While Mayor Pawlowski cuts ribbons for the hockey people, and pats himself on the back, Allentown health inspectors burped food vendors at Mayfair for $25 each. Additionally, they got out their thermometers and made sure everything was heated or cooled to their exact specifications. Over the years, I heard numerous complaints about the health department and their selective overzealous enforcement. I knew of several Hamilton Street merchants who had to make food a couple of degrees warmer or cooler, to sell in front of their business, although it just came from their kitchen inside the store. News of this sort of harassment circulates among vendors who do these sort of shows. Pawlowski should harass the contractor working on the 15th Street. The snail pace of that job, and the consequences to commerce on the southside, is an outrage.photocredit:molovinsky/Allentown Fair 1999
MM -
ReplyDeleteThe health bureau is out raising revenue again.
While, as your headline states, this is an injury to Mayfair by the City, many of Mayfair's wounds over the years have been self-inflicted. From gating an event that once drew hundreds of thousands, to moving the event away from its roots of promoting the city's parks to an indoor venue, many decisions have been questionable at best.
Can you report on attendance at the new venue?
While once again it seems that the weather would not have been cooperative if held outdoors, I have often felt that removing the gates and moving the event back a couple of weeks (or even to the 4th of July weekend) would have been a much better attempt to solve Mayfair's problems.
I hope they are successful at the Fairgrounds, but my thought is that even success at the new venue will never reach the level of success possible for a properly run outdoor festival. If this turns out to be the final chapter for Mayfair, there will be too many wounds on the body to determine which was the fatal blow.
Regarding your statement that the city should be harassing the contractor on the 15th Street Bridge, you couldn't be more correct.
ReplyDeleteThe only logical explanation I can think of as to why the city doesn't do so is that perhaps the contractor has already made their payment - in the form of a political contribution.
The mayor is doing the best he can. He is only one man. There are other bridges.
ReplyDeleteTypical Allentown MO.
ReplyDeleteLike bicycles painted all over town on streets that are rutted and filled with holes.
The lines that should be painted on the streets are are faded and nearly invisible. The two people bicycling in the city have graffiti all over the roads to show them just where to ride.
@6:43, as i wrote before, more work is accomplished on the arena in one day, than has been done on the 15th st. bridge project, since it began. after allowing that bridge to rust away, the city engineering department is now allowing the ott st. light standards, by cedar park, to rust away. yes, the bicycle stencils are a joke, by any measure.
ReplyDelete(Sigh) It's not like Allentown has an over abundance of city event s to draw people and income into the city. Not a good look at all.
ReplyDeleteThey charged 600.00/spot, this could and should have been covered. The problem is that the rules have changed. There is nothing spelled out directly and you get different info when you speak to different people. EXAMPLE: Having event, spoke to Police Dept who gives City permits who stated if event on private property, no permits needed unless food/liquor being sold. Just found out from Parks and recreation each vendor who may be selling items (crafts/jewelry) has to obtain a $35.00 permit (which is technically a business license for a year in A-town) SMH It's hard to do biz in Allentown and then we wonder why we have no income making events here...
Alfonso Todd
www.alfonsotodd.com
Than there is the percentage the vendors recieve from tickets sale 1month after the event hasp been closed for the venue, so vendors have to buy stock and pay for the spot, pay help before waiting to get paid¿
DeleteSo participating in the event is soly on the vendors for operating expensess, and the percetage pay is a month out there. This is not good for vendors especialy if the new venue lo ation is a flop like so many of the administration transformational endevors¿
redd
I attended MayFair yesterday evening. And while I must admit that I miss the idyllic scene at cedar beach, the organization and set-up of the event was much better.
ReplyDeleteSpoke to several artists and they agreed to come to MayFair this year given the piece of mind that their work would not be ruined in a thunderstorm.
Also impressed with crowd despite windy conditions with temps in low 50's.
Is Mr. Todd correct? $600 to have a booth at Mayfair? What small craft artist could possibly afford that?
ReplyDelete@10:49, if you use the link i provided, that's the words in red, you can verify the fee.
ReplyDeleteAs Allentown becomes more socially & economically separated through increasingly profound disparities in income and social status, the concept of a democracy will become increasingly mute. Those who survive at the largess of others will not challenge the status quo nor will they rebuke the decisions of those that "pay their paycheck". Consequently it is a one party town, pardner, with an absolute monarch at the helm, at least for the time being. Those capable of challenging the current political power prevailing in Allentown, The Big R's headed by the LCRC, will not do anything due to their inherent self interest in increasing their financial resources through the current development, THE ARENA, efforts. Within five years after the projects are completed their names will be unknown for the most part. They will have cashed in and moved on. As the center of entertainment unravels and falls into disrepair and thus Allentown into ruin, none will be left but those who will not have any inclination nor knowledge on how to rule the shell of a city they are left with. All that will be left is that faint voice inquiring "What do we do now". "There is no one left to tell us what to do or how to think." "Where have they gone?" Long live Mayfair!
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