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boodles07
Posts:1
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| 04/12/2008 12:21 PM |
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| I have been an attendee for the last 4 festivals and last year was by far the most "out of control" event at night. I love to have a cocktail or two and have fun like everyone else but at quiet hours it is time to shut up! I camped on the site and it did not get quiet until 2am and people were back up making noise at 5am...I absolutely will not sleep on site this year, I need to get a good nights sleep so I can ride all day, which is the point of a bike fest mostly no?
A message to the owners and staff, patrol and control quiet hours this year, it was simply unacceptable last year. I saw at least one other post complaining about the drunken rowdy people. Have fun, party, enjoy the music that is why I go but at 11pm, shut up, put down the beer and go to sleep and allow others to camp under the stars in peace..And this is not even addressing the polluters!!! |
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citykid
Posts:6
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| 04/14/2008 2:05 PM |
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| I'd have to agree. The fireworks and drunks howling at the moon were too much. I thought the venue was great though but we don;t want to see the local Police going through there like a couple years ago so we'll need to come up with some self policing. Also it would be great to mark the car lanes prior to Thursday when people started to show up. Some people got settled and had to move or got blocked in. Despite these issues I really look forward to this event every year |
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skiierx
Posts:21
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| 04/14/2008 10:24 PM |
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| I too have to agree that the partying needs to stop at 11, however I think my friends and I had a good site that did not really hear the late night antics (other than the fireworks). One thing that I would recommend all that attend is to invest in a pair of ear plugs. We learned our first year attending when the festival was in VT. I do have a feeling that this years event will be policed a little better.
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joan
Posts:46
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| 04/15/2008 2:41 PM |
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| Hi all,
Just wanted to weigh in on the comments about things being out of control last year. There were without question some very bad apples who spoiled a good deal of the fun for all of us - particularly on Friday night. (Believe me, we, the organizers don't enjoy stupid behavior any more than you do - we sleep there too AND we have to work the next day!)
Based on last year's experience there will be an increased State Police presence and we'll be doing more private policing of the venue. The most guilty of last year's offenders will NOT be returning but we can't promise that there won't be somebody else willing to step in and behave badly in their place. After all, nature abhors a vacuum. We are also retooling the venue layout and plan on having a more "family" oriented section of the campground too. We don't want to be terribly segregated but we want to provide people some options. One idea that's being bandied about at the moment suggests that Quiet Hours begin at 10pm in the Family area and keep it at 11pm throughout the rest of the venue - and if you opt in to the family area you are agreeing to keep those hours. It would at least provide an option.
That said, there's nothing like a little peer pressure and self-policing to drive the point home. The most important thing is for everybody to remember that they've got neighbors and to act respectfully toward each other. If that happens we'll all have a great time.
-Joan
I'll also be buying my own earplugs - good idea! After all, with a thousand people in a field absolute quiet will be elusive! |
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thrag
Posts:1
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| 04/19/2008 3:25 PM |
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| There was and is no reason why the onsite staff should give guests 3 warnings, 4 warnnings and then do nothing until the next morning. My friend left at 4am and did not return because of the noise. I still have doubts about returning. I would suggest that the organizers should say what they mean and mean what they say. If the rule is 11pm quiet time then that should be enforced, otherwise let it be a free-for-all and it will be a party weekend vs. a biking one. Thinking about last year still tics me off and the on-site staff let it happen. No excuses. |
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OLDANDSLO
Posts:1
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| 05/03/2008 10:54 PM |
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| I,ve attended allbut the first fest,I really don't think an increase of Staties is neede unless they are there to ride.Organizers and attendees have taken care of allthe problems. I seams the more police that are there the more problems ther have been. |
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joan
Posts:46
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| 05/07/2008 10:47 AM |
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| The Festival has requested increased the State Police presence at night because we take our participants' comments, feedback and safety seriously. We are not trained security professionals, we're bike people and are all about putting on a great, fun event that everybody enjoys. We feel that by having an increased and professionally trained safety and security presence we'll be doing a better job of ensuring that everybody has a good time. Self-policing goes a long way and I strongly encourage it -but we need to be prepared just in case. Cheers! |
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skiierx
Posts:21
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| 05/11/2008 4:34 PM |
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| Well said Joan! I have no problem with the stepped up presence of the State police, it will keep those that don't know what self control is in line for the weekend. |
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mibike_thomas
Posts:5
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| 05/16/2008 11:31 PM |
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| Barbed wire fence and semi-automatic weapons should do the trick.
It's sad when good events get labeled "out of control" ... err "OUT OF CONTROL" just because a few mud clumps decide to get a bit immature. You can't really blame the "bike people" organizers for having a difficult time dealing with that sort of person. Good people have a hard time laying the smack down.
