Rennie Memories 1986 & 1987 (KCRF Years 9 & 10)

[grnvixen]

From the anniversary book to kick things off:

1986: 7 weekends, Sept 6 – Oct 19th 10th Annv! Attendance: 120,000. K&Q: Michael & Marilyn Marzella for Sept. Stamberger & Kathleen Woods K&Q for Oct. Projects: St George’s fountain, Barbicon, Dragon Swing, Barrel of Bedlam. Spangler still doing poster.

1987: Sept 5 – Oct 18. record opening weekend: 28,126. King & Queen: The Marzellas as Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Projects: mud pit stage, Bard’s Berm, Black Knight in SCA dell (actually an SCA project), face lift for Mermaid . Staff change mid-season; Gale & Marganna replaced by Marilyn Ruedy. Festivals Inc. still consulting.

As usually, cut for length.


The latter years at the shop run together a little for me. Things that I do remember was the Marzella’s as King and Queen, and Marilyn running up the lane in front of the shop in her chain mail headdress. Also, on the ONE day I wasn’t there, someone brought out a ranch-raised fox that needed a home. I think it was the Marzella’s who ended up adopting it. I was told it did spend some time at the shop, curled up under the counter. Missed it, drat!

By now we also had a pretty nice setup at the shop. The addition was roofed, which provided a little extra room to stash ‘stuff’, or that someone could retire to if they need a quick nap. We were doing pretty good cooking on the hibachi and almost looked forward to the cooler weather as an excuse for cocoa or corn on the cob.

1986 was the last year we had the neighboring shop that had started with us on the west side, the kite shop. Kathy made original windsocks and kites and did fairly well for several years. A couple of frontgaters helped her out and that is how we got to know Jim and Lisa. The kites also came in handy the day DH and David (my faithful shophelp) decided to ambush Simpkin.

One of Sandy’s established street bits was to try and get the little kids w/ the wooden swords to take him on, then he would use his bota to give them a bit of a dousing, all in good fun of course. He had gotten enough folks outside the shop that our guys decided to give him a little fun back and laid in wait for him during parade. Sandy always led the parade at this time so on the day in question the guys had given the dancers that usually followed him a heads-up to drop back as they approached the shop. As Sandy came up the hill they let loose from the top of the shop and another advantage point across the street. Sandy got a few shots back but, naturally, could not break from the parade to give chase. As soon as the parade was over however he was back and there was a running water fight up and down the lanes for awhile with the kites (with Kathy’s permission) being used as shields. Those of us not directly engaged in the chase were laughing our heads off in the shop :)!

1987 was the year the current swill pond was created. Faire had finally done something about the erosion behind the shop by digging a new channel across the back of what is now the wharf area, cutting off the loops of creek that used to go through the area. It would be nice to think they did this because of the erosion but it was actually to create the swill pond, which is in a part of the old creek bed. Obviously it was the best place in faire for this as it hasn’t moved since. The shop had a bird’s eye view of the show and since the bank was usually pretty crowded patrons would try and watch from our vantage point. This made it a little difficult to conduct business so we had to find polite ways to move them on their way. Most got the hints but there were always a few stubborn ones.

The aroma from the pond was also very, errrr, aromatic :). Fortunately an herb store had taken the place of the kite store on our other side so we had ready access to supplies with which to combat the stench. It was actually only bad for the first week or two, then the guys finally got enough bleach into it and we did pretty good the rest of the run. This was the year we got to know the Belly Timbre guys. They were also the ‘poster boys’ for this year’s poster. Joke is, the pic was actually taken in the parking lot of one of the Texas faires :).

1987 saw several shops demolished as it was ‘discovered’ that they were built over a buried natural gasline, a serious no-no. There were some of the original shops so they had been there for at least 10 years at this point. This was the big news all summer as we were prepping for faire. I don’t remember all the details (D., do you?), and indeed, had almost forgotten about it. Supposedly someone was pissed-off at the faire/office, knew about the gaslines, and threatened to tattle, eventually making good on the threat. Several shops had to be removed over the line, including the large tourney box in the SCA Dell (the pipeline runs just under one edge of the fighting field there). Later, the only reason the SCA could build the demo booths, that are still there now, was by getting special permission and making them, technically, moveable (if you look, there are no sunken posts on these buildings). I think the other places shops were removed was to the left/north of the shop behind Merlin’s Berm and down by the bridge below the berm. Bonner Springs was starting to enforce more building codes on shops at this time so the mess with the gaslines didn’t help.

