London Coffee Talk Thread

[manny_santos]

I talked to someone tonight from London who had been there recently, and he reports that Bongo Drum Guy is now playing a xylophone at the same corner.

[MolsonExport]

No matter, he will always be known as Bongo Drum guy.

[manny_santos]

It's Rock the Park weekend. How many days until someone contacts the Free Press to complain about the horrors of a summer festival keeping them awake past 11:00pm, and how long until the City of London robs Bethany's Hope Foundation of money raised from the festival?

[Snark]

I dunno about the sound complaints, because I'd have no trouble falling to sleep to some of the bands they have there this year. Sorry, never was a Journey fan then - certainly not now.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's a great event, but IMO it is comprised of far too many of "B" and "C" list acts doing their summer nostalgia tours - all whose members are in their 50's and 60's. Doesn't interest me, and I was around when these bands were actually headlining acts back in the day.

I really wish that they would kick the whole thing up a notch or two, but the location wouldn't likely allow for it.

[Pimpmasterdac]

Council is too weak kneed to allow them to go later... They never want to dare offend people, despite the economic/tourism bump it brings. Fuck last year it seemed like it was the end of the world to allow these concerts/festivals to go 15-30-45 minutes past 11 pm, and some low dB level. Instead council made some convoluted 5 crescendos and ~15 minute grace period..

Council needs to grow a pair, tell some people in London seem opposed to anything just for the sake of it get a life. Hell they couldn't even decide to allow food trucks, because council wants to have veto over menus.

[Wharn]

To be fair, there is nothing more irritating than wanting to get up early for work at 6:00am and then having something loud and obnoxious keeping you up. Like, say, a group of stoner neighbours blasting Bob Marley at 2 in the morning.

Except wait, this wasn't held on a work night. Unless you're traveling on business and have to set out early to Winnipeg the next morning, a single night of elevated noise out of 365 nights should really not bother you too much.

[haljackey]

Found an interesting local song about the metal trees / downtown

• Video Link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMxcMG-i1DQ

[manny_santos]

Has there been any more movement on the food truck issue?

[K85]

nope, it's on hold last I heard

[MolsonExport]

"get your dog a bone"...seems to be gone (Gibraltar weekend Market).



Bob's Ultimate MEEETS!! webpage not working either.


annoying commercial:
• Video Link

[MolsonExport]

That was one fucking bad thunderstorm. Knocked out power all evening...I was bucket brigading (see sorcerer's apprentice) for two hours, to keep my basement from flooding, on account of the sump pump being useless without electricity. Good to know that it never works when you need it. My arms are about to fall off.

[manny_santos]

Did anyone here go to the Western Fair this year?

I've been seeing a lot of complaints on Facebook about the cost and the much smaller size of the fair. Is it really that bad now? I haven't been in 10 years.

[haljackey]

I have no plans to go to the fair. Seems old and outdated really.

Starting last year, they have added free parking saving you $5. However its $14 just to get in... Once you factor in food and rides and stuff you actually want to do you are spending about $50.

I know someone who is working at the fair and he said it's been dead with the exception of yesterday (Sat the 14).

Also the IMAX is gone. What a waste

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by haljackey

I have no plans to go to the fair. Seems old and outdated really.

Starting last year, they have added free parking saving you $5. However its $14 just to get in... Once you factor in food and rides and stuff you actually want to do you are spending about $50.

I know someone who is working at the fair and he said it's been dead with the exception of yesterday (Sat the 14).

Also the IMAX is gone. What a waste

I went to Kingston's fair this weekend...although parking there is free (and it's close so I can walk anyways) and the entrance fee is $7, it's a big disappointment. Just one ride there is $5.25 and that fair feels more like something out of Strathroy than a bustling university city. It doesn't even have a Zipper ride, which I've seen at fairs in much smaller communities. It was virtually vacant when I went on Friday. With Queen's University within walking distance and the students all back, you'd think they'd try and target students to some extent, most of whom I think are more interested in rides than cows and kiddie games.

The last time I went to the Western Fair (2003), it had a great selection of rides, and it had something for everyone - city kids, country kids, city adults, country adults, and seniors. It was kind of a mini CNE.

[Pimpmasterdac]

I went on Tuesday, it was humid as hell that day. Luckily we got an advance ticket for $9 and it was 2 for 1 during the week so ended up being $4.50 for both of us to get in.