I say if it happens again, we form a lynch mob, find the offenders and smack them around with seat posts. |
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Play-Doh
Posts:16
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| 06/12/2008 1:37 PM |
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You know, I see both sides. We have been goin to pedros for years, and some fun expected things are the disco tent, and hopefully someone playing a fun drinking game involving a dart board, or jarts, or some other such fun and frivolity. The beer garden and a band !!
Having spent many years at Killington, we see what police presence does to an event like mogul challenge. It totally destroys the event. It was a real shame to see what happened. Who to blame doesn't matter, it is all over for Mogul Challenge.
There are ways to manage events and have everyone happy. I am always surprised when I see people camped next to the disco tent saying 'hey, it was loud there' and being really surprised about it. Seriously, part of the fun is getting to party it up ! Some people as hard as it is to believe find that to be a seriously good time ! If you want to sleep in the dead calm of nature, a festival isn't that - that is my $0.02. It is a lot of people with a lot of tents, kids and drinkers and everything else all together. It is hard to manage those two worlds.
I get it, some people want to go to bed, and others want to stay up and party. To me "out of control" is a situation in which there is some danger - someone climbs a 100' tree hammered, or sets a fire, or something else totally stupid. I hardly think the noise at Pedros is "out of control". Of course, I can sleep if metallica is playing at the door of my tent, so doesn't bug me.
So how to appease the two groups ? I like the segregation idea - quiet area and noisy area. Maybe near the main festival area would be the loud section, where people wake up early and shower, festival starts, breakfast being served, cars and trucks driving by, bands and beer garden goin on. Then maybe off to the side somewhere, like that 1st entrance last year could be a quiet area for families, etc ? The disco tent was way over from there, so that could be a happy medium. 10pm quiet hours on one field, 2am on the other. Everyone happy. You need to make sure people know that on the way in though, for sure. I'm sure we can all get along !
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noahm
Posts:21
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| 06/15/2008 1:00 PM |
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| Play-Doh is right about the need to maintain two distinct areas with different expectations about noise, partying, etc. I don't have a problem with the disco tent, but I really don't want to discover at 9 PM on Friday, after a full day of riding, that I've set up my tent right next to it!
On the other hand, maybe it would work to keep the partying in the actual festival area, under the "big top" and let the noise continue later into the night there, while enforcing earlier quiet hours in the camping area. I wonder if the reported increased state police presence is going to end up bringing this about. I'm somewhat disappointed at the thought of having The Man roaming the festival, though...
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ReverendTed
Posts:3
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| 07/15/2008 11:14 AM |
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| One question... with one answer. Are you there to Party or Ride your Mountain bike? If it's party, go somewhere else. If it's to ride, then go to sleep, get up early and do just that: Ride. That's why I've been going to the festival for the last 12 years, to ride.
One must remember that we need to show the outside world that the festival attendees collective IQ is not that of a dish rag. We represent the mountain bike culture, as a whole, not single individuals. If one inconsiderate @#%!! decides it's his job to light off M-80's at 2 a.m., the authorities, residence and lawmakers point at "Mountain Bikers" as a whole and we all suffer. We must keep in mind that the reputation of the festival organizers and the whole mountain bike community is at stake when we gather. Whether if it's at a festival or at your local trail head, you as a person are responsible for how your local townspeople view Mountain Bikers.
If you want to party, be crazy, dance naked and get stupid drunk... fine, go ahead. Just keep it to yourself. Others may not care to share your way of life and probably would rather get a good nights sleep so they can ride well the next day.
This is a mountain bike festival where mountain bikers get together, share their experiences and enjoy the company of people who have a common interest in our environment and health and ride like there is no tomorrow.
The Roudy Drunk Festival is held in another town, in another state, on a different weekend.
Be kind, ride on, ride hard,
Reverend Ted |
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lardass
Posts:7
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| 07/15/2008 2:05 PM |
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| I agree with the Rev., we are here to ride, not act like drunken idiots. If you want to have a few beers and you are a responsible adult fine. Most of the troublemakers last year were a bunch of young punks with no respect for anyone. They are gonna fuck it up for everyone. |
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MtnBikerChk
Posts:17
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| 07/15/2008 9:18 PM |
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| I don't think anyone here disagrees that quiet hours should be quiet.
However, the suggestion for ear plugs is a good one. We were one row away from the "bad apples" last year on Friday night and I didn't hear a thing. And honestly I'm not a good camper and don't sleep well.
