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I don't know who makes up the schedule for this event but only having the beer and bands go from 4 PM to 8 PM on Saturday night is just flat out stupid. You'd think that after a quarter of a century long event would have a good idea as to what works and what doesn't and I just can't imagine the schedule offered as making any kind of good sense financially.
I'll continue by stating, look at the difference between the Pork in the Park event and the Salisbury Festival. For starters, GET THIS, the vendors were charged $400.00, (including power) at Pork in the Park. The Salisbury Festival charges a minimum of $700.00 and that does NOT include power!
The Police presence at both events was night and day. Pork in the Park only had Sheriff's Deputies while the Salisbury Festival had private security guards, Salisbury Police Officers, County Sheriff's Deputies AND Correctional Officers to boot!
Oh, and if you weren't aware, the Salisbury Festival costs YOU the taxpayer around $300,000.00 to pull off! I should not forget the difference between Rides and Tickets. In Salisbury, many Rides cost 3 tickets while these same Rides in Pork in the Park only cost 2 tickets.
In closing, the event was much smaller this year than it was last year. Last year you couldn't budge, seriously. It was a more social event last year but the economy is one part of it. Another part is the lack of respect towards local politicians. More and more people have become disappointed in what they're seeing and they're simply giving up. I expect a record turn out for the Mayoral Election.
17 comments:
Joe:
Since Tilghman became mayor this event has gone from a real community affair to a third rate commercial carnival. If you are correct about the $300,000 in public funds - or even half right - it needs to be ditched ASAP (no pun intended).
Pork in the Park started out at $175 for a 10x10 vending space. Those using electric always pay more no matter where you go. What is the rate now with no electric?
The civic center charges $25 to plug a cash register in for 2 days. Some events there they charge even more.
Seriously, IS this a budgeted item?
How can an event such as this cost the city? With the vendors paying and the sponsors paying how can this still cost the taxpayers? If so, anon 9:25 is right...it needs to be ditched.
I agree the festival has become a third rate commercial carnival. I remember as a teenager the Salis Fest was the happening place to be. We made a trip out there Saturday afternoon so our daughter could enjoy the rides. I was disappointed to see that 90 % of the ride workers who obviously didn't want to be there, were allowed to smoke during their shifts. There were some rides where the workers had to assist people on and off the rides and the whole time had a cigarette in their hand. I do understand they were outside but they were also working at a public event. We were very careful to leave well before dark as the crowd always seems to get worse as the sun goes down. The price, the atmosphere and crowd just aren't worth it anymore....we would rather spend the money in Ocean City.
That looks like a ghost town. I've seen more people on the boardwalk during a hurricane. Just another failure here in Poo River City.
There's also a big unbudgeted cost to the City of Salisbury -- the Mayor has city personnel out doing set up work for weeks in advance.
This thing needs to be shut down for good fron now on.
we went Friday night. It appeared to me that everybody was having a great time and you saw No signs of a up coming recession. People were eat drinking and being merry. I'm sure Powellville fire dept cleaned up. The oyster sandwichs were great and the lines were long, people were eating up. Good food and fun, we enjoyed ourselves.
I look forward to the festival every year. oyster fritters, yum yum the ones at Pork in the park were the worst that i've ever had. I didnt care for pork in the park at all. Salisbury festival i alot better. Powellville has the best oysters.
People don't go at night because just about every year since I can remember, there is always some drama going on with all the older kids and young adults running around playing gang banger. I personally wouldn't waste one dime on that dump of a festival in that dump of a town. And can someone please suggest to the city that if they want a better turn out, schedule the festival when there are not ten other festivals going on. We have all summer to hold outside festivities, why do they all have to be in the same two spring months.
It does appear it is time to rethink this festival and either insure it does not cost the city a bunch of unrecovered money or just don't do the festival anymore. Most peopele prefer the Pork in the Park gathering to this festival. Time to close it down, I do believe.
A. Goetz
For what this "festival" costs the City, they could close the Downtown Plaza to traffic and restore it to what it was in the 1960's and 1970's. Under Barrie Tilghman it has become atrocious.
The "CBD" is so abysmal that I've stopped going there at all.
When we look for items to cut out in these serious economic times, isn't the loss of this activity fairly painless? If we are spending $300,000 to do this, someone should be recalled before next weekend.
If I want to be overcharged for food and fun rides, I'd at least have an oceanfront view.
In the past people like Frank Perdue and Richard Hazel helped a big deal to promote the area. With them gone, now the city will want taxpayers to fund the mayors wants here in election year. Very bad choice in an election year, the taypayers are jammed up now.
I remember Jim Mathias telling me how he got $1,000,000 in sponcer money just to have a favorite soft drink of Ocean City. That was a very creative revenue source, we need more of that here in the 'Bury.
Recalling would take our focus off of the city's slight of hand tricks, Forget it. By the time we got around to doing that, then another 30 days for a special election, it will be time to beat feet on the street for the next election. We have a lot of hard work to do, stay positive, carefully select our battles and prepare for the next election with facts.
We decided to ditch the Mare Fest and head to Vienna for the Shad Festival.......very low key, old fasion fun and good food! At 2:00 when we arrived the hamburgs & hot dogs were 1/2 price, for 5 bucks we got 2 drinks and 2 sandwiches. We took a cruise on the river for $2 bucks an adult and kids of all ages were free. No fancy rides or $3 per turn games just old fashion springtime fun! Touching a fish or turtle kept my Niece more entertained than a $3 carnival ride. Thank goodness for simple wholesome fun! Sad to say we made a stop at the Salisbury Fest for the rides at the end of the day. Brief visit, ample security......we even got to see one of Salisbury's finest (SPD) try for a prize at the basketball game.....my only thought was.....WOW I am actually paying this gut to help keep things in check and he is trying his best to win the biggest stuffed object in sight. It's a shame we didn't catch Bubba in the fritter eating contest.
I did the trip to Vienna on Saturday, too -- what a great Shad Festival.
PS - I smiled as I drove past Salisbury but didn't even think about doing that honky tonk carnival they had.
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