Camping now $20

[PyroMaster]

[abridged]

Don't you guys get it??  It's NOT THE MONEY that bothers me... it's the entire principle of it all.  Who really cares about twenty bucks.  screw that... the RIFF RAFF has twenty bucks!  

I'm paying twenty bucks to sleep on a piece of property, while taking my own camp stuff, my own water and gas.  

And what am I getting in return for these funds?    

A primitive campsite with limited ability for security, a false sense of security, and a nasty puke-filled privy.
Wow.  Same shine I got 20 years ago at TRF camp.  

Were that everything could be seen in simple black and white...

Provided that the additional revenue is spent on the camping (not assured), then there will likely only be an incremental improvement. A true Utopian camping area would cost many times the asking price to provide. It has always been "you pays yer money and you takes yer chances".

[Breandan]

Since TRF is hiring off-duty law enforcement instead of a private security firm or getting a letter of authority and developing their own in-house security team, they are paying out the nose for it. Extra-duty job coordinators for the departments generally set the rate based on the probable threat level their officers might face (often exaggerating the hell out of the threat to milk the victi... err... client. Sorry, working in law enforcement one comes to love the extra jobs, but hate the coordinators), and having cops doing security out there probably runs a minimum of $40/hour per officer. Todd Mission PD and Grimes County Sheriff's Dept are the only local outfits that are probably doing it on their tax-paid schedule, so you're looking at an average of a dozen officers at LEAST that are EDJ hires. That's almost $500 an hour. So, while the rebellious Libertarian in me gets a significant eye twitch at the rate hike, the professional in me sees what most don't- for every incident that does happen, the presence of the officers probably prevented or mitigated twenty others that would have happened. It sure as hell isn't perfect (and I think the security could be better with what they already have with a little extra training and give-a-damn), but the money is having some effect, even if it is inefficient.

[THELADYKAT]

I just had a Friend ask me this cause she will be working there for her first time this year and has always liked being out there. ( what about workers who have passes but want to go over to the other side to see there friends and family for a hour or two.)

[Riot]

The standard rule for participants are you are to pay the camping fee.  The only way I know around it is if you park over by there in and morning and visit then leave. However that being said if they are cracking down more and more every year I could forsee them checking those cars for camping tags in the foreseeable future.

[Blue66669]

It is actually frowned upon that participants go to the patron campgrounds. If you show your participants pass at the camping gate, they will tell you that you can't go in at that entrance.

[Riot]

Yup yup, they don't want participates to be mingling outside of character with patrons.  Then to get in the morning you have to go all the way back out and then down and park back at the EB to go in. They will not let you in the front gates with a pass.

[ravic]

It is actually frowned upon that participants go to the patron campgrounds. If you show your participants pass at the camping gate, they will tell you that you can't go in at that entrance.

Yes, you have to pretend to be a patron. I usually get a ticket & hang onto it all season to make the guard happy & then give it away the last weekend.

[Breandan]

unless you want to go on foot, in which case just walk out the front gate with everyone else 

[THELADYKAT]

It's just as I thought I just wanted to make sure what to tell her so she would not freak out later and say I didn't tell her everything.

Thank you all.

[Messyn McCleavage]

Kat, remember how they used to threaten to remove our passes if we got caught using them to enter playtrons camp at Charlie's guard shack? I believe when we get our picture taken for the pass we still have to sign a form that states this. They are trying to keep rennies who are giving Meth to the kids at drum circle out of playtrons. Bad things have been happening that threaten having camp shut down completely. If the fee keeps these folks out, then so be it.

[PyroMaster]

Rennie drug dealers? Say it ain't so! 

[Messyn McCleavage]

Ha! Good one Pyro. 
But there's a diff between folks who CHOOSE to buy drugs and kids who unknowingly get spiked in order to get hooked. I know the threat of closing camp has been there for years, but I don't know if it's a rumor like the whole Disney buyout, or if I should be concerned. I don't want to take any chances; camp is my fav part of faire.

[PyroMaster]

Closing playtron camp would hurt the faire's ability to make money.  George won't do ANYTHING that would hurt the income, even risky stuff up to and including skimping on lighting and security in the parking lot.

[Grov]

I saw and increase in civility last year from the added security. 
I have heard about the extra space that has been cleared.  Looking forward to seeing exactly where it is.  Over by where Celtic Rogues camp, if I heard right.
I have no problems with the extra camping fee.  Still a lot cheaper then the alternative. 
Yes, the trash left behind is truly impressive.  A handy sort of person could cull through some of that stuff for all kinds of fixable items though.  Chairs, stoves, coolers, etc...  I advise sanitizing whatever you find though.

[mpullen]

I have heard about the extra space that has been cleared.  Looking forward to seeing exactly where it is.  Over by where Celtic Rogues camp, if I heard right.

Negative, the new land clearing was in the row 0 area.

I'm going to download a satellite/aerial view of the area and create a new grid map of the area. I'll be posting that in a week or so. Since there isn't a satellite/aerial view that has been updated recently, I'll add notes to the map.

Of course, if you will be at Sherwood Forest on August 8th, I'll have pictures that show the newly cleared areas.