Saving Chairs Response
 

I thought I share this response with everyone as it is one of the hot button issues in TV.

Thank you taking the time to inquire about chairs and offer suggestions. This is an issue that is very difficult to control during our busiest months and during special events. Some of our regular guests elect to bring their own chairs during this time to ensure a comfortable and more enjoyable experience.

We ask and announce that people not save chairs or if they are saving for a friend and themselves to remain with the chairs. I have no way to enforce it or to know who might be shopping, on the dance floor or perhaps in the restroom.

We do remove some of the ropes and taping if it's early in the day and no one is present. Oddly enough as soon as we remove the ropes and walk around the square the chairs are retied within a short period of time.

We will continue to make service announcements prior to the start of the evenings' performance and during the bands breaks. In addition I will try to add a notation to my daily Ad in hopes that public awareness will help.

If you have any additional comments or suggestions please feel free to email me directly.

Sincerely,
Barbara

Barbara A. Vesco
Director
Villages Entertainment & Special Events
1070 Canal Street
The Villages, Fl. 32162
Office (352) 750-5411
Cell (352) 267-8354

The announcement will not work if the people that save the seats are not in the seats. The questions remains why are the rules not enforced.

We do remove some of the ropes and taping if it's early in the day and no one is present. Oddly enough as soon as we remove the ropes and walk around the square the chairs are retied within a short period of time.

If Barbara A. Vesco can’t deal with this she not qualified for the job.

She seems to assume that brazen bullies actually pay attention to rules and announcements from "mere" management like her and the staff. Such brazen people have no respect for others, period!

Nobody has explained yet why it is that 20 grown adults just have to sit all together with their select circle of little 5th grade friends. It's really immature behavior.

So treat them like kids at recess time, and make them line up and be handed a chair as they walk in, and 1 person can have no more than a 2nd chair to hold for their spouse/friend.

It is my experience and my opinion after living here for almost 9 years that The Villages will do nothing to confront residents/guests To: wit the ambassadors on golf courses. So residents can create demand til the cows come home but TV leadership will continue to play.. "welcome to The Villages, the Friendliest...... that includes the Developer, the Districts, the Daily Sun, the VHA, the POA.

When we went to the Xmas Tree Lighting at Lake Sumter the front row of chairs was roped off. We asked Security if we could remove the ropes and sit there. He said yes but if there is a confrontation we will not help you. Kind of made me wonder what kind of security they provide. In any event, when we removed the ropes everyone behind us clapped! When the 10 people showed up, no confrontation, but you could tell they were angry.

Sally. Who was security? I didn't think we had security at the squares? They have staff from the recreation committee.

How can the sheriff's office who is our law enforcement be made to enforce local behavior rules? That is my point. Not that I don't agree that it is nasty to save seats and people should stop, but how is that going to happen???

Thanks for sharing, but it only proves that the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing! We go to the square(s) quite often, and have NEVER heard a public service announcement regarding the saving of chairs. Smoking, yes. Reserving seats--never. I think Ms. Vesco needs to pay a visit to a square so that she knows what the announcement really is.

You are right.

I think we should email her directly. A bloomin' bunch of us. Who has her email address?????

Gracie,
They probably were staff from the rec committee but they all had jackets that said "Security" on the back. The bottom line is that if the people who make the rules won't enforce it and the sheriff's department can't enforce it, the discussion is moot. We all hate it but the situation isn't going to change.

Better yet.......paint numbers on the chairs and issue them out with a $2 deposit and write the name of the person and chair number assigned to them. When they return the chair with the proper name they get $1 back.
The other dollar would cover the extra cost of the person issuing the chairs.

See how little I go to the squares? I didn't know that anyone had security on their jacket.

I don't like chair saving. I am not up on what goes on there. I have no dog in this fight.

I am feeling very old and stupid right now.

