyTrinn]

Blue, I think most camps do this already...similar to the lovely fire Zaubon provides us with. And I agree....we should not go to the crazy fire, plus having a camp fire makes it easier to 'police' who joins and who doesn't.

Had Dillon not asked me to go see the fire throwers I would not have walked down there....I will do just about anthing that darling young man asks me too. 

[SirRichardBear]

Kinda think that is happening now Blue.  I know Friday I stop for maybe 10 minutes before deciding it wasn't worth my time and moved on to friendlier places.   Sat didn't even step off the road took one look from the road and just continued walking.   

If the trouble makers (don't what to call them crazy since I don't want to insult the majority of my friends) would stay confined to the pit there wouldn't be a problem.  Problem is they spread out and cause trouble all around the camp grounds.

[Blue66669]

OK, well, I think the problem is that we never will get "that" circle back. I know that most clans have started their own circles, but that does nothing to promote the togetherness and family of clan relations. That's the part of drum circle I loved- being together with the other clans and rennies, just getting to have fun. But now we're being treated like we're animals on display at an interactive zoo. No thanks buddy, I get enough of that kind of thing from my own children. I want a fire, a BIG fire, with rennies. Lots of rennies, dancing, singing, drumming. All together, as one, like it used to be.

Hmmmm, maybe we should start planning a "rennie mixer"...

[Elnarii]

Does the Camp at your Own Risk language on the site and the little hang tag really protect them from liability?

It seems as though they're using that as a reason to not have to fix these sorts of problems (drugs, violence, etc)...

I mean, God forbid my husband hadn't been as quick thinking as he was... or even if we hadn't been awakened by the idiotic plight of yet another person stuck in the sand pit behind us... my step-daughter would've been seriously or fatally injured... Is there really no recourse in that sort of (albeit hypothetical) situation?  Frightening to think about if so.

Anyone have a 'sample' email they'd like to share?  I'm afraid if I type one up myself it will be far too verbose to actually get read.

[knarlyknot]

We almost went to Patron camping on Saturday night to visit with friends, boy am I glad we didn't.  One of our friends had the crap beat out of him by some drunken thugs.  This guy is a life-time rennie and one of the nicest guys I know, in fact he emphasized to me that he had a great time until the last 30 minutes.  There definately needs to be additional security.

[Fenster]

We almost went to Patron camping on Saturday night to visit with friends, boy am I glad we didn't.  One of our friends had the crap beat out of him by some drunken thugs.  This guy is a life-time rennie and one of the nicest guys I know, in fact he emphasized to me that he had a great time until the last 30 minutes.  There definately needs to be additional security.

That's terrible.  I really hope this gets reported to management and police. 

[KiltedPrivateer]

I was under the impression that the Green Flame Clan were trying to provide a place for the true rennies to gather and enjoy music, dancing, fire twirling and camaraderie. 

I personally have not been to the drum circle in several years.  Its just not worth it anymore. 

I agree that a solution needs to be found to keep out those "campers" who are spoiling the experience for everyone else.  We camp because we want to have fun and socialize.  We should not have to spend our time worried about which drunk is going to start a fight or steal items from camps.  As a new father (shes two years old), I will not tolerate anyone looking even remotely suspicious around my tent.  I know everyone in my camp and everyone in my camp knows my daughter and I am confident that they will back me up if some one threatens her safety.

Requiring tickets at the gate is the only sure fire way I can think of for the Friday campers.  If they don't have a ticket, it should be sold to the campers right there at the gate.  Jessica is also on the right track.  There needs to be better separation between the camps and the parking lot.  Its just too easy for anyone to come in Saturday and pull right into the campground.  From those people, the faire doesn't even get the meager $10.  From that alone they are losing money.  Something I'm sure George would not be happy to learn (assuming he is unaware of it).

Extra Security is un-needed if you can prevent the annoyances in another way.  Make it harder for them to gain access.  Right now anyone can walk in - destroy our camps - and be home in time for remedial math Monday morning.  If we find a way to make the camp inaccessible to them they will go away on their own.

