Isabelle Fawkes
06-05-2008, 03:19 PM
Much as this saddens me to write I feel the local needs to be informed regarding our lack of a hostel at Scarborough. During the six week period prior to faire many misunderstandings offered stumbling blocks in retaining our hostel location. So enough "he said, she said" here is where things stand…
First on the agenda are the new rules at the faire stating that "no one who is not affiliated with the shop through ownership, management, or employment" may be in the common areas behind the shops. Since the local wenches do not fall under any of these headings we are considered a separate organization sharing the use of a shop and fall under different guidelines. We would also have to have permission from every shop owner sharing the common area before we could gain access to said area.
At the insistence of the owners, our Madame approached faire to receive written permission to use the shop, no one from management informed us of the new regulations. It was not until a week before opening day that the vendor received their package and this came to light. At this point the owners became angry, instead of informing us of the problem, and became difficult to work with. Faire also insisted to know which shop we would be affiliated with in the future so they could make sure the guidelines are being followed.
Second on the agenda was the past conduct of a handful of wenches that jeopardized our standing with the shop owners. Because the owners heard about these past indiscretions (such as behavior of inebriated individuals, abuses of alcohol, verbal confrontations and inappropriate conduct between guild members and the shop's staff) they were leery of having the wenches associated in any way with their shop. This led to further estrangement of the new owners with the guild.
Third on the agenda was the insurance issue, which is the largest controversy of the list. With the new stipulations enacted by faire management the shop was required to have a certain type of liability insurance. The new owners never clarified the reason behind the insurance bill presented to them by faire just that someone (the wenches) needed to pay the bill or no hostel. This happened one week before faire started and led to even more animosity between us and the owners.
One recommendation presented to the local during these talks was to raise enough money to build our own shop, buy a preexisting one, or erect a tent/pavilion in order to have a permanent hostel at faire. The hostel would then be required to sign the same contract as vendors, provide the same type of liability coverage, pay the same fees and share the same responsibilities to maintain the illusion of the festival. This scenario means coming up with a considerable outlay of cash from the local members in order to establish and then maintain a site at faire. This in turn negates the reason for establishing a hostel on site.
As you all know Scarborough is a small community and rumors run wild within its boundaries. So because of past indiscretions and present animosity between the shop owner and the local I do not foresee establishing a hostel at Scarborough anytime in the near future.
Most faires do not have permanent hostels for the guild. Indeed a lot of faires do not have hostels at all. While a hostel is nice to have, it is not a necessity. We did very well this year without a hostel. We found a place to gather and we socialized with each other. So I suggest, for the time being, we again find a place to gather and to socialize with each other next year and hope circumstances change to our benefit.
First on the agenda are the new rules at the faire stating that "no one who is not affiliated with the shop through ownership, management, or employment" may be in the common areas behind the shops. Since the local wenches do not fall under any of these headings we are considered a separate organization sharing the use of a shop and fall under different guidelines. We would also have to have permission from every shop owner sharing the common area before we could gain access to said area.
At the insistence of the owners, our Madame approached faire to receive written permission to use the shop, no one from management informed us of the new regulations. It was not until a week before opening day that the vendor received their package and this came to light. At this point the owners became angry, instead of informing us of the problem, and became difficult to work with. Faire also insisted to know which shop we would be affiliated with in the future so they could make sure the guidelines are being followed.
Second on the agenda was the past conduct of a handful of wenches that jeopardized our standing with the shop owners. Because the owners heard about these past indiscretions (such as behavior of inebriated individuals, abuses of alcohol, verbal confrontations and inappropriate conduct between guild members and the shop's staff) they were leery of having the wenches associated in any way with their shop. This led to further estrangement of the new owners with the guild.
Third on the agenda was the insurance issue, which is the largest controversy of the list. With the new stipulations enacted by faire management the shop was required to have a certain type of liability insurance. The new owners never clarified the reason behind the insurance bill presented to them by faire just that someone (the wenches) needed to pay the bill or no hostel. This happened one week before faire started and led to even more animosity between us and the owners.
One recommendation presented to the local during these talks was to raise enough money to build our own shop, buy a preexisting one, or erect a tent/pavilion in order to have a permanent hostel at faire. The hostel would then be required to sign the same contract as vendors, provide the same type of liability coverage, pay the same fees and share the same responsibilities to maintain the illusion of the festival. This scenario means coming up with a considerable outlay of cash from the local members in order to establish and then maintain a site at faire. This in turn negates the reason for establishing a hostel on site.
As you all know Scarborough is a small community and rumors run wild within its boundaries. So because of past indiscretions and present animosity between the shop owner and the local I do not foresee establishing a hostel at Scarborough anytime in the near future.
Most faires do not have permanent hostels for the guild. Indeed a lot of faires do not have hostels at all. While a hostel is nice to have, it is not a necessity. We did very well this year without a hostel. We found a place to gather and we socialized with each other. So I suggest, for the time being, we again find a place to gather and to socialize with each other next year and hope circumstances change to our benefit.