2BNTV: I may be wrong, but it does not seem that anyone has thanked YOU for taking the time to try to rectify the seating situation. So, thank you for what you did and I'm sorry you got little help from TV!

If you think that's bad, we do go to the squares, and I've never seen those jackets! I must really be oblivious.

We only go to or by the squares between dinner and our car/cart but have never seen security nor a need for it.
My take on this is that all the chairs provided by the Villages are Villages property for use by anyone attending an event at the squares. One butt one chair. END OF DISCUSSION.

Mistaken
 

:ohdear: You can keep saying it..... but I think what you saw was -

"SPECIAL EVENTS" on the backs of the jackets. Special Events is a part of the Rec. Dept.

New Sign for Square Seating?
 

Painted on the front part of every chair . . . perfect!

Maybe you should re-read what I wrote. I mentioned it once in my original post and a second time when Gracie had a question. I saw these jackets only at the tree lighting ceremony when there were numerous Sumter County Sheriff's on duty. For all we know they were provided by the Sheriff's Department.

"TV" (in quotes to mean the powers that be and not the residents) will do nothing about chair saving in the Squares, just as "they" will do nothing about exercise and water aerobics classes in neighborhood pools, or attempt to do something regarding problems with golf cart drivers. "They" absolutely abhor confrontation with residents. I honestly think "they" would rather see us fight among ourselves than actually do something constructive to solve problems.. I've lived here for more than three years now. I don't think "they" will ever change.

OK I am going out on a limb here but I think the Entertainment Department was sold it is not really The Villages anymore.
Barbara A. Vesco who use to run the department and book the acts and such bought the entertainment department. Kind of the same deal as other businesses the Villages started but sold.
Anyone else remember when she bought it and cut out the parades and such. So really it is not The Villages problem to deal with the saving of chairs.
And then again I might have it all wrong.

I've got an idea! :sing::sing::sing:Get rid of the chairs. Problem solved

:bigbow::bigbow::bigbow:


Way to go :wave:

Either my wife and I or me by myself have been to the squares several nights in the short time we've been here and I've never seen any "security"; we ALWAYS make it a point to see where any LEO's or Security (LEO wannabee's) are at any type of event. Security at the squares - pfft.

Waiting until just as the evening's performance is to about to begin is kind of pointless isn't it? You're just better cutting the ropes on your own. Next time I go to Marion Market I'll see if I can find a cutless!

I vhave never heard an announcement that you cant save seats, but if they did it would be too late anyway. Cant they at least post some signs so that we could at least refer to?

You were just blown off....and by someone who does not do it very well....what a shame!!!

I see a similarity between security gate worth and seat saving rules. Both function like an illusion.

By the way the blue security jacket is really a yellow shirt with “special event” on the back.

Thanks 2BNTV for getting this official response from Ms. Vesco. I appreciate her dilemma but this response is a classic example of passing the buck if I've ever seen it.

Here's my response:

TO: THE VILLAGES ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION

DON'T TRY TO PRETEND LIKE YOU DON'T MONITOR THIS WEBSITE! CAN YOU SEE THERE IS A PROBLEM HERE? AND IT'S GOING TO GET OUT OF HAND IF YOU DON'T FIND A SOLUTION, AND SOON. FAIRNESS FOR ALL IS WHAT EVERYONE HERE WANTS. WE DON'T WANT TO START COMPLAINING TO THE MERCHANTS IN THE SQUARE WHO SO GRACIOUSLY SUPPORT THIS ENTERTAINMENT.

ONE SEAT TO ONE PERSON. FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED. NO SAVING. ANNOUNCED AT EACH SQUARE EACH NIGHT. SIGNS POSTED IN EACH SQUARE IN MULTIPLE LOCATIONS. AND MOST OF ALL.......ENFORCED BY EITHER YOUR PERSONNEL OR THE APPLICABLE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. PLEASE.

WHEN THIS GETS OUT OF HAND, IT'S GOING TO BE YOUR FAULT.