And thats my humble opinion.

Michael

[Lord Dragonspyre]

This is a sample petition


To the Texas Renaissance Festival Management,


The Texas Renaissance Festival, while a fantastic and beautiful place to visit, has a problem that needs to be addressed.

We, the Undersigned, do hereby set forth this petition for increased security and the removal of certain undesirable elements from the campgrounds. The campgrounds have long been a hallmark of the TRF experience, a place for patrons of the Faire to relax and commiserate with other like-minded individuals in a communal atmosphere.

Unfortunately, that tradition has been sullied by the influx of people coming to the campgrounds simply to have a place to throw an out of control party and get intoxicated and/or high, and lose all sense of responsibility. This trend is leading to less and less enjoyment of the campgrounds to the point where people do not even wish to come camping

There have been several incidents and worrisome trends at the campgrounds, some of which are detailed below:

-   Bottles have been thrown and broken at the Fire Circle, endangering the bare feet of the dancers present and forcing them to leave for safety reasons,
-   Females have been inappropriately touched and/or propositioned and kept from enjoying the Fire Circle,
-   Explosive items have been thrown into the Fire Circle, including but not limited to a beer keg and a bottle of charcoal lighter fluid,
-   Intoxicated and/or high people have been back flipping off of the fire at the Fire Circle, one of them actually falling into the fire itself,
-   There is an RV that parks next to the Fire Circle with a sign that reads "Show Your Hooters for Jello Shooters,"
-   There are campsites where the people there broke nearly every glass bottle they had and left it there on the grounds along with their garbage,
-   There was an incident where a camper dumped their still-smoldering firepit ashes onto a pile of garbage, risking a major fire.
-   There are people who scavenge what they want from other campsites during the day,
-   There have been longstanding campers who have been accosted and assaulted by multiple assailants for no reason whatsoever other than the fact that the assailants wanted to beat someone up,
-   There is drug use rampant about the campgrounds,
-   There are people sneaking into the campsites without paying and bragging about it,
-   The Security that is in place is inadequate. More patrols and more Security personnel are needed,




Please feel free to comment and add your own bits to it

[Elnarii]

Very well worded... I assume you don't mind if I modify and use it as an email to the powers that be over there in George's official headquarters... 

[Lord Dragonspyre]

Very well worded... I assume you don't mind if I modify and use it as an email to the powers that be over there in George's official headquarters... 

Actually, I'm putting it together as a petition for people to directly sign, and then I'd mail it in to the main office, signatures and all.

If you were to send the same thing, even modified, then the petition would lose it's effect.

[Tanyor]

I would also add that even some faire patrons will lose the will into going the the faire itself.

Who really do you think keeps the faire going. It's not the day trippers. It's the playtrons. We are the ones that keep the shops open. Sure there alot of dane's coming and buying boose just like the rest of us. But would the faire still be enjoyable if there wasn't crazy looking swords, and cool looking leather goods. It would be a barren wasteland.

Easiest solution is to fence in the camping from the parking. and require everyone to have faire tickets to camp. And move the camping gate up the road to combat traffic jams.

If they didn't have a place to camp, I wouldn't go at all. I can't afford the gas plus a hotel.


I will tell you guys a story. when I was a younger still in high school . There was a campground that had a unmanned ticket booth. To camp, it was required to put in 5 dollars in a drop box for each person camping over 12 years of age. We never paid, and we used to bring 4 wheelers and guns and boose out to a public camping area. We would get drunk and haul butt all night driving the 4 wheelers in a privately owned public camping area. Were I grew up this was the place to party when we got the chance. because there was no one ever to supervise us, and we didn't have to pay.

Now I wouldn't do such a thing but at the time its what we did.

Well just about a year ago, a kid a few years younger than me was found dead, he had wandered off falling into the river after drinking. Well now the place it closed for good. Some say since it was a privately own area that the kid's family had sued. But I'm unsure of what happen.

And another place like that called the slabs, had a similar accident and its now fenced off.

Something needs to be done. Because I'd hate to see camping gone, or even the faire failing because of a lawsuit.