The Ohio Renaissance Festival Protest

Merchants – Have you got a 2010 lease yet?  Will there be a 2010 season?  What happens if you pay your lease and the 2010 season does not take place?  Did you know Peter Carroll and the Ohio Renaissance Festival claim I have caused them more than a quarter of a million dollars in irreparable damages over the last year or so?  Not that I think that is true, but they obviously think so.  In this economic down turn, can they afford to loose a quarter million dollars and keep on going?  Will there be a 2010 season?  If not, are they admitting it or just collecting your money?

I am NOT saying there will be no 2010 season.  I am saying I think there are very reasonable questions that merchants should ask before committing their hard earned money to another year which some say might not take place.

These seem like very important questions to ask before signing a lease for the 2010 season.  Just where does your money go if there isn’t a 2010 season?  Who signs and guarantees the thing?  Is it Peter Carroll acting in his capacity as the president of the Ohio Renaissance Festival Inc. or is it Peter Carroll personally guaranteeing the contract.  Is Peter Carroll willing to PERSONALY guarantee the 2010 season will take place?

What’s your Guarantee ? - In my opinion, you have good reason to be concerned.  Peter Carroll boasts about personally owning the land on which the Ohio Renaissance Festival takes place.  You can find the statement on the vendor application under ownership.

http://www.renfestival.com/pdfs/Vendor_Application-2009.pdf

However, county land records indicate the land is owned by Brimstone Limited Partnership Inc. (not Peter Carroll Personally).  If Peter Carroll will not PERSONALY guarantee your lease, will Brimstone Limited Partnership Inc. guarantee the thing?  Maybe the Carroll Investment Group Inc. of Delaware which seems to own Brimstone Limited Partnership Inc. will guarantee it.

If 130 merchants pay an average of $1,000.00 each and there is no 2010 season, just where does that $130,000.00 go if the Ohio Renaissance Festival Inc. closes shop?  Who will you sue if the only guarantee you have is from a corporation which seems to own nothing if that incorporation declares bankruptcy?  In my opinion, the corporate structure exists for exit strategies such as this.  But what if there is a 2010 season?

Who is paying Property Tax? – If you “own” a house, you have to pay property tax on it.  If you own a commercial building, you must pay property tax on it.  Do you own a building at the Ohio Renaissance Festival?  Have you been paying property tax on your building at the Ohio Renaissance Festival?  Has Peter Carroll been paying property tax on your building.

If Peter Carroll / Brimstone Limited Partnership Inc. has not been paying proper property tax for several years, who will be responsible for that back tax?

According to the Vendor Application, you are paying $175.00 a year in addition to your lease in part to pay the real estate taxes on your building.  Is that statement also in your lease agreement?  Is the money really being paid to the county government?  This seems to be a very important question, as the property record for the Ohio Renaissance Festival does not seem to reflect the number of merchant buildings on site.  In fact, it seems to indicate no new merchant buildings have been added since 1996.  Was your building constructed after 1996?

http://www.co.warren.oh.us/auditor/property_search/yarditems.asp?account_nbr=4500785

Wheel Chair Ramps ? – Does your building have a wheel chair ramp?  Are you required by law to provide one?  If so, who pays to construct it and do you have to pay an additional frontage fee for it.  According to one of the former Craft Directors, Peter Carroll insists the MERCHANT pays not only to construct the ramp but a yearly fee for the frontage it consumes.

I am NOT saying the rumors that ORF Inc. is closing its gates are true.  We hear those rumors every year.  I am ASKING what happens to your money and your investment if it does close its gates?  These are questions I think you should be asking and the answers I think you should be getting in writing, guaranteed PERSONALY by Peter J. Carroll.

Ask questions!

Get answers in writing!

Obtain a guarantee that is worth something!