Tweet
So say that you're a brand new group that's formed from two other groups. You want to get your name out there and participate in an upcoming medieval fair. Well, here boys and girls, is how to do it and how not to do it.
How to correctly do it: Submit your application, set up your campsite. On the first day, go around to other groups and introduce yourselves. Alternately, have other groups welcome you.
How not to do it: Make claims that another group is not properly registered and lacks current public liability insurance. Demand (and receive) donations and special treatment in order to attend the fair. Such special treatment includes exemptions to new rules that have been put in place supposedly to combat "abuse" of permits (ie who's there for a free ticket and who's actually contributing?). When called out on those claims, start slandering other groups and stating that they deserve the treatment due to assisting in other areas in past years. (this is not the case)
End result: Another group got wind of the shenanigans and posted them all over Facebook. Now there's a lot of mudslinging and arguing over who's right, who's wrong and so forth. The group that had the claims made against them were told to NOT attend the fair (partially because said group were among the ones who made the claim of unfair treatment). Another group pulled out prior to this crap due to some other issues (excessive campsite size being one of them).
Either way, I'm just watching the drama unfold
How to correctly do it: Submit your application, set up your campsite. On the first day, go around to other groups and introduce yourselves. Alternately, have other groups welcome you.
How not to do it: Make claims that another group is not properly registered and lacks current public liability insurance. Demand (and receive) donations and special treatment in order to attend the fair. Such special treatment includes exemptions to new rules that have been put in place supposedly to combat "abuse" of permits (ie who's there for a free ticket and who's actually contributing?). When called out on those claims, start slandering other groups and stating that they deserve the treatment due to assisting in other areas in past years. (this is not the case)
End result: Another group got wind of the shenanigans and posted them all over Facebook. Now there's a lot of mudslinging and arguing over who's right, who's wrong and so forth. The group that had the claims made against them were told to NOT attend the fair (partially because said group were among the ones who made the claim of unfair treatment). Another group pulled out prior to this crap due to some other issues (excessive campsite size being one of them).
Either way, I'm just watching the drama unfold
It still does cast some doubt on the reasons for their temporary "ousting", most of which I suspect is to do with the group that made the claims. 
(on top of that of the two groups that this group formed from, one group is virtually unknown outside of the medieval fighting community and the other group is virtually unknown outside of their town) 
Comment