Back on the quads, but still not the same

Spring Fair is returning to the quads this April, but not everything is back to normal for the annual weekend festival.

Though the fair will no longer be confined to Garland Field, it will still be very different from the fairs before 2001.

Three years ago, the Freshman Quad played host to carnival rides and games, food vendors and visitors to the Hopkins campus. This year, the quad will remain empty, as it has been for the past two years.

Food vendors were once scattered throughout campus, with multiple booths selling similar items. Now, all food will be sold on the driveway between Garland Hall and Shriver, and vendors will have exclusive rights to certain types of food.

As in previous years, two stages for daytime entertainment will be set up -- one on the steps of Shriver Hall and another on the Gilman steps. But this year the Gilman stage will feature performances by student groups only, including various a capella groups and the theater group the Barnstormers.

Not a Driveway, a Food Court

Akbar restaurant almost didn't come to Spring Fair last year.

The Indian food vendor had been a constant presence at fair for 15 years, but manager Vinay Wahi said that the event was "very congested" with all of the booths on Garland Field.

"The same atmosphere of Spring Fair wasn't there the last two years," said Wahi. Eventually, Akbar agreed to come last year after being offered a discount on the booth price.

This year Wahi said the restaurant is excited to attend fair, since vendors will once again be spread out on different quads.

But not all vendors have been as optimistic.

"Some vendors didn't want to come back because of what happened the last two years," said Dan Coleman, Spring Fair co-chair.

Even though the fair will have use of the Upper and Lower Quads this year, the food vendors will remain clustered along the driveway between Garland and Shriver, forming what organizers described as a food court area.

This setup requires that some of the changes from the last two years be retained.

Because all of the food vendors will be set up in a small area, organizers are restricting the number of booths that can sell the same item. For example, Shaw Amusements will be the sole vendor permitted to offer pizza at the fair.

Spring Fair advisor Jane Rhyner said it would be "ludicrous" to have two vendors selling the same food in a food court area.

But this exclusivity has made it difficult for the fair to attract certain types of vendors.

Rhyner said that organizers have not yet been able to secure an Italian food booth, since Italian vendors they've talked to all want to serve pizza, but Shaw Amusements has the exclusive contract for pizza.

No Greek food vendor is scheduled, because another booth already has the contract on gyros.

As a result, Coleman said there are "a few less vendors than last year."

This will not significantly affect the amount of money that Spring Fair earns, according to Rhyner, because offering exclusive contracts has allowed the fair to charge vendors more.

The average food vendor pays in the range of $1,000 to $2,000, though the exact amount depends on their exclusive item, said Coleman. Food vendor applications for the last two years have mentioned a $2,000 price for a booth. In 2001, however, booths only cost $900, according to archived applications.

Even with fewer vendors, fair is only "a little down in terms of budget," said Rhyner.

But fewer booths could mean longer lines for popular items such as funnel cakes, which were once sold by multiple vendors. Organizers are not too concerned about complaints of long lines, though.

"I like long lines," said Rhyner, who explained that longer lines keep vendors happy. "[Lines] are something we have to deal with."

One concern is that the lack of food vendors on the Upper and Lower Quads will make it harder to draw visitors away from Garland parking lot and into the heart of campus, according to Rhyner and Coleman.

Student Performers to use Gilman Stage

As far as senior Kristopher Jansma knows, the Barnstormers have never before put on a show at Spring Fair.

But the theater group is preparing to perform Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream on the Gilman stage this year.

Jansma, president of the Barnstormers, said the group is excited about the chance to perform in front of such a large audience. Their most recent production, The Secret Garden, drew a total of 650 people to six shows. More than 30,000 visitors are projected for Spring Fair weekend.

Such a large crowd "is going to be a lot more exposure [for the Barnstormers]," said Jansma.

But the opportunity to perform at Spring Fair also presents a special challenge for the group, which is used to small, indoor venues.

"The biggest challenge [for the actors] is to make sure they can be heard," said Jansma. "Ordinarily we don't rely on microphones."

The Barnstormers won't be the only student group to perform at fair -- all of the acts on the Gilman stage will be from Hopkins.

Rhyner said Spring Fair had to cut back on the number of outside bands because the budget for this year's festival is smaller than in the past. Bands from the community are normally paid around $200 each, said Coleman, while students perform for free.

"Thankfully, there are lots of bands on campus," said Rhyner.

Spring Fair's budget, estimated at $70,000 to $80,000 this year, is $7,000 to $10,000 lower than normal, according to Rhyner.

She said that because of the economy a number of non-profit groups couldn't afford to pay for booths this year. There will be 15 - 20 fewer non-profits than last year.

Organizers were also unable to secure the corporate sponsorships they wanted, and vendors have been slow to sign up for spots at fair.

"Last year's arts and crafts vendors were in a flooded area," said Rhyner. "They were very unhappy ... [and] they remember."

Of more than 60 arts and crafts vendors at the fair two years ago, only six of those are on the list of expected vendors this year. The other 70 to 80 arts and crafts vendors this year are new additions since 2002.

Because of the lower budget this year, entertainment for fair has been cut back.

Besides reducing the number of outside bands at fair, chairs are also unsure about whether they will rent inflatable games for the Beach this year. Coleman estimated that inflatables such as sumo wrestling suits or a jousting game would run between $500 and $1,000.

These games would "add to the fun of fair ... [but] don't make or break it," said Rhyner.

Initially, organizers were also concerned that the children's section of Spring Fair might have to be cut, but Circle K offered to sponsor the area when fair chairs were unable to get book donations they had hoped for.

Despite the decrease in funding, the fair will still feature a nighttime concert on Friday, April 25. Hip-hop groups Pharcyde and Blackalicious will perform in the Ralph S. O'Connor Recreational Center.

These acts cost around $25,000, in addition to the $10,000 that will be spent on the stage and other concert-related costs, according to Coleman.

Freshman Quad Remains Empty

For the past two years, Shaw Amusements has set up carnival rides on Garland parking lot during Spring Fair weekend. And that's where they'll stay this year.

Before campus pathways were redone with bricks as part of the Master Plan, rides and vendors took over the Freshman Quad for Spring Fair. But even with the weekend events back on the quads this year, organizers have no plans for the open space in front of the freshman residence halls.

Rhyner said that no large trucks are allowed on the quads. Even though parents are permitted to drive on top of the bricks during move-in weekend each year, Rhyner said that this is an exception specifically for orientation.

She also said that organizers did not really pursue moving rides and vendors back to the Freshman Quad.

"Fair was great on the quads," said Rhyner. But now "the headache of oil spills and leaks [...] is gone."

Coleman added that using the Freshman Quad would make Spring Fair too spread out.

With no events on the Freshman Quad, organizers now use the University's Wyman Park Drive entrance as the gateway to the fair. Rhyner said the Beach used to be the focal point before Spring Fair was moved to Garland Field.

The disadvantage of this shift is that visitors have to know where they're going to get to the entrance, according to Rhyner.

"People don't just drive down Wyman Park," she said.

In previous years, banners on the Beach attracted visitors to the fair, said Rhyner.