Before I go into this, a disclaimer: I don't know who did this or even if it really happened. I heard about it. But with Faire season upon us, I felt it was important to share. OK, that said.
Supposedly there are some patrons that are sneaking their own alcohol into the faire site, past the front gates. Folks - that is a BIG NO NO. And this ain't Scarborough, this is Texas law. Although the city of Waxahachie voted wet, the precinct we are in remains dry, thus why you still have to get a membership to buy alcohol at Scarby. (Heck I work there and I have to have a membership!) We are governed by the TABC (Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission). The law expressly forbids bringing alcohol onto the faire grounds (I don't know if this applies to the parking lot, I'll have to check that out). So, you might be thinking to yourself, "Diamond, if I am clever enough to get booze past the front gate, so what?" I will tell you so what - if the TABC sees a patron pull out a bottle (or even a flask w/alcohol in it), Scarborough Faire could suffer considerably. It could 1. lose the liquor license. which in turn shuts down the pubs. how many of you like to drink booze while watching Iris and Rose or listening to Christoph the Insultor? You see the domino effect here? 2. Scarborough can be fined. which will result in higher prices on admission, souvenirs, etc. (going back to that whole domino effect thing) 3. Scarborough could be shut down. Seriously. Now, while I personally don't see this happening, fact is, it COULD. All that has to happen is a TABC officer having a bad day and someone ticking him off. How clever will you feel if that happens? Do you want to be the reason our faire shuts down? Was it worth it to show just how 'clever' you are by sneaking in your own booze and breaking the law? And we are back to the domino effect. A lot of people (myself included) depend on Scarborough Faire for a living. Do you want the merchants to have to shut down their shops? Performers not being able to make the bills? Career rennies not be able to eat? Is it really worth it? Do you want to see that many people lose out on our livelihood? So, next time you decide to be 'clever' and sneak your booze into the Faire site, think about all the people it is affecting.
