I know it's too early to bring up tarp line suggestions, but...

[completejohn]

My group dove into the tarp line this year, after years of just playing around the edges (getting there at 6 or 7 am), by throwing out the sacrificial non-sleeper for the overnight freeze fest.  And with that sacrifice comes long discussions of ways to make it better.  So here's ONE idea.

That ice rink over there.  Yeah, that one.  The one with the nice warm bathrooms that were only open 4 hours a day.  The one with a roof and walls.  The one that is totally EMPTY while a couple hundred of us freeze just outside.  How much would it cost to rent that for, say, 12 hours a day?  I bet it would be REALLY inexpensive!

I don't know about the rest of the tarp runners, but I would gladly pay an extra buck, or an extra FIVE bucks a night to have the line form inside.  Take my money and pay a security guard, a daily clean-up crew and rent to the village.  Take what's left and give it to a charity.  Take it and put it towards carbon offsets!  Whatever, but let us line up with a LITTLE bit of comfort (there's no heat in there).

Oh, I know there's a certain pride that goes along with "I stayed out here freezing my butt off all night" and "TRADITION" and "no pain, no gain".   But as an old fart, I vote for a LITTLE easier time of it.

Just an idea...  Any thoughts?

 Listening to: Eat a bowl of shitake mushrooms...

[annpete]

Great idea....

 Listening to: Sarah Jarocz - First Grass

[DukTapeMan]

You bunch of pansies....

[completejohn]

 
HA!  I KNEW someone would take the high road!  Such traditionalists!

My other suggestion:  if we're gonna be outside, let's do it naked!  Or how about lining up in the river? 

There's nothing wrong with a little comfort (and yes, I know that Southern Comfort helps, too!).

[Bevin]

You bunch of pansies....

I'm with Duk Tape Man on this one. The line is outdoors. On the ground. In the dirt. Where it's always been.

If we got an indoor line in the Park, just think of what those Town Line people would be saying about us!

[darbwa]

If you start having the line indoors, it will only get longer earlier.  People will be staking out a place in line on Wednesday for the Sunday show.  I would go the other way and say instead of one number, one tarp - one number, one 10'x10' tarp.  No more of one person freezing all night for a group of 20.  But whatever...

[John R]

You bunch of pansies....

I'm with Duk Tape Man on this one. The line is outdoors. On the ground. In the dirt. Where it's always been.

If we got an indoor line in the Park, just think of what those Town Line people would be saying about us!

I know what I'd be saying...

[completejohn]

OK,so I'm a wimp.  I'll just buy some electric socks. 

But that limited tarp size is something else that came up in the car on the way home.  The people next to me on 2 days had a tarp the size of my back yard.  It WAS amazing to see it roll out, but it also seemed a little unfair.  But getting tarp sizes reduced seems really, really difficult.

[KS]

Easy solution to the oversized tarps - have the tarp nazi do a walk-through immediately after the tarps are laid and pick up the tarps that are too large.  It would not require that much time or effort. 

IMO, carrying in a huge tarp, or more than one tarp is a bit unfestivarian-like.
 

[Bevin]

The festival rules, published in the program, used to limit tarp size to 7x7 feet. How can you fit more than a few people on a small tarp like that? Naturally, that rule fell by the wayside, as everyone has noticed.

All 4 days, my group rolled out a 10x20 footer. All 4 days we shared and invited others to sit with us to the filling point. One day, we didn't even have room for ourselves, and we didn't ask any to move, so even though we'd spent the night in line, we ended up squatting ourselves. It was all good. The squatters on our tarp bought us beer, we made friends and I never saw anyone refuse anyone space on an empty tarp.

So that's the problem from my perspective - people who don't play well with others.

If you're on a large tarp, prepare to share. If you have no tarp, prepare to squat. Train your neighbors; pull out your pocket-sized copy of the Festivarian bill of rights, explain the rules; make new friends. People who refuse others empty tarp space are the ones who should be removed by the tarp nazis.

A legit MC making public service announcements wouldn't hurt either. Why we have this world-class festival with amateur MC's is still beyond me. I miss Pastor Mustard, too.

[Debbiefromtucson]

I'm agreeing with Bevin on this one..

 Oh and I miss Pastor Mustard as well...  I can just hear him now during the breaks reminding all "to share and pick up your trash."

[Camping Queen]

I agree with the folks re:tarp sizes.  Football size for 2 people seems a little unfair.  This was our first time, and while most everyone was great. The ones that were asked if we could share a corner, just to pile our camel backs on, were rudely denied.  There are some in every group.  But thanks to the ones who shared graciously and were a pleasure to be around. 

[newatTBF09]

Totally agree that tarp size should be limited. Saw so many empty tarps the size of a 1 bedroom apartment. And then there were those that were empty almost all day where we were. Its just wrong. SO many people want to get a spot to enjoy the music and so many others just take advantage like that. I say tarp nazis are a must!!!  If you have a large group, then just have more than 1 person brave the cold and carry a second tarp- It ain't rocket science, guys!!!
Tarps make it so freaking hot out there too. Might as well put burning sand on the ground.

 Listening to: Railroad Earth

[ruffnrocky]

Speaking of big tarps, I would have hated to be sitting behind the tarp that was about 70' long with the people playing that bean bag toss game on it .      Did anyone else notice that? It was to the right of the sound board on Fri. or Sat. Maybe it just me but I think that's disrepectful to the musicians not to mention the people sitting near by. So yes, enforce the tarp size rule!

[Auntie Hope]

Speaking of big tarps, I would have hated to be sitting behind the tarp that was about 70' long with the people playing that bean bag toss game on it .      Did anyone else notice that? It was to the right of the sound board on Fri. or Sat. Maybe it just me but I think that's disrepectful to the musicians not to mention the people sitting near by. So yes, enforce the tarp size rule!

One of those mornings I actually asked that group to leave room between their chairs and the fence so folks could get through and was told, "we don't have chairs, we dance", so the intent was to stand up all day, and that's exactly what they did, on the left side of the sound tower.

But Hey! They put their tarp down first, right!   

We had the same thing happen at Night Grass in 2008, with "free ticket from PB" folks slipping in at the last minute and STANDING right in front of the stage all evening, while most of the crowd had been there beforehand, supporting the restaurant and waiting hours for the show to start.

Perhaps these youngin's need to watch the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes"... poor little VW Bug............

Full Moon, Folks! 

Auntie Hope