I noticed on http://festivalinthepark.org/ that Charlotte’s “Festival In the Park” this weekend is still going ahead as scheduled, despite the Charlotte riots and curfews. I was wondering how that is working out. Are the artists and crafters actually setting up? What were they told by the promoter? Will anyone show up tomorrow and Sunday? Are the police actually able to provide credible security?
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Interestlingly, I was in Madison, Indiana this past weekend. On Saturday AM the show organizers came around saying that the KKK had scheduled a rally a few blocks away from the show, but that the police were aware and taking precautions. The rally was to start at 1:00 and go on to 4:30. Then we heard that Hanover College students were going to protest the rally. A couple of hours before the scheduled rally time, sheriff's deputies, local police and state police began arriving. There was a van that appeared and 6 large men in riot gear got out. A bit later they headed down toward the river to the park where the rally was to take place. They returned within the hour. 11 Klan members were the only people who showed up, we heard, and they all left before 1:30. The show attendance was down somewhat that day, but it was also pretty warm. We didn't suffer from the lowered attendance, but some of our friends did.
I am concerned about safety also, Reid. I just went to their FB page. Seems it did occur and there were no problems, although there was some talk about whether to attend or not. I don't believe this is near where the rioting is, but don't really know the neighborhoods. Some more info: https://www.facebook.com/festivalintheparkcharlotte/
Thanks, Connie. I’m fine, but I am not at the festival. I had considered attending the festival to check it out as a potential future venue, but the riots made me change my mind. That made me start to wonder: if I were in the festival this year, would canceling be the prudent thing to do?
In 10 years if doing art festivals, I have never canceled. My instinct is to set up and do my best, no matter what. But that has made me wonder under what circumstances would not setting up actually be the prudent thing to do. It occurred to me that the situation in Charlotte this weekend might be exactly that type of circumstance. So I am interested to hear from those artists who participated.
Obviously it is in the city’s interest to go ahead and hold the festival to prove that everything is under control, whether it is or not. But the city administrators making that decision have offices in high-rises with security guards at the door, and they go home to the suburbs. The artists, meanwhile, who make the show happen, are exposed to everything. Also, the riots almost certainly concentrated the police to focus on particular parts of the city, leaving areas such as the Festival in the Park unguarded and an open invitation to thieves, etc. For the rioters, igniting the whole tent row at the festival might also have been irresistible. So hence my questions about the prudence of participating.
Well, I just found this article from 9.23 that the show will go on ... http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article103785096.html
Hope all is well with you, Reid.
I do remember a fair number of years ago some very unruly crowds at an art fair on Tryon Street and a lot of theft. This is certainly a different situation.