What's up for 2009?

[Captain Jack Wolfe]

Thanks, groomporter!

Yeesh.  Saturday should be a nightmare.

[Charlotte Rowan]

I didn't have a parking pass either, until yesterday when this news came out and my pubmaster told me how to get one. I worked for 5 years before this with no parking pass and never even knew I needed one. Go figure. Yes, this weekend should certainly be interesting...

[groomporter]

Thanks, groomporter!

Yeesh.  Saturday should be a nightmare.

Definitely gonna bring product and as much other stuff for the weekend out on Friday.

[Random Girl]

SS is a little frustrated because Saturday we were told we got to keep our little parking corral but then Sunday we discover that we too must park in the pit.  Furthermore, night crew needs our vehicles to do back gate and respond to calls.  We are allowed to have our cars upstairs at night but they must be moved back down to the pit before 6AM.

We also now have to have someone stationed in the pit until 10PM listening to everyone whine and complain. 

We are not to also provide an escort to the pit for anyone that requests it.  I have heard more than my share of people saying they will do this just constantly to "stick it to the man".  Nope, all you are going to do is make us angry. 

What I hate is that we DON'T make the rules we just have to enforce them and somehow whenever a rule comes down that people don't like they screw us over to get back at management.  What they don't seem to understand is that management could care less what happens to SS or how this impacts us, further by abusing us all they are doing is making us bitter and jaded and less likely to WANT to be helpful. 

We bust our butts for EVERYONE, we do so to keep everyone safe and happy.  We stay up all night and pick your drunk self off the ground and take you somewhere to sleep, we provide first aid, we stop fights, we protect people at great personal risk to ourselves and we do it for minimum wage.  We are not above the rules ourselves either and we whined and complained about it to our direct boss and then let it go.  We aren't taking it out on other people who have nothing to do with it.  I will have ZERO tolerance for people abusing our position to get back at us for something we had nothing to do with. 

Also, everyone has friends.  Walk to your car with one of them.  The only thing we provide is a warm body to whine at.  We can do nothing more for anyone than walk them down there.  If something or someone was actually down there to cause harm there isn't much more we can do than call the cops just like any person with a cell phone could.  Walking in the pit is no different than walking in the parking lot.  The only thing out there is drunk idiots, coyotes and chupacabras ^_^.  I can't hurt any of those with super SS powers.  I cannot fight back, I cannot use defensive or offensive weapons.  I have to stand there, report it in, and call the cops.  Just like anyone else.

Additionally, Night Crew has less than half the numbers of day crew.  On a given night we have roughly 6 people on shift.  4 on Sundays.  1 will at all times be allocated and useless on back gate.  1 must be in the office with the dispatcher, the remaining 4 people on a Saturday night are making sure that the site is locked down, making sure people aren't passed out in privies, keeping people off stages, carding people in the BLT, making sure people aren't sleeping in their cars, going after people who blow past back gate without showing ID, providing first aid, monitoring the campground for loud obnoxious people.  Now add in escorts to vehicles, 1 person stationed in the quarry until 10, towing on sundays after 12, roaming the parking lot to make sure orange and green passes are not in the main lot, setting off the tornado siren at 9:45 to indicate the last shuttle, etc etc etc.

Also, the pit will not get backfilled.  Not at least until they have mined every last drop of gravel they can.  Most likely the current SS office will be gone next year.  We just spent money and time to get that place in shape and for nothing.  We will have to move everything from that office somewhere else.   The remainder of the participant lot will be gone next year and likely a good portion of the patron lot.  The campground probably won't be around in another 3-5 years.

You think you have it bad for having to walk a bit?  We have it 10 times worse for doing the same thing AND policing everyone else and being yelled at while we do it with a smile.  Spread this on, tell your friends.  It's not our fault, we are screwed too.

[groomporter]

The exit road is one-way late in the afternoon and for a while after cannon. Anyone hear?... will participants have to circle around to 169 and come in the front entrance if they need to drive back on to site or the campground right after cannon without waiting for traffic to clear?

[William_MacKean]

Maybe I just want to see yer fine tush walking next to me?  

Just as a clarification, my post was intended to shed some light on how SS is really going to get hosed this.  And SS really shouldn't.

And let us consider that Fest might be getting pressure from the land owner as well.  Festival may have really stuck their neck out to even have this show any more!  The land owners wanted to quarry it, which is their right.  Festival got a lease extension.

Will it be more difficult?  Yup.  Help each other out.
Does it appear poorly planned?  Yup.  Write a polite letter offering alternative solutions and ideas.
Is it better than having no show?  I think so.  No one is forcing anyone to work here.

Idea:
A Muster Point.  Anyone about to walk to the pit can walk by a muster point where others might be waiting.  We can walk out together!  Where should this be?  SS office?

[Random Girl]

I think C-Gate would be the most appropriate meeting point as it is easily found and close to the campground road to the pit.

[MissBubu]

Is the campground road to the pit being re-opened for vehicle traffic or foot traffic?

[Muffin]

Is the campground road to the pit being re-opened for vehicle traffic or foot traffic?

Yikes!! I hope not... that would be a lot of people coming through the campground, and probably raise the chance of theft, violence, etc.. in the campground... Boooooo...

[groomporter]

Got a call late this afternoon from Teresa the new crafter contact to confirm that she got my Email, but she told the wife she still did not have info on how/when/if the pink parking passes would be issued to people with handicapped parking permits from the state.

