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Sept 6, 2010, 5:44pm

MDRF Friends of Faire :: MDRF Info :: MDRF v3.0 :: MDRF Staying Put

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Topic: MDRF Staying Put (Read 241 times)

Lumpy
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MDRF Staying Put
« Thread Started on Apr 10, 2010, 2:44pm »

Straight from a letter from the MDRF;

"... We have been able to secure a lease for all the property we now lease to continue to operate beyond the current lease which expires at the end of 2012. Everyone has been worried about this and the future of the Festival. This extension provides ample time and opportunity for the show..."

« Last Edit: Apr 10, 2010, 2:45pm by Lumpy »

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skumfan
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Re: MDRF Staying Put
« Reply #1 on Apr 15, 2010, 11:08pm »

Everyone has been worried about this and the future of the Festival. This extension provides ample time and opportunity for the show..."

What a cliffhanger! ; ) What's it say after that? IMWTK.

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MathemActor
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Re: MDRF Staying Put
« Reply #2 on Apr 16, 2010, 10:40am »

Apr 15, 2010, 11:08pm, skumfan wrote:

Everyone has been worried about this and the future of the Festival. This extension provides ample time and opportunity for the show..."

What a cliffhanger! ; ) What's it say after that? IMWTK.

Dear IM,
This is straight from the official web site (the only authorized source for information) at www.rennfest.com under the General Info/Latest News menu:

April, 2010 - The Maryland Renaissance Festival executes an additional lease extension along with a previous lease extension to encompass all the property the Festival occupies with multiple options to operate at its option for up to two more decades during which suitable property for purchase could be identified.

Ample time means around 20 years, give or take a decade. By that time, I'll likely be portraying Bertram the Corpse and really won't care where that will be.

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beowulf
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Re: MDRF Staying Put
« Reply #3 on Jul 28, 2010, 2:45pm »

Renaissance Fest staying put for now
Still looking for new site, possible advance ticketing
By SHANTEE WOODARDS, Capital Staff Writer
Published 06/21/10

Organizers of the annual Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville are still looking for a new home and an easier way for participants to access the popular historic re-enactment event.

But for now, it's staying put at Revel Grove on Crownsville Road. The company renewed its lease - and still has at least three years remaining on its current lease - but continues to look for a larger parcel that would accommodate additional activities such as weddings and small receptions, General Manager Jules Smith said recently.

"When we began here in '85, we were one of very few things in this particular area of (routes) 450 and 178," Smith said. "Now there are many things and many neighborhoods. … But the roads haven't changed very much."

Each year, the festival generates about $18 million for the local economy and attracts about 250,000 visitors during its nine-weekend run. But in the past two years it has been hampered by rain, and attendance fell below expectations.

The event re-enacts the Renaissance, complete with musicians, dancers, artisans, Shakespearean characters, and other people and activities of the time period. It raises about $1.2 million annually in taxes for county coffers.

The event had more room for festivities when it debuted, but in the 1990s organizers decided to devote more space to parking. Now the festival operates on 25 acres, with 130 acres used for parking.

Because certain days of the festival have been busier than others, officials are considering offering advance ticketing for the 2011 event. Under that policy, tickets would still be sold at the gate, but those who purchase tickets in advance would avoid waiting in line.

Talk of moving the festival first surfaced in 2008, when the Smith family hired a real estate consultant to scout out a new location. They were looking for a space that would allow a larger jousting track and upgraded facilities that would permit the event to continue in the rain.

Potential locations were narrowed down to nine sites in six other counties. Any relocation would be years away, but county officials have been trying to help organizers find large tracts of land in the county to keep the festival here.

Richard Falk, president of the Generals Highway Council of Civic Associations, said the festival has had a positive impact on the community. There are some traffic problems during the event, he said, but officials have worked to correct that. Falk agreed that if the event is going to increase in size, it would be best if it did so at another location.

"I welcome them and I'm happy (that they're staying)," Falk said. "If they'd want to stay and expand, then I think there would have to be serious talks about how traffic would be handled. … Certainly, they could not increase in size significantly and leave the traffic pattern as it is. That would be terrible."

This year's festival starts Aug. 28 and runs weekends through Oct. 24.

"We're planning some great new entertainment in addition to a lot of our returning favorites," Smith said.

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