How is the world really supposed to work?

We all know. 

Imagine a workplace with everyone doing their best and treating each other fairly.  That’s the Maryland Renaissance Festival aka Revel Grove. 

We need to call it out when we see people acting with more generosity than the situation requires, and that behavior is seen regularly by the owners and management of that place. It’s in the prices, lower than almost any festival anywhere. You see it in the real standards of the vendors, the food, and the entertainment.  You see it in the un-advertised free sweet things they provide for the parents, like the playground, the free (yes) pony rides for little kids, the $1 slides, the $1 fruit stand.  There is no tipping entertainment because they literally bought the tips.  They pay it extra over what other ren-faires pay, just to make things nice.

Every once in a while, when I am telling people how lucky I am to work for them, someone will pipe up and say that we bring a crowd to the faire and they are just acting in their self-interest hiring us, but I know from my years of experience the inaccuracy of that notion.  The owners, founders, and management practically created us by setting the stage and putting money on the table to manifest their shared vision of our show. 

When everybody is dancing, when the rose petals are falling through the air, no money is changing hands and nobody is buying anything.  It’s a space that was made deliberately to accomplish the deepest goal I think the founders had. I think they just wanted to make a beautiful thing for everyone, to bring everyone together, to make things real.

What do you call it when the people in power do things better than they have to? That is artistry. That is decency.  That is goodness. 

Join me in the knowledge that this exists and it is powerful and strong and enduring. 

Join everyone next year at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, aka Revel Grove.