Opening Saturday was beautiful! Before I do anything else, I want to thank Rengypsy for all his hard work and dedication, and to thank everyone else who had anything to do with getting this new faire off the ground. You guys & gals did a wonderful job!!
That being said, there is always room for any faire to improve, and I wanted to get my suggestion making out of the way (although I'm sure most of them are probably in the list of future considerations already).
--finding water was a real bear-- especially with a sunburned & thirsty two-year-old in tow. The beer guys/gals did a great job of handling the lines quickly once we did find them (even heard one beautiful woman being organized enough to warn the boys of the need to actually STOCK the coolers so they wouldn't run out of cold stuff). But, I think a few well placed drink carts/wagons would go a long way to help with the issue (and increase profits, of course- I know I'd have bought more drinks if I'd been able to find a drink vendor on the same side as the shows we were watching).
-- Signage definitely needs some work (although that's a lot more on the shoulders of the shows/vendors than the faire management). The Birds of Prey sign was great- we knew exactly when to be there for the shows. And some of the music acts had schedules up, but mostly we kind of wandered around and tried to notice when crowds were forming anywhere. We didn't have any idea when the parade would happen (and KNOW for a fact that a few vendors thought it was supposed to be later than it happened, because we were in their shoppes when the parade went by and overheard them trying to double check the time).
Hrm.. well, I thought I had more, but all I can remember right now is how much fun we had, lol. I guess I'll post these and add to it later if I remember.
Overall, plusses, for me, anyway, are
1. lots of shade and dappled sunshine
2. a good variety of vendors, with permanent structures
3. porta-FLUSHIES in addition to standard porta-pots
4. lots of stages in lots of areas
5. the swings in the trees
Minuses
1. poor handicapped parking options (at least what we were directed to, which was row 12, I think, and not the first row by gate (which was NOT full when we got there), as is stated in at least one place that I've seen online
2. sandy parking areas (driving rows were well packed, but the actual parking spaces were not packed & very sandy)
3. not enough packed pathways in the shire, rendering a lot of areas inaccessible for anyone with mobility issues
4. not enough seating spots, especially around food areas
5. not enough trash receptacles throughout the shire
6. signage was either hard to see, or non-existent, for directions, etc. as far as within the site, all of the shade is wonderful, but it does create a darkness, which means signs need to have more light colors on them.
oh yes.. More trash cans was supposed to be on my list too!!
I didn't really expect the packing/paving to be any different than it was (actually, I expected it to be much worse). I remember TRF back in the day, and I compliment Sherwood on being as accessible as they were. Heck.. even just five years ago there were still parts of TRF that were completely in-accessible to anyone with wheels (strollers included here) after even the lightest drizzle. I'm sure more foot traffic inside the faire will probably help with that situation too, as specific pathways start to assert themselves amongst the trees.
I remember one other thing though.. the sign on 290! There is a HUGE SIGN (billboard) over the road that the patrons DO NOT TAKE TO GET IN! And a teeny tiny little sign on Old Potato (the right road for patrons). I'm thinking, this is a little backwards :P I know, it was probably because that's also the campground entrance, but it made things VERY confusing for the day-trippers (and more than a little dangerous, since people in front of us kept having to turn around in the first roadway to get back on 290).
The only big concern I had is that while the patron parking lanes and access roads are hard packed roadbed, the parking areas are loose beach sand. I parked with my rear wheels up on the lane because my car has like 4 inches of ground clearance, and my fancy tires have no soft surface traction! I heard a couple folks got stuck though.
I also was a little confused by the sign on 290, The big sign is on the campers only road, and there was a little temporary sign directing you down "Old Potato Road" to the patron parking. Honestly going down that all weather road, I was not 100% sure I was going the right way till I saw the parking area. (an 'all weather road' is a Unpaved road that is constructed of a material that does not create mud during rainfall. it's a dirt road with class)
I agree some more trash receptacles would be good, especially by the food vendors and privies, I encountered a lot of cups and cans in the porta-cans toward the end of the day.
Overall I was really impressed with the whole thing, I had high hopes, but I was being 'realistic' and ready to give it a break because it's new and all etc., there were bumps, but the faire really exceeded my expectations.