So let's hope the organizers are doing the right thing (because like it or not, there WILL BE more police there) and we'll all have an awesome time! |
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lardass
Posts:7
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| 07/16/2008 8:42 AM |
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| The more police the better. |
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skiierx
Posts:21
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| 07/16/2008 2:31 PM |
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| It would be kinda funny if some of the towns that have bike cops sent them so they could take some ride clinics! |
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Ride4Life
Posts:9
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| 07/22/2008 9:52 AM |
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| I wouldn’t say a few loud drunken people classify an event as "OUT OF CONTROL". I have been to countless festivals, and seen these people who stay up till 2am slamming beers. Its incredible when you see them pop out of their tent at 7am and go bang out 20 miles of riding after a night like that. But I have seen it done. Personally i cant drink to much or im garbage the next day(am im only 26), and i need a good nights rest. I also don’t like the comments about it being "young punks". I cant tell you how many times ive seen some older people doing the same stupid shit, or worse. The increase in police presence is really the only real solution to this. Self policing only gets you so far. Some people will only listen to the guys with the badges and guns, unfortunately. |
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Play-Doh
Posts:16
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| 07/22/2008 12:38 PM |
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| you know, i don't think i have ever heard more complaining in my life. it was fun !! don't you remember having any fun at all ? don't you remember going downhill at jiminy all day long ? or riding like five rides and you can't stand up anymore ? or watching the sinister guys doing stunts on the big jump ? or the trials ?
all i hear is waaaaah it was noisy waaaaah. i thought i was camping in the tetons. i thought it was going to be as quiet as our last backpacking trip in denali where it was just us and some bears.
well guess what, you're goin to a festival. a mountain bike festival. a festival !!! : revelry, merrymaking, festive activities, entertainment !
and from the sounds of it, this is turning into the geriatric whining board.
have you ever bought a mountain bike video ? have you ever seen a quiet one ? have you ever seen that mountain bike video sponsored by craftsmatic adjustable beds and stairsteady ? NO ! they are sponsored by red bull, and mountain dew, and have loud music in them, and are full of excitement !
is it so strange that some of us like to stay up late and party ?
i don't understand why we can't find a way for both worlds to exist. if there is no tequilla hill, and no disco tent, and no one is allowed to make any noise because the PO PO will come visit you at 11:15 and tell you to shutup or whatever, well, then flat out this is going to turn into a party for accountants and kids. i understand that we need to find a way to make everyone happy. but seriously, what is with everyone ?
i can guarantee that we'll stop coming when this turns into mogul challenge. take a perfectly fun event for adults, and ban alcohol, and fill it with more police than attendees, and whammo, dead zone.
maybe this one will keep going, since it will just be families and retirees. and from the whining i am reading, that is the way you all want it.
it isn't a golf tournamnent. it is a freakin mountain biking festival. mogul challenge is now a golf tournament. 26 years it was the best most fun thing in all vermont. keep it up and that is what you will have too. |
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Ride4Life
Posts:9
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| 07/22/2008 2:55 PM |
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| If your running naked around peoples tents while howling at the moon at 2am, after being asked to chill multiple times....Your ass deserves a good tazering. |
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bellullabob
Posts:2
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| 07/22/2008 2:56 PM |
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| Only a couple more days...weeee! Though I missed it last year I have been to a couple of loud ones. I have to agree w/ Playdoh and I hope the organizers are following this thread. the key word of this event is "FESTIVAL" As such it assumes for me (and I belieive for others too) a certain amount of fun on the bike as well as off the bike (and I am over the hill age wise!) Rev Ted question of "which one are you there for" is exactly what will ruin this. the world is not binairy; it is not biking vs partying. I bet that for most, the answer is both. I certainly can understand that some late drunk idiots waking everyone up at 2 am is a pain but to change the format of the festival to appease the few who can't look past this will completely ruin the concept of "festival". And if you don't have a "festival atmostphere" people will really stop showing up!!! This fest has always been somewhat loud at night (some years more so than others) and it is somewhat expected, and should be. I don't always like it but I know it is part of it and therefor take it in stride. I sleep well at home so I am ready to not have the best night sleep while camping w/ a huge crowd of mtbers in paper thin tents. It is not those few late night idiots who will ruin this events, it is those who want the event to be changed (and having cops patrol is really changing the atmospehere ) so that they can be more comfortable that will ruin it. I am of course also not suggesting we let things get completely out of control, but just don't want the pendulum to swing too far the other way to accomodate those who complain... Now there needs to be a way that can try to make things somewhat liveable for both. I know this is a late post but maybe the organizers could hand out some ear plugs when people sign in. They are certainly cheap enough. Also having a PDF posted on the website w/ how the site is to be devided between quiet and not so quiet areas might help people find more appropriate camping spots. |
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