211.1.1. Advertising misleading, confusing by
BiliousBob, 8/1/05 23:30 ET
Re: thoughts on TR Fest? by TheCrick, 8/1/05
Twenty-five bucks to get on the grounds; another 15 bucks for a
guaranteed general-admission seat; another two bucks for a "FastPass" to
get a reserved seat! Are you kidding me?!
I read a Jean Mikle article in the APP on Sunday specifically about the
ambiguity in the promos and literature for the musical events. Dozens,
if not hundreds, of people feel they were ripped off or misled by
TicketMaster or the TomsRiverFest web site. I can't say I blame them. If
a promo says that "premium" seating is available for an extra charge,
doesn't that imply regular (non-premium) seating for the base price? And
a buddy of mine told me that the seating policies were different for the
main stage and the "day" stage. Were the organizers TRYING to confuse
people and piss them off?!
I sure hope some lawyer doesn't organize a class action against the
school district. Any profits realized by the event could be at risk.
211.3.1.1.2.1. The benefits.... by TikTok45,
8/5/05 23:50 ET
Re: thoughts on TR Fest? by TheCrick, 8/5/05
(1) The indoor track they are putting up between Hooper Avenue and
Intermediate East; (2) More artificial turf on the high school football
fields; (3) Any other use pertaining to sports in this town.I find it
ironic how Ritacco announced to the parents at Hooper Ave PTO that an
indoor track was being built on school property, and that the money was
budgeted for this two years ago. I was at the PTO meeting two years
before and not a word was mentioned about this indoor track; the only
thing talked about was when the 6th graders would be attending
Intermediate.
I believe that there is too much emphasis on upgrading the athletic
facilities in this town and less emphasis on maintaining the standard in
academics. Not every kid is interested in sports. Am I the only one who
feels the standardized test scores are starting to slip?
211.3.1.1.2.1.1. Emphasis in wrong place by
Schnazola, 8/15/05 12:09 ET
Re: thoughts on TR Fest? by TheCrick, 8/15/05
How do I know that there is too much emphasis on athletics and not
enough on academics? The high schools "can't afford" additional biology
teachers so that track-1 and -2 students can have a BIO-I lab class, but
the three football fields are covered with state-of-the-art artificial
turf.
211.3.1.1.2. Who benefits? Good question. by
Schnazola, 8/5/05 14:33 ET
Re: thoughts on TR Fest? by TheCrick, 8/5/05
>>>I, too, thought that the profits were being used by the school
district to help offset the School Taxes, but I guess this isn't the
case.<<<
When RiverFest was first pitched to the public and school board, Mr.
Ritacco did, in fact, state that business ventures like the festival
(and selling the naming rights of the Ritacco Center to Poland Springs)
would serve to keep property taxes down. It's hard to argue against
that, but politicians always seem to find a way to spend new revenue,
regardless of the source.
He also said the beneficiaries of RiverFest would be "the arts programs"
in school district. Everyone who heard that assumed he meant the fine
arts. Over time it morphed into arts and recreation. And now people are
wondering whether "the arts" means the practical arts as well as the
fine arts.
And what exactly is the school district's role in "recreation"?
I'd be fascinated to see whether this event actually turned a "profit"
for the district. By the time the organizers take their majority cut,
the police get their share to cover the OT, and the organizations who
"volunteered" personnel get their fair shares, I doubt there will
anything left for the school kids (especially since turnout was below
what was hoped for).
211.3.1.1.2.1.1. Emphasis in wrong place by
Schnazola, 8/15/05 12:09 ET
Re: thoughts on TR Fest? by TheCrick, 8/15/05
How do I know that there is too much emphasis on athletics and not
enough on academics? The high schools "can't afford" additional biology
teachers so that track-1 and -2 students can have a BIO-I lab class, but
the three football fields are covered with state-of-the-art artificial
turf.
211.1. I didn't go but... by xJerseyGirlx,
8/1/05 22:51 ET
Re: thoughts on TR Fest? by TheCrick, 8/1/05
My friends went to see Kelly Clarkson and were P.O.-ed at the fact they
paid a lot of money specifically for the tickets and didn't get
preferred seating.
I wanted to take my 6-year old daughter. But $25 for me to get in, plus
211.3. My Take On It...
by TikTok45, 8/2/05 22:52 ET
Re: thoughts on TR Fest? by TheCrick, 8/2/05
My girlfriend and I took our daughters to see Kelly Clarkson...we paid
the $15 per ticket "premium" to sit in the bleachers...however, if we
had known that we could skip the 15 bucks and still see the concert from
behind the fence, we might have done that....
Regarding the food situation, I didn't like the fact that on Saturday,
we were told that we had to buy tickets to pay for the food (I can
understand why but still didn't like it) and I was really ticked off
that I had to pay for a $10 minimum block of food tickets if I only
wanted four tickets to buy a bottle of water!!! And the vendors wondered
why they lost money? The only one who probably made money was Ritacco.
s no need for admission to be THAT much in my opinion.
On the upside, I heard the fireworks were outrageous!! And I wish they
had put that Jordan Knight was performing on Thursday on their website!!
I would have went for that, but I had no idea until that afternoon my
friend saw him in a limo at the jughandle of 37 and 166. :(
235. RiverFest profits illusory by BiliousBob,
9/6/05 12:25 ET
In post #211.3.1.1.2
Shnaz wrote: [Ritacco] also said the beneficiaries of
RiverFest would be "the arts programs" in school district.... Over time
it morphed into arts and recreation. And now people are wondering
whether "the arts" means the practical arts as well as the fine arts....
By the time the organizers take their majority cut, the police get their
share to cover the OT, and the organizations who "volunteered" personnel
get their fair shares, I doubt there will anything left for the school
kids....
I have determined that TRFest netted "the arts" only $100,000. To add
insult to injury, Mr. Ritacco said that the money would go to buy
uniforms for the marching band (I forget which high school), but -- and
here's the kicker -- that amount was already appropriated for uniforms,
notwithstanding the revenue from TRFest!!! If Ritacco were
intellectually honest, the budget for the arts would have been bumped up
to $200K.
Looks like the lion's share of the $600K went to "recreation."
211. thoughts on TR Fest?
by TheCrick, 8/1/05 14:10 ET
I personally thought it was a rip. |