I never noticed "trash picker uppers" during the day -- workers strolling around with a garbage bag on their hips picking up trash and cigarette butts. There may have been some, but I never saw them. I walked around before opening on Sunday and picked up a lot of trash -- including trash at the Seven Sisters.
Also, there are some neat signs at the "lake"by the swings warning folks not to play in the water because of "Sea Monsters" -- a really cute idea! However, I know of several young kids who hung around there waiting to see some sign of the sea monsters! Maybe some random spurts or ripples of water every now and then, maybe a bobbing hidden "sea monster" fin ... something like that ... might be a neat addition.
Coulda been more signs -- and I also had trouble finding trash receptacles.
All in all, though, pretty much everything at the faire far exceeded my expectations! Great job!
More trash cans near the food areas is 1st on my list. The people serving the meat pies didn't have any at all.
There was someone picking up trash. You didn't notice him because he was in garb, the leper. Thought that was a great garb idea.
Overall I don't really have much to suggest. It was much better than I expected for an opening day of a new faire.
I thought the signs on the road coming from Austin were good. Let me know I was on the right road and how far to go.
I have really only one suggestion - improving the parking lot. Sand can get the better of some cars... ;)
Overall, this was an amazing opening weekend!! I expected alot from the hype and from the pics throughout the weekends, but it truly exceeded it by far!!!!
I loved the lepers who picked up the trash as well!! It was such a very cool idea!!! But trash cans were hard to find. I saw 1 all weekend.
I also had trouble finding soda or water. However, what I think added to the troubles was that NO ONE knew anything about where anything was. But that definitely could not be helped!!! It was opening weekend of a brand new festival, there's nothing that could have helped this. Maybe some more signs would help or some wooden maps put up in places would help too??
All the trees and the shaded areas were amazing! The grounds were so huge too! It was great to have so many restrooms that were hoop skirt accessible!
Nothing that hasn't already been said - More seating, more trash cans, more signs and stages with act/show times and work on the parking lot.
We had a blast!
As we were only there for a short time, I cant say much.
I loved the ambiance and general feel of the faire. It had a calmness and peace to it that I adored, and I really felt it achieved the feeling of stepping back into a renaissance "shire" or forest. I also enjoyed not needing "brain bleach" every 5 seconds, and was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting much less for opening day of a first year faire, and am more than encouraged and impressed by what I did see.
The only things I see that need work are the privy situation, and the ease of accessibility for those not on foot. We had an amazingly difficult time getting Jeffrey and his wheelchair anywhere in the faire, and that was a bit disappointing. The parking areas themselves also need a little more packing, as I saw several people getting towed out when we were leaving Saturday evening. And I did hear several people comment on the lack of water and soda, which is a huge complaint at another nearby faire. . .
My only other comment is that if they do indeed plan on charging people to host weddings there, they will need much more organization and communication. I cannot complain overly much as our wedding was done free of charge other than the actual cost of food, however, if I had paid for anything more than that I would have been fuming at promises made and not fulfilled. I know we were the first wedding for the faire, and Im sure it will improve vastly!
Overall, it was a beautifully done event, and the faire itself is absolutely lovely. I see so much potential that I hope will be recognized, and hope to make this faire a regular visit (maybe sans the kids til mobility is a bit improved).
this week, we have many portacans, 50 new trash cans, building a new stage for the troubadours who play at the jerusalem pub, set out tin buckets for cigarette butts, added more statuary and signage...adding more seating for the arms presentation, as well as abby green gazebo. and the week is not over.
I think it's great the way rengypsy has been responding to suggestions/comments in forum. Obviously management is paying attention.
We had a great time opening day even though there was some "shaking out" to do. The leper was unobtrustive, but we did see him several times through the year, hustling at his job. Luckily we did have a 13 year old lad to find trash bins as needed.
Sherwood Faire is shaping up to be a great Faire!
Lishy, the wedding was really beautiful though!! I got a standing room only spot, but it was great that we could still see in very well from the standing space around the area.
Rengypsy, you and the other owners have been doing such a splendid job indeed both in pre-planning and in reacting to our comments now!!! Thank you for making such a wonderful place for all of us Rennies to come home to and play at!!!!
I wanted to suggest that if you will be giving out performer awards, I heartily recommend your Childrens area Director, Revel, for one. He was a highlight of our weekend, so much fun and so good at what he does.