I'm wondering if they are just going to say "ride the shuttle from the pit unless you are in a wheel chair"

[TheFerret]

Yesterday when they handed out our copy of the "newsletter", I let the woman know that I understood. We'd had some people come by the day before and let us know what was going to happen. It's bothersome and it sucks but it's better than not having fest. I was surprised that it hadn't already been sorted out before the season started. I asked the owner of my booth if parking had changed and he hadn't heard anything (this was all pre-season).

[Lady L]

This is such a bad idea, on so many levels.  

When I talked with Theresa, she said she would contact me, I gave her my business card. No call and no email yet. (now 1 am Tues.) I left the newsletter in my shop. Groomporter, can you renmail me her email, please? I need to get a pink pass too. I never even knew they had pink passes. How will I get a pink pass before Sat.? If I don't get a pink pass, I won't be able to attend the rest of the show.

I don't understand why they couldn't wait until after the festival. Why do this after 2 weekends? Will they be excavating there this week?

What if there are 2 people in a vehicle, one has a pass and one has a ticket? Do they come in the same gate?

What if someone has a large expensive musical instrument, such as a harp? Do they drop that off and then drive to the pit and shuttle to C gate and then walk to their harp? What if they have props, wagons and other stuff? They just drop it off somewhere and hope no one takes it?

How many shuttles will there be? How many people will they hold? Will we have to wait until it fills before they drive to C gate? How long is that going to take? Why don't they shuttle attendees from Shakopee? Most people that attend only go once, except for a few season pass holders. Wouldn't that work better than having us, shopkeepers, entertainers and food booth workers, who have to be there 16 days with all of our stuff? How many times has the parking lot been full in the past few years? It's usually half full. The State fair shuttles people that attend, not booth workers and those with animals. What about those of us who have shops on the other end of the site, by front gate? We drop off our stuff, if we get there before 8am (and with this new crap, we will probably not make it by 8am) then we lock it up and THEN we drive back to the pit and then wait for a shuttle, then get to C gate and then walk all the way back to the front? Craziness. What a bad idea for all of us, who make the show possible.

[saphire_glade]

When I talked with Theresa, she said she would contact me, I gave her my business card. No call and no email yet. (now 1 am Tues.) I left the newsletter in my shop. Groomporter, can you renmail me her email, please? I need to get a pink pass too. I never even knew they had pink passes. How will I get a pink pass before Sat.? If I don't get a pink pass, I won't be able to attend the rest of the show.


What if there are 2 people in a vehicle, one has a pass and one has a ticket? Do they come in the same gate?

What if someone has a large expensive musical instrument, such as a harp? Do they drop that off and then drive to the pit and shuttle to C gate and then walk to their harp? What if they have props, wagons and other stuff? They just drop it off somewhere and hope no one takes it?

How many shuttles will there be? How many people will they hold? Will we have to wait until it fills before they drive to C gate? How long is that going to take? Why don't they shuttle attendees from Shakopee? Most people that attend only go once, except for a few season pass holders. Wouldn't that work better than having us, shopkeepers, entertainers and food booth workers, who have to be there 16 days with all of our stuff? How many times has the parking lot been full in the past few years? It's usually half full. The State fair shuttles people that attend, not booth workers and those with animals. What about those of us who have shops on the other end of the site, by front gate? We drop off our stuff, if we get there before 8am (and with this new crap, we will probably not make it by 8am) then we lock it up and THEN we drive back to the pit and then wait for a shuttle, then get to C gate and then walk all the way back to the front? Craziness. What a bad idea for all of us, who make the show possible.

This is what I understand just from being at cast call:

there were no pink passes before this year. They are new as of the weekend.

Pink passes will be hard to get! I believe they only get to hand out a small number. Each booth will get 1 pink pass per booth to either park in a space behind their booth or in assigned parking. Otherwise you must have a medical condition or special circumstances, and then you need to talk to your department head.

Shuttles run every 15 minutes I believe is what they said. These shuttle busses will run from 6am – 10am, 1pm – 3pm and 6pm - 10pm during the days we are open.

In order to drop things off you will need a green pass, not just an orange pass. I don't know how drop off works. Guess you might need a buddy system there.

I am guessing also that the person with the ticket is going to have to walk to the front gate. They don't accept tickets at any other gate, though the person with the pass will be allowed through.


I know part of this is last year there were at least 3 days *not holiday weekends either* that patron parking was backed up all the way onto 169. I know the day I had to leave and come back due to costume malfunctions, the line to get in was all the way out to the stoplight past 41. and they were almost parked on 169 back to 41. It was ridiculous. So I am guessing that is why they are doing this. Oh and as for the shuttles... it is cheaper to shuttle us than them!

[groomporter]

Pink passes will be hard to get! I believe they only get to hand out a small number. Each booth will get 1 pink pass per booth to either park in a space behind their booth or in assigned parking. Otherwise you must have a medical condition or special circumstances, and then you need to talk to your department head.

In order to drop things off you will need a green pass, not just an orange pass. I don't know how drop off works. Guess you might need a buddy system there.

Green passes are generally only issued to booth owners on the interior of site. They allow us to drive onto site (within the walls) to unload product. My reading of the handout was that only people with medical issues, and/or handicapped parking permits from the state will get pink passes not every booth. A few booths have special permission to park a vehicle directly behind their booth -usually if the crafter is in a wheelchair or has a serious medical condition. They are the probably ones most likely to get a pink parking pass.

In the past there was an old full-sized school bus that they used to shuttle guests from the Trail of Terror parking to Bad Manor for the Phantom's Feast and back, so I'm assuming that will be the shuttle.

[Capt. Bacardi]

*raises hand* I have a question.....If we have to be out by midnight on Sun night, what are we going to do this weekend since we are open on Mon?