I also remember 1987 as the year the office got turned over, and Festivals Inc. really began taking over the faire. I never heard how much the fiasco with the gasline had to do with it but by sometime in August the staff hired by the KC Art Institute was out and the new office staff was in, to be more directly hired/managed by Festivals Inc.



Having greatly enjoyed rougewench’s postings embellished with her photos I am trying to dig out and scan some of my pictures from these years as well. It is going to take awhile however so I am going to keep posting and will add pics later.

Comments

[bountifulpots.livejournal.com]

Yay! Finally things I remember! I was there for all of it, but I didn't really get involved in anything until 86, when I was in court... I SO rememeber the turn over the next year, too, yikes that was a mess.

[rougewench.livejournal.com]

Yes, I know more of the details of what happened with regard to the gas line. Buried gas lines like that generally have a 40-foot to 50-foot no-build easement area centering on the line itself. Nothing permanent can be built in the easement areas.

As far as I understand it, there was a particular gentleman, who had been a psychic at faire for a number of years (who also attempted and failed miserably at starting his own Renaissance Festival), who was the one that blew the whistle. This was a simple phone call, of course, because shit was definintely built in that easement area that should never have been (because frankly, the construction itself could have fucked with the line...explosion city). They bulldozed the entire easement area of every thing lying in it...trees, booths, everything. It took the SCA tourney box...it's why there are only fences going Northeast of the Dell...it's why there are only fences up the hill to the back of foodland and the fence out of the other side. It is what controls the placement of the Town Hall/Pub...it is what took out the shops and huge trees that were where the pony ride is now and will remain...it is why there is only an audience area at that little stage that is haybales and why the path is so wide up to the exit gate on that side of the shop that used to be the flower shop. I don't know how they got around the gate being on top of it, unless, it runs out the exit gate...hard to say.

There were other problems that happened, that if they happened as they were related to me would constitute direct sabatoge...but I've never really put credence into the stories other than the knowledge that one morning in 1988 or 1989, the staff was more tense than usual and there was talk of us possibly not opening that day due to a gas leak.

I don't think the gasline problem had anything to do with the turnover. I think it had everything to do with Marie Evans' retirement. The Art Institute didn't have anyone who wanted to keep dicking with the faire, even if it did bring in some money (although their deal was a cut of the profits after all expenses, which included the consulting fee to Festivals, Inc.) and all monies raised thusly went into their facilities account (building upkeep). They only did two fundraisers...the faire, and a wasail feast which was held every other year (I worked a couple of those). They kept doing the feast for quite a few years after their involvement with the festival had ended.


D.

[grnvixen.livejournal.com]

So post it :).

[grnvixen.livejournal.com]

50 feet either way sounds right because I remember something about a 100 foot rule for clearance. And I don't know about later, but I think they had to check the whole line that ran through faire (hence all the buldozing) because of possible unreported damage to the line sometime during fair's early years.

Gale and Marganna were definately getting crispy, and I think Marie was worn down fighting with some AI members that no longer wanted to mess with faire. Wish she had been able to bow out on a happier note.

[rougewench.livejournal.com]

By turnover, I meant the Art Institute crew, per se. Marganna, from what I understood at the time, lost it under the pressure and bailed or was let go...but you know, I don't know anyone who works directly for Peterson who isn't driven insane by him...


D.

[starstraf.livejournal.com]

So the preson I though might have a copy of the meomroy book dosen't — can I borrow yours for a bit sometime?

[grnvixen.livejournal.com]

You mentioned a scanner and I had a 'well-DUH' moment :). If it is slow enough around here this week, I'm going to give it a try on the one here at work. Could be a little problematic as the background on just about every page is black. I'll let you know how it comes out. Feel free to email me direct; grnvixen *at* yahoo dot com.