Rengypsy, you have much to be proud of sir, the faire is magical, keep up the great work!
I second that one KnarlyKnot!!! Revel is wonderful, gets people engaged, and is a great performer!
Quote from: DreamMatriarch on March 03, 2010, 10:10:01 AM
I think it's great the way rengypsy has been responding to suggestions/comments in forum. Obviously management is paying attention.
We had a great time opening day even though there was some "shaking out" to do. The leper was unobtrustive, but we did see him several times through the year, hustling at his job. Luckily we did have a 13 year old lad to find trash bins as needed.
Sherwood Faire is shaping up to be a great Faire!
Here here! I've no doubt that all these issues will be addressed it time, because the faires managers are so close to their patrons. Soon the only complaint anyone will have will be "There was too much to see and do!'
Kudos to Rengypsy and an amazing first day of a new faire! Had you not known this was a brand new faire you would have thought it had been around for years. I was totally blown away by the permanence of this faire and look forward to many many more fulfilled years. How lucky are we to be so close to so many great faires in Texas!
So I can't even begin to count the pluses to this place, there are so many - from the cast, to the vendors, to the food, to the structures, and to the landscaping.
I had only two suggestions. First is for more facilities which Rengypsy has already addressed.
Second is more seating in general. Nothing fancy - just some cheap wooden benches/picnic tables to rest the ol dogs especially when dining on all the fine food that is out there.
Outside of that I was a very happy camper... well you could move the faire closer to Dallas!!! :D
Not much of a suggestion to the faire as I thought it was top notch but the quality goods that are in the Sherwood shop at the gate might want to be added to the websites shopping page as Im sure many would like the purchase the goblets and steins etc. I was grabbing up what I could the first day.:)
That's a pretty good suggestion regarding the Sherwood Gate Shop and Steins. I used my stein throughout the day and many folks would stop and ask where they could find one.
As nearly everyone has suggested so far, the parking lots need tp be improved.
Got pictures of one of the many vehicles (I would wager on ten or more) on opening day that got stuck...
(http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii25/LordDragonspyre/Motivate/stuckcar.jpg)
And before anyone asks, no it isn't my car.
parking lot was a huge success this week. last saturday, we did not have our parking lot guys adequately trained and we apologize. sunday of last week, we had two stuck. saturday of this last weekend, either one or none.
i chose to buy this old watermelon patch for the parking lot because it was allow us to retain our forest and trees for woods...not be bulldozed.
we put approximately $80,000 into the existing parking lot and will do more as resources come available...but in truth, when we had knowledgeable parking staff, the problems have all but been corrected.
keep us on task tho...
your comments and suggestions will make the faire better.
rengypsy
It is an awesome faire and I LOVE it so much!
I want everyone to come and enjoy as much as I do! More advertising in the Austin area? Something in the Austin American Statesman - Thursday Entertainment 360 pages might help get the word out!
I agree. The Austin Chronicle is a good place as well because people pick it up for going places. That, and hitting the places where people would go for this type of stuff. I've found Conan's Pizza (which already has a fantasy-like theme) is a great place to drop off flyers. Similar with Kerbey Lane because people of all walks tend to be there. Other good places are Magnolia Cafe, Mirabelle, Mother's, and various places around UT.
Pulling from College Station, Bryan, Prairie View, and San Antonio would be a good idea. I'm spreading the word to everyone here in Houston. Some flyers to hand out would be a great thing to have!
Comp tickets for the local radio stations to use as prizes. During the September-November time frame all of the local radio stations give away TRF tickets as prizes. Besides the obvious benefit of getting the ticket winners in the gate, you generate interest in others.
QuoteThe Austin Chronicle is a good place as well because people pick it up for going places.
That's already covered. I saw an add in Chronicle last week.
Put some small posters in the Thundercloud Sandwich Shopes. They are all over town, and they put up all kinds of fliers now when someone has something local they are promoting.
Quote from: Full Frontal Nerdity on March 08, 2010, 02:19:17 AM
As nearly everyone has suggested so far, the parking lots need tp be improved.
Got pictures of one of the many vehicles (I would wager on ten or more) on opening day that got stuck...