I have to say Western Fair really is pathetic what it is now, compared to the past. Everything is overpriced, from the games that are same old carny scams they've had forever, the rides are the same pieces of shit they had when I was a pre-teen, and while some food was interesting that I tried (deep friend onion with chipolte & mayo and deep fried jalapeno wrapped in bacon stuffed with creme cheese) was interesting and tasty, wasn't that special. The dock dogs and hypnotist shows were entertaining and agriplex is neat with all the animals. I didn't go on any rides since I've outgrown the spin-ya-around rides, which I'm thankful for. Unless you get an overpriced $40 unlimited ride wristband, your paying ridiculous price for tickets. It's would be $5 per person for one ride on ferriswheel or the cable ride over the fair. Just one big money gouge..

I also heard about complaints also manny, Wednesday that some guy took his 2 kids to the fair, bought those ridiculous $40 wristbands went on rides for maybe 10 minutes before the lightning forced the fair rides closure. He went to get a refund/raincheck and the fair basically told him tough titty, no refunds or rainchecks, all sales are final... It honestly seems more like a sprawled out low class flea market than a fair, with such competition for the entertainment dollar one would think the Fair would be more customer friendly or offer something new.

I thought maybe it was just myself in thinking the Fair's gone down hill, that it's been the same when I was a kid and being an adult it seems worse being bigger, but talking with many clients this week it's gone down quite badly..

Originally Posted by manny_santos

Did anyone here go to the Western Fair this year?

I've been seeing a lot of complaints on Facebook about the cost and the much smaller size of the fair. Is it really that bad now? I haven't been in 10 years.

[Snark]

I'm not sure that the situation is entirely the fault of the WFA. I would go so far as to say that the Fall fair is an anachronism of times long past. Until the late 1970's, most folks had one 27" television with perhaps 3 to 20 channels. No VCR. Most radio was on the AM band. Many had never been to a theme park such as Disney because the trip was damn expensive, and there certainly wasn't anything like that in Ontario. The Fall fair actually provided what was for the time exciting once a year entertainment for many.

Then came the hi-def video games, multiplex IMAX theatres, the thousand channel TV universe, internet, monster theme parks, home theatre, and cheap transcontinental travel. In an urban setting, folks now are saturated in such an environment are to an extent desensitized to the former "thrills" that a fair's midway has to offer.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by Snark

I'm not sure that the situation is entirely the fault of the WFA. I would go so far as to say that the Fall fair is an anachronism of times long past. Until the late 1970's, most folks had one 27" television with perhaps 3 to 20 channels. No VCR. Most radio was on the AM band. Many had never been to a theme park such as Disney because the trip was damn expensive, and there certainly wasn't anything like that in Ontario. The Fall fair actually provided what was for the time exciting once a year entertainment for many.

Then came the hi-def video games, multiplex IMAX theatres, the thousand channel TV universe, internet, monster theme parks, home theatre, and cheap transcontinental travel. In an urban setting, folks now are saturated in such an environment are to an extent desensitized to the former "thrills" that a fair's midway has to offer.

You're right, there is intense competition nowadays for entertainment dollars. If the Western Fair (and other fairs) wants to survive in the long term though, they need to give people a compelling reason to choose them over all the other entertainment options.

[ssiguy]

This is nothing new, all fairs across the country have falling attendance and seem to be more shadows of their former glory days. The rides you get there can't compare to the permanent rides you get at places like Canada's Wonderland.

Fairs were designed for an earlier times before going to Disneyworld was a right of passage and when comparing today's fairs to those incredible entertainment centres is embarrassing. Fairs were built when going to Toronto or Niagara Falls was your yearly vacation.

Remember that travelling thousands of km to go for your vacation is still a relatively new thing post-1965. Also fairs catered to kids and with smaller families, both parents working, and the kids with so many distractions then going to a fair isn't as enticing as it use to be.

This is why the only areas of fairs that people will still go to are the lowly pet and farm exhibits............you can't get that at Disneyworld and it really is novel to urban kids.

The decline of Western Fair isn't unique but rather the norm.

[Pimpmasterdac]

WFA could do more to make the September Fair more enticing but I think more is at play. The Progress Building which use to have interesting displays and demonstrations of products & services several years back, are now same shit anyone could get a Gibraltar's during the weekend.

Perhaps WFA shuts out the interesting ones during the Fair, so they can get them a different weekends to pay $10+ per for home & garden show, wine & food show, sport show, rather than "blow" it all during the September Fair.

Either way, they are responsible for their own fate and not listening to what people want.. If anything the nickle & dime operation they run makes me think a downtown casino would be a better than a Western Fair expansion. While they have plenty of parking, I wouldn't be surprised they started charging exorbitant parking fees if it were a full casino,

[ssiguy]

The only fairs that are holding their own these days are ones that offer a unique niche theme. Love it or hate it, the Calgary Stampede does this which is why it is still a success. You can't get an experience like that at Disneyland.