Initial impressions from a Minn. RenFest noob.

[Merlin the Elder]

We were told to card anyone who looked under 40, some of the pubs card everyone though. The beer/wine tastings card everyone regardless of appearance.

Thanks ( for making me thing I look under 40 ). 

heheh...heh...BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHA!!!      Who am I to talk? But I think I wear 1060 years pretty well!

[NugBlazer]

I'm curious...do you card old people too?

The #1 thing to remember about pubs is this:  it all depends on the pub you go to.  Pubmasters are free to run their pub as they wish.  Some are more by-the-book, some are more lenient.  This year, my pub is quite cool with the carding, letting me use my own judgement.  It's been nice, to say the least.

[Rowan MacD]

Staff is often a problem.  But you get what you pay for and MN is known to pay poorly.  And MRF does not hire educated or experienced individuals in the upper areas of management, preferring primarily girls just out of high school for important positions.  Why?  I do not know. 

Upper areas? Like ED or GM?  If so, check the last names-I betcha they're related to someone else in charge.

[Jon Hanslow]

I'm curious...do you card old people too?

They carded me 

Me too.... But then again.. I am a pirate

Captain Jon Hanslow, Pirate extraordinaire!

[Charlotte Rowan]

Even though vendors were courteous, festival staff could use some training in the area. Although I never dealt with staff personally their rudeness with others was plain to see.

I'd be interested to know if you have any specific examples of what you found rude. There is a big deal about this right now in the Cast Facebook group. I don't want to go into it too much but evidently a musician was interrupted in the middle of a song and asked to show her pass to prove that she was a cast member and not an unauthorized busker. There is a big discussion as to whether this was warranted.

[Naween]

As always, I had a blast with my husband again this year!
We weren't in costume though, so i found it had a bit different 'feel' for sure...storekeepers definitely treat you a bit differently...didn't get help in one store this year so i didn't buy anything from them, despite seeking them out on purpose.
Weirdest one was probably some lady who found it necessary to comment on my beat up knees (id been out at the waterparks in the Wisconsin Dells, and the big wave pool knocked me into the rough floor of the pool...), seriously, could she not find ANYTHING else to comment on?

Also, the "mundane" food vendors irked me a little by their method of 'calling' to us. "Hey you in the snazzy shorts", "Hey man in the pony tail". It's not very classy, and I'd rather they talk about their FOOD and its TASTE, SMELL, and PRICE rather than comment on some piece of my clothing/look that they've decided to call attention upon.

We only went not-in-costume this year as we were doing a road trip vacation instead of a 2-day-ren-faire extravaganza, and I think aside from the added heat of garb, I definitely prefer it to mundane clothing!

[Muffin]

Even though vendors were courteous, festival staff could use some training in the area. Although I never dealt with staff personally their rudeness with others was plain to see.

I'd be interested to know if you have any specific examples of what you found rude. There is a big deal about this right now in the Cast Facebook group. I don't want to go into it too much but evidently a musician was interrupted in the middle of a song and asked to show her pass to prove that she was a cast member and not an unauthorized busker. There is a big discussion as to whether this was warranted.

Wow..... There are definitely some out there that take their "job" way too seriously............ I hope the musician was apologized to, but I doubt it.... 

[Merlin the Elder]

.... evidently a musician was interrupted in the middle of a song and asked to show her pass to prove that she was a cast member and not an unauthorized busker. There is a big discussion as to whether this was warranted.

This goes way beyond rude, and in no way could this be warranted. This was someone flexing their muscles, and if I were the management, the person would have been fired immediately.  If there was a question, the offender should have waited until the end of the song, then QUIETLY spoken with the entertainer.

[Charlotte Rowan]

.... evidently a musician was interrupted in the middle of a song and asked to show her pass to prove that she was a cast member and not an unauthorized busker. There is a big discussion as to whether this was warranted.

This goes way beyond rude, and in no way could this be warranted. This was someone flexing their muscles, and if I were the management, the person would have been fired immediately.  If there was a question, the offender should have waited until the end of the song, then QUIETLY spoken with the entertainer.

That's what I said, that the person should have waited until the end of the song. The argument was that safety services/site crew don't have time to give people the benefit of the doubt and wait until the end of song to ask discreetly for a pass. I was pretty much lambasted by management and well-known performers for suggesting otherwise, lol. I understand the argument that SS has a lot to deal with, and if it is an emergency I certainly can understand not waiting... but I also can't imagine a musician playing a song posing enough of a threat to call it an emergency. I also don't know if it was SS who interrupted her-- my guess is that it was more likely site crew.

I never thought advocating for common courtesy would be so controversial, but evidently I was wrong.

[Kiss-me-Kate]

.... evidently a musician was interrupted in the middle of a song and asked to show her pass to prove that she was a cast member and not an unauthorized busker. There is a big discussion as to whether this was warranted.

This goes way beyond rude, and in no way could this be warranted. This was someone flexing their muscles, and if I were the management, the person would have been fired immediately.  If there was a question, the offender should have waited until the end of the song, then QUIETLY spoken with the entertainer.

That's what I said, that the person should have waited until the end of the song. The argument was that safety services/site crew don't have time to give people the benefit of the doubt and wait until the end of song to ask discreetly for a pass. I was pretty much lambasted by management and well-known performers for suggesting otherwise, lol. I understand the argument that SS has a lot to deal with, and if it is an emergency I certainly can understand not waiting... but I also can't imagine a musician playing a song posing enough of a threat to call it an emergency. I also don't know if it was SS who interrupted her-- my guess is that it was more likely site crew.

I never thought advocating for common courtesy would be so controversial, but evidently I was wrong.

Perhaps Nessa will chime in.  Personally, I get my pass out and make it visible about ten to.   That way, if I am in the middle of a transaction, or putting stuff away when SS comes through, I don't have to stop what I am doing to dig it out to present it.  I don't envy their job at all.  People are down right nasty to them, and they are usually just doing their job 99.9% of the time. 

[Merlin the Elder]

Your performers didn't agree with the courtesy idea???  Good grief! Is that festival so besieged by trouble that the SS cannot wait 2 minutes?

[MissBubu]

We get a fair amount of playtron buskers. They plop themselves down, toss out their hats, and take tips. Every dollar in their hats is a dollar out of ours.

[Gauwyn of Bracknell]

We get a fair amount of playtron buskers. They plop themselves down, toss out their hats, and take tips. Every dollar in their hats is a dollar out of ours.

I swear they just give me money for my good looks    (just kidding of course, anyone who does that should be publicly flogged)

[Merlin the Elder]

What good looks, Gauwyn? 

Miss Bubu, it sounds like something needs to be done, but harassment of their own entertainers isn't it. At Scarby, for example, any and all entertainers and cast wear a large medallion prominently displayed.

Had I witnessed such a confrontation at faire, it would have left a very sour taste in my mouth.

[Muffin]

I'd be curious to know if this pass check happened during the middle of the day or at the end of the day when they do the push? That would make a difference...