(http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii25/LordDragonspyre/Motivate/stuckcar.jpg)
And before anyone asks, no it isn't my car.
That was one of our Musketeer's car. The tractor couldn't even pull him out but a good samaritan drove by in a truck with a winch (no - not a wench) and was able to hoist him out.
Quote from: Nicolas-Antoine on March 08, 2010, 03:39:30 PM
Quote from: Full Frontal Nerdity on March 08, 2010, 02:19:17 AM
As nearly everyone has suggested so far, the parking lots need tp be improved.
Got pictures of one of the many vehicles (I would wager on ten or more) on opening day that got stuck...
(http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii25/LordDragonspyre/Motivate/stuckcar.jpg)
And before anyone asks, no it isn't my car.
That was one of our Musketeer's car. The tractor couldn't even pull him out but a good samaritan drove by in a truck with a winch (no - not a wench) and was able to hoist him out.
Excellent! Hope the sand didn't do too much damage.
Our last day this season is Easter Sunday. It may already be too late to organize anything, but an Easter Sunrise Service in the Chapel would be a nice touch for the Participants and the Campers, with a similar gathering at the Stone Circle for any resident Pagans.
Do we have any activities planned for the children? An Easter Egg hunt, Egg Rolling, Egg Tosses, etc.? If so, we aren't doing a very good job of spreading the word. Send out a press release to all of the local TV and Radio Stations, and Newspapers. Most of them should treat it as a public service announcement.
Hmm, I wonder if we could do somekind of easter egg hunt that involved the vendors? Like what ever vendors wanted to participate would give an egg that had their booth name in it and if the kids turned in all the eggs they got a somethings small for free?
Or put little easy riddles in the eggs that led them around the faire to different vendors who would give them a new egg/?
I am spreading word of the faire down here in Corpus, but you might want to consider some advertising down here.. There is a surprisingly large number of Ren faire people who live down here, and all that I have told of Sherwood have already shown up or will be in the coming weeks.
Was not prepared for the sheer size of the place. Exactly how big is the ticketed area anyway?
Very impressed by how built out it was for a first year faire. Still a litlle raw around the edges of course but that's just growing pains & I predict all will come out excellent. The forest was great. I liked how the sight lines were mostly restricted to your immediate area & not looking across vast expanses of space.
Speaking of pains, have mercy on this poor ole fat white boy & add some more seats along the paths. That loooong trek up the center pathway from the Jerusalem pub to the front gate is obviously an evil ploy to keep us inside the faire. :)
Quote from: ravic on March 15, 2010, 08:21:16 AM
Was not prepared for the sheer size of the place. Exactly how big is the ticketed area anyway?
Very impressed by how built out it was for a first year faire. Still a litlle raw around the edges of course but that's just growing pains & I predict all will come out excellent. The forest was great. I liked how the sight lines were mostly restricted to your immediate area & not looking across vast expanses of space.
Speaking of pains, have mercy on this poor ole fat white boy & add some more seats along the paths. That loooong trek up the center pathway from the Jerusalem pub to the front gate is obviously an evil ploy to keep us inside the faire. :)
We intentionally moved 1,000 truckloads of sand/soil to build up the hill that the Pub sits upon, so that Patrons could roll downhill to the entrance.
Just kidding. Remember that the sand was the beach from the great inland ocean from pre-historic times. Imagine creatures crawling out of the waters and onto the land somewhere in this area.
History occurred here millions of years ago, and is now being made again.
Sorry, Mike, but you don't have as much as yesterday. Appears we brought a goodly bit home with us. I can bring it back in two weeks if you wish.
I have to second what Ravic said: I think I washed a good bit of that sand out of my hair and off of my body when I showered after this weekend. I weighed myself both before and after my shower, and I was 2.5 pounds lighter at the end of it, and that was still with my hair still wet! Still, there seems to be no shortage of it, so I'm not terribly concerned just yet with lowering the overall topography of the site by the amount that I wash down the drain each Monday. :D
One thing that was pointed out to me this weekend was the signage at the Three Celestials Stage. It has an absolutely gorgeous sign that is absolutely unnoticable by anyone who is not standing in front of my shop (which is directly behind the seats at that stage) looking at the stage itself. People coming up from the sides or from the direction of, say, Wild Wolf Forge or Swan Lace will never see it, and, as I understand it, some of the performers themselves hadn't actually noticed it until just this past weekend.
