I certainly hope by now, we can all agree that scalpers suck!
The news was all over town about Craig’s mild confrontation with one of the same.
Just wondering how festivarians and the Planet Bluegrass Folks felt about this topic?
So on Saturday we met some real nice folks, one of whom put down a chair in line around 4PM and then sat in it all night for Sunday. During a call to nature, line numbers were given out and Tyson, missed out, needless to say bummed.
I got into line around 6:30 BAU for me, no team.
Tyson was just a couple of folks in front and I wondered what had happened; well he explained, we commiserated and then we waited. About an hour maybe less before the gates opened, a couple of local boys came around selling their line numbers in the low to mid 30’s. I told them I wouldn’t buy one, but told them if they had any sense of decency they would give T one and as an incentive I offered to give them $20 bucks to do so, which they did.
Saw them again shortly before the gates opened and they had sold around 14 or so. Nothing against the kids, hey spending money is spending money, but was just curious as to the overall opinion on this type of behavior. Doubt there is any way to stop it completely or if there is eve a need to do so?
I’ve heard of paying or providing other incentives to kids from the campground to get them to do line duty, but to sell the line numbers seem quite un-festivarian.
I’m saddened to read this…headlight, major thumbs up to you for
your action!!
Plus, there were quite a few people this year during the evening
sets that were completely void of etiquette and manners. When
you are passing by a person in a crowd, what ever happened
to the phrase, “Excuse me.”
Yeah, I saw the kids wandering down the line holding up their numbers like they were trying to sell them. Very lame. This is the first year I’ve seen that happen. Maybe they are the evil spawn of the ticket scalper that Craig yelled at.
Well, I doubt they were related to the guy that Craig got heated up with, but you never know.
It appears they were local kids, just trying to make some cashola and in retrospect, whether you pay some kid beforehand or after the fact is sort of a matter of good planning or opportunity knocking.
If you are willing to pay someone to wait in line all night, its not a stretch to paying someone who has stayed in line all night with the expectation of a return on the time invested.
Not certain I even consider it unfestivarian, just was sort of curious if the Festival folks had any opinion on it, that’s all!
My pose get in line anywhere from 2:30-4AM to assure we get a great tarp space, and we do.
However folks that wait in line all night only to let 5 others in just before 6AM pretty much sucks.
As well as folks who set their blanket on your tarp at noon cause they would like a good seat and don’t even ecknowlege you or that they are on your space. This happened to me twice. And they were much younger than I.
If I am 53 and can manage to deal ,so can you. Please feel free to use my tarp, when I am not on it, however you need to be invited to stay , to remain when I arrive. :flower
I think we could police alot of this unfestivarian behavior ourselves.
I sat my chair down in line on Friday night next to a seat cushion assuming the person who owned it would show up sometime later. When I woke up noone was there. Miraculously someone shows up 30 seconds before the numbers do, stands on the frost covered cushion, and gets one number before mine (and everyone behind me). I sat there dumbfounded, it didn’t ruin my day, in the larger scope of things it wasn’t that big a deal, but it definitely was out of spirit and very uncool.
The guy grabs his number and takes off again leaving me scratching my head and in an early morning stew. :huh
When he showed back up with a tarp just before the gates were opening I made sure to let him know that he was off base and it was unfair for everyone else who played by the rules. He proceeds to justify it by pointing to a couple other people who he thought did the same thing. I reminded him that it was a bit like life in general, there’s always a few people who screw things up for everyone else, today just happened to be his day.
The next day he showed up at 7:00 and plopped his chair down at the end of the line. I should have thanked him but I missed the opportunity. If whoever it was happens to read this, no hard feelings, thanks, and cheers. :cheers
Get over yourselves! Its better than a bake sale! Or is it? :huh I think its great that kids are using their brains to make money! I’m sure you will all have a field day with this post, but hey, let’s not take this too far! Just have a great time, that’s what its all about! Policing?
Oh PLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAZZZZZZZZEEEE.
Nobody reported the selling of line tickets to me! I would been happy to buy one! Har Har! Come on guys, they were just innocent kids having fun and saw a shot! Line ticket scalpers! What next?
Once upon a time, a friend of mine had a treasure shop in Flagstaff. In that store was a genuine full size BOB BIG BOY statue, well over six feet tall. He and I paraded that statue all over (without a permit, hell, what did we know?) at a Route 66 Festival and took polaroids of anyone who would want to fork over $5 bucks to hang out with BOB.
YEP! We scalped the crap out of old BOB and the crowd loved it, and made some money. We sold off BOB later on in the weekend, to a woman, who had met her husband at a BOB’s and wanted to place the statue in their garden in homage for the love she had for her hubby, who was named BOB of course! hee hee! Love that story!
