[at-l] Camping for the Gathering and the Use of Alcohol

[spiriteagle99 at hotmail.com (Jim and/or Ginny Owen)]

Sly wrote:
>Are there REALLY rules at the Folklife Center prohibiting alcohol on the
>property OR inside the buildings?  I can't honestly ever recall seeing a 
>sign or
>poster and no one, including the folks at ALDHA, has ever come out and
>mentioned it before last year.

Yes - there are rules.  And the request has been made every year that I've 
been at the Gathering - with the possible exception of the Carlisle 
Gathering.  I don't remember about that one.  The "no alcohol" request was 
also made in the Gathering program until sometime in the mid-90's (probably 
Carlisle), then it was dropped for some unknown reason.  It also slipped 
through the cracks when I did the Gathering program.  I thought it was there 
- that'll teach me to think.  However - it DID show up in the program again 
last year when we realized it was gone.

>Was an over flowing trash can the main beef?   Although unfortunate,
>something like that can easily be corrected.  I keep hearing of "problems" 
>but other
>than left over trash and light sleepers complaint of late night noise, 
>nothing
>else has ever been made public.  Has either venue complained of these or 
>other
>problems?

Answers - No, there have been continuing low level problems that haven't 
been advertised and yes.

>I understand that the Folklife Center facilities may be loaned for FREE, 
>but
>what about the $500 donation passed at the spring meeting?  Doesn't that 
>count
>for anything?

Nope - it's free to me and thee - that's what counts. Well, that and the 
Folklife Center rules.  The donation is just that - a donation, a gift - not 
rent, not a fee, not a bribe, and not required.

>Whatever, it's apparent the members that like to "have a couple" will be
>seeking other  places to camp, thereby relieving the friction, and will 
>take the
>"dregs" with them.  Afterall, if they're not banned, someone has to care 
>for
>them.

Unfortunate, but true.

To be honest, this thing has been brought to a crisis point by those few 
who, as the expression goes - "cain't hold their likker."  BUT - they've 
been aided and abetted by those who hand out the beer without restriction.  
The REALLY unfortunate part is that most of those people show up once, do 
their damage and never come back again.  Also keep in mind that one day not 
too far down the road, one of those so-called "dregs" is likely to do 
something stupid - and never get the chance to do anything stupid again. And 
that's when the lawyers will get involved.  I don't need that, ALDHA doesn't 
need that - and the community doesn't need that.  But that's where we were 
heading.

Now - I don't have time to do multiple posts today so - for TJ -
I don't need to repeat Warren's words - I have my own, thank you.

The trash can at the Folklife Center, in fact, is "my" story - not his.  And 
it was big enough to begin with, so it doesn't have any need to grow.

Finally - for what it's worth - I agree with Warren about the bridge jump.  
I don't do it - but I'm glad that someone else still tells Mrs Grundy to 
take a long walk off a short pier.  <G>

Oh yeah - those who do the jump are volunteers - nobody's forcing them or 
paying them.
Walk softly - and kick over the traces,
Jim