Also, a few patrons pointed out that a signboard of what acts were performing when at that stage would be helpful.
~Ken
While we're on the topic of signage - It has been a bane of the women folk in my camp that the flushie access times seem to change randomly. And the women folk are not happy folk if they walk all the way up to the flushies only to find the gate closed and locked and have to travel back down the road to the port-a-privies.
I would recommend a sign stating the hours that the flushies will be available to the campers, and then stick to those times.
Originally we were told they would be open from close of faire to open of faire, but that wasn't the case this past weekend.
~KP~
Yes we'd gladly abide by the flushie rule if we knew exactly when they are open and closed each night. We are told one thing but it has changed every weekend so far. It's very frustrating.
And by the way, the shower trailer idea is fabulous, bless you who thought of it!
here is the plan that was implemented...though i dont know if its been implemented routinely.
as soon as the front gate closes and the gates around the faire are opened for vendors to leave, the gate opens adjacent to the campground showers for campers to have access to the flush toilets.
Yeah that's what we were told too but it's not the case. Sometimes they don't get opened until really late after closing and then closed before 5:30 am. We know this because several of our clan have gone up there and they have been closed as early as 5:30am. It's an awful long walk back to the port o' privies when you really have to go in the middle of the night! :o
Made my first visit this past weekend and overall, I'm VERY impressed!
Just a few bits that I thought could be better:
Paths - The actual paths through the grounds should be better "paved" (make it clearer where the intended paths are). On many occasions, I headed striaght for something, only to think that maybe that slightly more packed winding area was the proper way to go. The non-path areas would be nice with some landscaping. Obviously, not an immediate concern - just something that might make the site look a little nicer than it already does.
The parade - I've been on both sides (watcher and walker) of the parades at Scarby, TRF, and Minnesota. This one needs some work. For starters - blink, and you miss it. The route is not on site maps, so there's no way to know where to go to watch it. The pace is very quick, which I heard is not so easy for everyone in it to keep, especially up the hill on a hot day (previous weekend). There whole thing needs to be spread out more. Bigger gaps between the various groups, so you can tell them apart, and the vendors should not be one giant clump. Banner overkill! Pretty, but not effective advertising, as there's no time to read all of them as they streak by.
Signs - Found it strange that the big signs are for the campers and participants entrance, not the general playtrons/paytrons. I would've turned in the wrong place if Queen Bonnie hadn't told me where I was supposed to turn in.
Fences - The fences surrounding the site need to be taller. I didn't like the fact that I could see the tops of the flushie-mobiles and campground showers. "Backstage" should not be visible from within if possible.
Future wishlist - More exotic variety of beer. I like Guinness, but I'm basically a beer snob - love my microbrews. (Loved the warm mulled mead yesterday though - perfect for a cold day!)
Otherwise, keep up the good work! I felt like I'd walked into a faire that has been well established for several years already. The cast were wonderful, even in the wet and cold. Love the Italian place with the upstairs seating! A covered pub (Ye Olde Trip) with a stage is a blessing for the warm (or rainy) days. Didn't get to as many shows as I would have liked, but there are many favorites among the performers. Hope to make new favorites on my next visit.
Huzzah, Sherwood!!
Quote from: Kitara on March 16, 2010, 11:04:20 PM
And by the way, the shower trailer idea is fabulous, bless you who thought of it!
Omg they have showers for campers?!
That's my one bane when camping is the lack of showers!
Hey Var,
great thoughts, but I think the "paths" are not intentional, the area is supposed to feel like a woods, not a town or city, so the faire wanted to leave the whole area open and let people define the paths, not define them for them. At least that is what I seem to remember hearing somewhere along the line.
