Some more thoughts about the Brew Fest controversy…

I talked to Rosalee Maxwell & Heather Vipperman today about the Bright Leaf Brew Fest controversy. Now that we’ve heard the response from the Director of Danville Tourism, here are my thoughts on the matter.

Thoughts…

• When people see an event like this, they don’t know if the Danville Tourism department, the Harvest Jubilee committee or somebody else is actually putting on the event. I, like others, thought that this was a Danville Tourism event.
• When people from Danville Tourism are also on the Harvest Jubilee committee, the line gets even more blurry to most people.
• I understand the concept of having everything sponsored (yes, down to the toilet paper) and I see why $1,000 can be a fair price for exclusivity.
• Maxwell & Vipperman said that the cooking space at the Community Market building is very limited, but I’m wondering how much cooking actually has to be done on-site.
• Is the publicity helping or hurting Bronx Boy Bagels? People like to root for the small business in a situation like this. It’s definitely helping them.
• Is a boycott the way to go? Not for me. We plan on going, but we also plan on supporting Bronx Boy Bagels as well.

To me, the bottom line is that it seems the Brew Fest has gotten too big for the small food vendors. I’m not sure on that, but I plan on taking a direct look at it during the Brew Fest this year.

Clarification: Rosalee Maxwell said that it wasn’t the cooking in the kitchen that was difficult to handle, it’s the prep work that concessionaires need and going back and forth in front of the public walkway that causes difficulty.