Do you really want MORE rules at TBF? NO. Everyone keep their cool. The FestiStaffians already have their hands full, full full!
You are so funny. My husband said the same thing, it’s a free enterprise.
I might NEED to buy that line number next year :lol
I would have paid 5 bucks for a Bob moment :medal
Dew - you are funny and I generally enjoy your posts… but I have to respectfully disagree with your post on this topic. How do you think it makes the people feel around you who actually froze their asses off on the hard ground all night? If the teenager happens to be in your camp and is willing to take on the line duty for some type of renumeration, that’s fine… but to just buy your place in line? Why don’t we just encourage Planet Bluegrass to sell places in line when they sell the TP tickets and the vehicle passes? It’s the same thing and I believe it to be unfestivarian… plain and simple.
But then again… so is putting chairs out at 2:00 PM in the afternoon the day before. I don’t know if anyone watched the battle between Claire and the other folks all weekend… every day the chairs went out a little earlier in an attempt to be the “first in line.”
This simply has to stop. I know the line topic has been considered somewhat unsavory in the past but it’s time to come to a community decision and then to ask for change.
xoxo Rhonny <-------- not a fan of the 2:00 PM line
Respectfully acknowledged, seems there is a real problem out there, and dambit, we needs to put a stop to all of it! NO line ups, no lottery, no hobo sleeping and certainly … NO FUN! Yeehaw! Let’s see if PLANET will hire Pinkerton’s armed guards to track down these perps and their pimps!
No Fun? Not sure someone who is saying that has experienced the line like I have. I certainly enjoy the line. On the first day it’s a reunion and a great time to catch up with old friends who I haven’t seen for a year. During the festival, heading out to the line(on the town side) is a nice way to take a break and hang out on the river, get some shade and visit. Hobo sleeping?? Camping out next to the river with an unobstructed view to the clear sky is one of the highlights. I guess some have a different festival experience than others, and mine is surely different than most.
The earlier and earlier start of the line is definitely a concern, and the dropping of unattended chairs is verboten, but the line polices itself and things even out ok, imo.
I agree with Rhonny…it’s time for it to stop. I don’t mind the line, it can be fun, and it’s part of the experience. Heck, I just wake up around 5:30-6:30, walk out, and get a number when possible. All 4 days that put me in the 150 range. That’s good enough for a good sunshade spot., and I don’t need to stay out there all night “not sleeping”
The policy on the line respectfully requests the line not start until the last act. It also states the policy is at the request of the festivarians. Claire ignores it, in complete disrespect of everyone else. That is by far one of the lamest ongoing parts of the experience. I don’t care about the line, the number, or where I sit…I care about the lack of respect.
Cheers Jeff… I thought I may have been the lone voice in the desert there… especially since I lost my beloved 420 rating as a result! :flower
I don’t know exactly what the answer is, but I do know that it’s time to give it some thought. If we don’t, before we know it people are going to be lining up on Tuesday for Thursday’s tarp run… and that is just plain and simple insanity.
xoxo R
P.S. I too think the line can be fun at night… but can’t we respect the “not until the last act” request, at the very least? Not all camps have multiple people willing to take their turn in line and they deserve a shot at their preferred space just as much as the bigger camps…but the way things go currently, they would have to miss the entire night of music every night. Again, unpopular subject and my “rating” will most likely take another hit, but such is life!
Hey, I lost mine about 3 years ago, and have no right to it anymore :lol
I don't know exactly what the answer is, but I do know that it's time to give it some thought. If we don't, before we know it people are going to be lining up on Tuesday for Thursday's tarp run... and that is just plain and simple insanity.
The worst part had to be the Wednesday line. Nothing better than spending your last “free day” before the festival sucking port-o-john fumes in the hot sun, missing potluck and the other campground activities, and hearing the tales of all your friends who got to go hiking, biking, picking, etc. I’ll never understand that, and I’ve been a part of this line madness for 19 years (since way before there was line madness)
I don’t think anyone wants more rules, it would just be nice if everyone played by the rules. If there were no “rules” there would be a 9:00 stampede every morning. :eek
Indeed, the line does police itself. Two years ago, the line police were picking a random time each night and taking all the empty chairs in the town park line and piling them in the middle of the volleyball court. Hilarious.
If you put a chair in line, it’s my opinion that you should occupy it, with the exception of trips to the bathroom or to get supplies or a fresh drink. But an unoccupied chair, sitting by itself all night, might just find its way out of line. A person should hold a spot in line, not an empty chair.
But I’ve got no idea how to manage the early 2:00pm line. If the Planet decreed a set time to start the line, then there would be an unofficial line forming nearby of people waiting to get in the official line. Some folks just can’t get enough of being in line!
Come on guys, they were just innocent kids having fun and saw a shot! Line ticket scalpers! What next?