Made my first visit to Sherwood this past weekend and the only request I have is to continue this faire every year till the end of time. I had an amazing time and I loved the grounds. Camping was an experience but I'm glad Mother Earth reminded my of my place on this planet. Old Man Winter gave us one last kick in the pants before he left. All the shows were outstanding, the food was wonderful, the vendors wares were unbelievable, the ale, wine, and merriment were flowing. The Seven Sisters is epic. Probably my favorite spot at the faire. Extreme!!!!
brother,
thanks for the comments. when glord antioch and i began this venture as partners, we discussed the future--not in terms of 10-20 years--not in terms of our life times--not even in terms of our kids lifetimes--but rather in terms of centuries to come.
we feel strongly there is a spirit here...and it's meant to live on for a very very long time.
sherwood welcomes you!
rengypsy
Quote from: Pascal on March 01, 2010, 08:07:03 AM
Also, there are some neat signs at the "lake" by the swings warning folks not to play in the water because of "Sea Monsters" -- a really cute idea! However, I know of several young kids who hung around there waiting to see some sign of the sea monsters! Maybe some random spurts or ripples of water every now and then, maybe a bobbing hidden "sea monster" fin ... something like that ... might be a neat addition.
A suggestion for a sea monster - We just got "Nessie the Garden Monster" from Gaelsong. I'd bet she could be mounted on a board or something to float her out in the pond. She's kind of a small sea monster for a kind of small pond.
Check it out: http://www.gaelsong.com/product/145853/Decor_Garden
Thanks for the insight on the path thing, Barret! I do think there should be one defined and pretty well graded path from the patrons gate up to the top of the hill, for those whose mobility is in any way challenged.
QuoteThanks for the insight on the path thing, Barret! I do think there should be one defined and pretty well graded path from the patrons gate up to the top of the hill, for those whose mobility is in any way challenged.
I thought that's what that center path paved with gravel is all about....
That only goes from the front gate to the joust field. There is not a clear path up the hill.
Had a nice elderly couple stop by my booth on Saturday; they were both season pass holders and mentioned that no one did anything to "stroke" season pass holders. No special discounts (other than the pass), no special parking, etc.
It might be nice to do some sort of stroking -- maybe a special T-shirt they could buy at cost, or maybe some pin they could wear, or some sort of discount coupons?
QuoteHad a nice elderly couple stop by my booth on Saturday; they were both season pass holders and mentioned that no one did anything to "stroke" season pass holders. No special discounts (other than the pass), no special parking, etc.
Not a bad idea... though honestly I thought the price of the pass was a gift enough!! haha!!
yeah, lets break that down in cost:
50.00 divided by 12 days = $4.17/day.
So... will that price last?? hehe.... 50$ for the season rocked, even when we weren't able to make the whole season it was still well worth it!
I want to say THANK YOU so much Rengypsy for working so very hard to make such a great place for us! I know you're making some $ off this too, but I also know that you're working like a crazy person! And so I thought I'd tell you that I'm thankful for what you've done here and really look forward to future seasons!
we are not making money yet, but that is our plan for year three.
but more importantly, we are loving every minute of the faire--before, during and after faire hours.
we are very much about the business lining up with our values and goals for enhancing community, accentuating the arts, music, history, and authenticity.
the entire management team (a collection of dedicated souls), as well as many volunteers, have been extremely instrumental in the creation of sherwood.
but we always are cognizant that sherwood is more about the patrons and participants than it is about management.
we are always saying to each other, "pinch me...wait, if this is a dream, and it seems it is, maybe i don't want to wake up."
we are living the dream and so humbled that so many are living their dreams within sherwood.
we will be having a management retreat shortly after the season is over to discuss all of this season's experiences...and discuss ways and means to make sherwood even better. at that time, we will examine ticket prices...but thus far, george and i have said nothing about increasing prices of anything.
we thank yall so much for being a part of sherwood.
any and all suggestions you might have will be considered during our planning for 2011 season.
see you this weekend. the weather forecast has changed for the better!!!
I am very happy with the price of the pass. The fact that it paid for itself in just two weekends helped make it possible for my family to attend every weekend of faire. Something we've never done before at TRF or Scarby.
And attending every weekend allowed us the chance to watch the faire grow and change. We looked forward all week to the new things we would see when we came in Saturday morning. We were always pleasantly surprised with the new things that popped up each week.
It wasn't too far removed from watching our own daughter grow up. Amazing.
Heres to many more amazing years in the Sherwood Forest!
Hidden lighting in the trees, or maybe even gas lamps on the lanes would help us for after hours. Once cannon blows, the place gets so dark, and I'm clumsy. I also consistently lose my flashlights.