seeking input on 2013 season

[rengypsy]

we would like to hear from yall on any ideas, critiques, praises, suggestions yall might have on how the 2013 season progressed and what should we change, add, delete, correct, improve upon for 2014.

[*Teach*]

The mulch was a blessing and a curse.
My Lovely Lady gave up coming out because it hurt her feet to much but at the same time it was great for keeping the mud and dust at bay.
Please keep Arthur Greenleaf Holmes. That boy is hilarious!
Better sound for the Jerusalem pub. Very difficult to hear anything there.
Honestly, I rarely have a critique for you guys. Just a whole lot of praise.

*as always, a rum bar would be awesome*

[SQiRL]

the Mulch Killed my legs as well when coupled with the hill.  As a veteran,  i like challenges,  but the disabled veteran in me would try to limit the hill to 2 trips.  As a result, i frequented the lanes between the trip and stags when i made my ascent and rarely went around to the other side of the fairegrounds.  I also saw a lot of mobility assisted folks have a lot of trouble in the mulch as well (as well with the loose sand/dirt in other areas as well).  Is it possible to make some dedicated lanes for us less mobile folks to make it easier to get around?  No concrete or anything (unless you wanted to that is) ,  just something much more hard packed and easier to walk/push/drive on that has no obstructions.  You could even market it as a Handicap Friendly Faire 

At the beginning of the year, i loved seeing Saxon Moon at the Stags, however as the season progressed,  i saw more and more people milling about outside and was concerned for how much tips they were pulling in during their shows.  There were times I could hear them all the way out in the Camp Ground at Trash Tribe so their Sound Carries quite well,  however I wonder if maybe they should have a better stage next time.  Granted i don't know how well they actually did but it seemed like they could have done better at a larger stage but who knows.

Exit Surveys should have been at the back gate for the whole season.  With as many campers as you were getting.... I heard quite a bit of them frustrated that there wasnt one back there and that they had to go to the front to fill one out,  or just didn't bother.  Hopefully their concerns/kudos found their ways to you somehow but I feel that you could be getting more feedback on both the inside and outside if they were posted with bill.

Only other observation was the dust storms blowing directly into the stags area.  During the windy days,  this was getting to be a real problem as people would leave the area when this happened.  (my camera is also in need of a serious cleaning from that area as well  lol)   I think mulch would help with that area but see the first comment. 


Lord Bud wants Budweiser at the Stags. 

Side note....
When can we expect to see the Gatherings for the summer posted on on your facebook events?

In case you are curious,  I consider Sherwood to be my Home Faire even though I live in Dallas and am very close to Scarby.  Scarby/Trf cant touch the magic that yall are producing right now.  I burn Most of my yearly Vacation on you guys for either the season or the gatherings later in the year... So Thank all of you for what you do.   

SQiRL

[Merlin the Elder]

Sometimes the solution to one problem creates another.  To control the dust, I can't think of another solution besides grass, which won't hold up to the foot traffic.  Hardpack and gravel, like most other faires "enjoy" is extremely uncomfortable as well.  A solution for all will be elusive!

[deafdrummer]

I would like to suggest a wider variety of food, especially for those who are with Celiac disease or at the least gluten-intolerant.  I know of someone who will not be able to eat pretzels nor bread bowl soups...

As for the dust, not much to be done about that.  It's part of the semi-arid climate that Sherwood is close to.  Just think of what people had to deal with in the Medieval/Renaissance periods.  Why don't we deal with that in the same fashion?  We need to get off asphalt and concrete.  I don't mind dirtying up my four-buttons, as that's what they were made for.

I can't think of anything else at the moment.  As always, an AWESOME time!

[Merlin the Elder]

Deafdrummer, with all due respect, the menu choice will be more driven by profit potential than anything, and to be clear, not the profit of the faire owners. As I understand it--and please correct me if I am wrong, Rengypsy--food is provided by vendors, and the vendors ARE totally driven by profit, because it is how they make their living.

Now, with that said, if the market would support more focused dietary needs, and the VENDORS were aware of those needs, there would be a chance.  It might also be a great niche market for some upstart entrepreneur, if you catch my drift. Fortunes are built on a foundation of ideas...

[PollyPoPo]

 Actually there are quite a few food varieties at Sherwood that might be okay for gluten-intolerant.  Like at any restaurant, people would have to ask what is in many prepared foods, such as shepherd's pie (meat and veggie mix topped with mashed potatoes and a slice of American cheese, bubble and squeak (potato and cabbage pancakes), scotch eggs that probably have a flour binder, etc. 

For more identifiable offerings, there are Mediterranean/near-east foods such as hummus, dolmas, falafel, meat shish kabob; other places have salads (green, fruit, veggie, Caesar, etc.), various meats on a stick, frog legs, veggie kabob (with rice), octopus. 

Of course, everything at a faire has to be a version of fast-food due to the nature of the setting, as well as being able to be consumed "out of hand."  There are a few longer cooking-time offerings, but they may contain gluten (again, I'm not sure), such as lamb stew, vegetarian Irish stew, etc. 

As Merlin said, the vendors have to offer what most faire-goers have come to expect from faire; we're lucky that those at Sherwood do sneak in a few new items each year.

[SQiRL]

regarding the dust at the stags area,  this could be curbed a bit with some mulch down there.   What i was trying to point out is... the dust was pushing people away from the stags which overall isnt good for either the stags or the bands playing there.  Wasn't really a belch about having to deal with the realities of mother nature or anything. 

[RenStarr]

Next year or at some point in the near future, a walking trail around the pond would be nice.  And I'm talking about the one that currently is outside the backside of the faire grounds.  Benches, gardens, maybe a gazebo would be a nice.  Nice project during some of the weekend gatherings......hint hint.

[<Alex>]

  This wasn't my idea, but rather one I overheard.

   There's a marked lack of water fountains, forcing people to rely on bottle water to stay hydrated.  While it makes more money for people selling drinks, it also leads to lots more empty water bottles and some people being less hydrated than they probably should be.

    If you can't do water fountains, maybe you could have water refill stations throughout the faire where people could refill their own drinking vessels or buy one from any of the many vendors.  You can even sell reusable plastic/metal water bottles at the front with the Sherewood forest logo on them.

  It's my understanding that Scarborough Faire has refreshment areas for people with season passes.  Sherewood could try something similar, providing yet another incentive.

   You can also point out to patrons that this option is more enviromentally sustainable than lots and lots of bottle water, a fact that I imagine many Austin area residents would be quite receptive to.

[Hercules]

*Do something about Old Potato Rd for us day-trippers. That road is rough enough in the truck but when we come in the econo box I loose the fillings in my teeth.

*Honey-wine variety. There are several good meaderies in close proximity. Be nice to have something other then Thorin's.

*Washing Well Wenches were an excellant addition this year. More acts like them would be nice.

[Lord Virgo]

The only suggestion I Have is for Sherwood to be open ALL YEAR ROUND FOREVER AND EVER!!!!!  That is all

[Lady Kaalyn]

I really enjoyed seeing The pride of bedlam.  I love those pirates and always make sure to see there shows at TRF was was super happy that they had shows the weekend I went to sherwood.

[Zardoz]

no real complaints, a couple suggestions though.

I too wish something could be done about Old Potato Road. I know it's not really up to the faire, but what do we need to do to get the county to surface it?

The dust! yeah, it's just what the soil is like up there, but I think a good application of some moisture retaining mulch (synthetic if need be) , and a morning water truck tour would be a start.

and oh yeah, bring back Circa Paleo

[LibraryPrincess]

and oh yeah, bring back Circa Paleo

I second this.