Seems a bit unnessary ! (but i could be wrong)

Martin Cowley · Post by **Martin Cowley** » Tue May 02, 2006 8:58 am

Suzi n mark just got back from a trading show (wont say where or what period) they had a lovely time,nice new set of people and traders to meet etc but at the end of the day when the MOPs had gone they were looking forward to a relaxing drink with new peops after a hard days work,unfortunatly they were not allowed access to the beer tent at all simply because they did not belong to the society running the show,its ok to to sell us your stuff but you cant relax with us ,glad i wasnt there as i would have probably made an *rse of myself by questioning the rulling,where as suzi and mark are very reasonable,but personelly i think its a bit off.
This situation has never happened before and i was wondering if its only medievals that welcome new traders /re-enactors with open arms ?
They were left to sit in an empty traders site,not knowing anyone which didnt matter cos it was deserted anyway and quite lonely.
what do you think ? should traders be allowed dispensation to mingle ,i understand the need to keep MOP's etc out but surely traders of said show would be allowed ???

sally · Post by **sally** » Tue May 02, 2006 9:10 am

It does sound a little unusual. Was this made clear in whatever paperwork they had before attending the show?

steve stanley · Post by **steve stanley** » Tue May 02, 2006 9:17 am

Martin,
If it's the show I think it was....the Beer tent was a gazebo on the plastic campsite two miles away.....some people were staying in the town & used the local pubs...We finally got into town for a meal last night to recover from cold/wet/hurricane winds on the campsite......I can't believe access to to the beer would have been denied if anyone had been willing to trek out that far,....
Steve

Skevmeister · Post by **Skevmeister** » Tue May 02, 2006 9:20 am

I think that as traders you are as much of the show as the re-enactors and should be able to go to the facilities (especially if your paying for the space to trade in) I think that is a bit off personally. I personally have found it nice to be able to have a beer with the people I plan to buy off.

Skev

Martin Cowley · Post by **Martin Cowley** » Tue May 02, 2006 10:31 am

must be the same one steve,basically she was told "if your not a member you wont be allowed in" I didnt see the paper work (thats suzi's job LOL) but she didnt know before hand so im assumming it wasnt on there.though that was mark n suzi'z only gripe,otherwise the show was great during the day but they were very bored (and a lil lonely) on there own in the evening.where as she's usually chatting all night in the BT with friends etc she was looking forward to meeting new faces etc

(i on the other hand had a swaggering ly good time

)

Nigel · Post by **Nigel** » Tue May 02, 2006 10:49 am

Martin

If Steve was there I know which show she was at I wasn't there as was at Carlilse

In future tell Mark to look out for me if I am there same unit as Steve they will be more than welcome around our unit fire (if we have one).

Are they coming to any other events this year ?

Nige

m300572 · Post by **m300572** » Tue May 02, 2006 11:20 am

Sounds like the show I was at (as was Steve) - the guy on the stall said Martin was jerking at Cosmeston. If I had known there was a problem I could have given them a lift to the plastic site (where lurked the beer tent, on a fairly small scale - the tent covered the pumps and the shelter was a couple of long gazebo things - fortunately the weather was kind) - they would have had to trek back into Newark though, it was a couple of miles out.

As a policy keeping people out would have been impossible to enforce - i am sure there were a few local yoofs lurking in the tent one night in the hope of purchasing a few tinnies.

Skevmeister · Post by **Skevmeister** » Tue May 02, 2006 11:38 am

Yeah Mate I should have said that you need to go to the Hobgoblin, and drink copious amounts of wychwood on draught - hooo bloody rah..... And its only 5 mins walk from the Castle. And try snap on the boat restaurant next time too

Tuppence · Post by **Tuppence** » Tue May 02, 2006 12:22 pm

It sounds very odd, and quite over officious to me (perhaps they just spoke to the wrong person...)

Since it's now blatantly obvious where it was

, it is true that generally only members of the society would be allowed on the plastic site (and therefore to get to the beer tent), but I'd personally have thought that if you had a trader's pass, or paperwork or whatever, to prove you were trading, and not just some stray mop who had just wandered by, then there'd have been no problem.

Or I should say there should have been no problem.

You have my full sympathy - it's horrible trading at an event where you don't know anybody and end up all on your own.

In future tell Mark to look out for me if I am there same unit as Steve they will be more than welcome around our unit fire (if we have one).

Ditto - even if it's a "zen" camp fire!!

Debbie

X · Post by X » Tue May 02, 2006 12:55 pm

I'm not conversant with licensing laws, but possibly it could have been something to do with that. Different licencing regulations may apply for 'beer for you and your mates' and 'beer to sell to anyone who's thirsty'.

Alternatively, the 'home group' may have just wanted a place to sit and bitch about how nobody did as they said they would, everybody rolled up late, with the wrong kit, how even the person who was supposed to supply the good weather screwed up, and how you can't rely on anybody nowadays, it's not like it was in their young days...

Of course, it may have been complete miscommunication. This happens sometimes. The question you ask isn't the one heard by the person you're talking to. Or the person you're talking to answers the question they wish you'd asked. Or they're just talking, as they say, complete broken biscuits.

steve stanley · Post by **steve stanley** » Tue May 02, 2006 7:14 pm

Yes...As we've all identified "The-Event-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named"I must also regret the distances that stopped us drinking with a certain Scottish regiment...You were missed at the campsite guys!
Steve

Martin Cowley · Post by **Martin Cowley** » Wed May 03, 2006 9:33 am

suzi says thanx for the offers and will take people up on them next time lol,

,she also asked again to point out that all the people she met were lovely and that it was a nice change to be somewhere new

steve stanley · Post by **steve stanley** » Wed May 03, 2006 9:46 am

Yes,We're fundamentally lovely people......post in advance if you do another show in our period & hospitality shall be overflowing!!
Steve

Nigel · Post by **Nigel** » Wed May 03, 2006 10:38 am

I am known for my niceness

Simon_Diment · Post by **Simon_Diment** » Wed May 03, 2006 8:35 pm

We'd be shocked if you didn't join us for drinks around the fire at one of our bashes....

Nigel · Post by **Nigel** » Fri May 05, 2006 11:23 am

If at Festival of History you would be more than welcome at Pimms Hour

Laurie Wignall · Post by **Laurie Wignall** » Sun May 07, 2006 8:49 pm

The refusal of entry, should have nothing to do with the licensing act 2003, that wonderfully broken peice of legislation quirky as it is does leave many ways of getting beer to people.

One of the perks of being at a show, is for traders and re-enactors to get together in the beer tent and socialise and is one of the best parts of the show, no MoPs

Talk of battles past and present and find out what trader and re-enactor are going to need for the next season.

The beer tent, where in 12 years of running bars at events, I have only refused to serve a trader once on account of his inability to pronounce the drink he was after.

Tod · Post by **Tod** » Thu May 11, 2006 2:21 pm

Martin,
just for reference.
If you want to trade at a Sealed Knot event you have to be a member. I think this even includes the bar staff (?).
This is becuase of the tight camp site security. If you were trading on the public area you wouldn't be allowed into the plastic camp.
HOWEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you ever trade where Lace Wars are you can come and drink with us. Note this will involve a lot of Port.

If you chatted up Ed (Wina MacPod) you might even get fed.