[PaPaLarry]

Originally Posted by Polar Bear

Take the following FWIW...

Tonight it finally happened. My wife and I went to LSL just after 5:00 for Uncle Bob's Rock Shop. It was crowded as we knew it would be. My wife picked a spot to stand while I walked around to see if there were any seats available. I happened to spot a line of seats with trash bags tying them all together. I politely asked the lady on one end if she was saving the seats. She said no. I asked the gentleman on the other end if he was saving the seats. He also said no. They were both very friendly, so I asked if they knew if people had left the seats to dance. They said not since they were there.

It appeared to be a classic case of what this thread is about. After considering the situation a bit, I took my knife and cut the trash bags to free up two chairs and called my wife over. About 20-30 minutes later, two ladies came by and said they had reserved the seats. I asked if they had been dancing...and I was fully ready to give them the seats if they had been. But they said "no...we reserved them before we went to a restaurant at 4:00."

As politely as possible, I said sorry, but that is against the published rules (thevillagesentertainment.com/faq) and we were keeping the seats. The ladies were understanding, obviously unaware of any rules, and made no fuss. A few minutes later a gentleman came by and quickly said that there was no such rule. I showed him, on my phone, the FAQ's listed above. He wasn't particularly happy, but walked away. That was the last we heard from him or anybody from his group. Several people who overheard what was going on expressed in respectful ways their support for me and my wife.

The rest of the evening was uneventful and enjoyable.

Hooray for you and your wife!!!!! A little "backbone" goes a long way!!!

[MnGirl]

That was kind of you to leave the seats alone, as some have expressed they would throw the seat pads in the trash. No one knows when one may have a medical issue or that this was the only time one was to show family what a great place they live. Your so right, removing the seat pads would have would have changed the entire evening. I'm not a fan of saving seats, but then some think they own certain areas of the dance floor. Most of the time I stay away, but, when I don't want anyone to sit in my seat I bring my own chairs.

[Chi-Town]

Last night at LSL had event staff making sure people did not set their chairs in a vendor area. They politely explained why and people relocated. So there was some policing in place.

[Polar Bear]

It might seem a fine line, but I would not remove (or especially throw away) personal items of any sort, including seat pads. Rope, string, or trash bags do not qualify.

[ROCKETMAN]

So if 2 chairs have seat cushions on and they are dancing or getting a hot dog how do you know they won't be back in 2 minutes. roping off I can see should not be done but seat cushions should be left alone.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by ROCKETMAN

So if 2 chairs have seat cushions on and they are dancing or getting a hot dog how do you know they won't be back in 2 minutes. roping off I can see should not be done but seat cushions should be left alone.

I would agree with that. As long as there are not twenty seats together with seat cushions at at 4:00.

[Cedwards38]

Originally Posted by ROCKETMAN

So if 2 chairs have seat cushions on and they are dancing or getting a hot dog how do you know they won't be back in 2 minutes. roping off I can see should not be done but seat cushions should be left alone.

I agree with you and Dr. Boogie that seat cushions, hats or coats on seats, or other means of temporarily holding a seat or two while you dance, get a hot dog, talk to a friend, go off to the restroom, or any other legitimate reason why one needs to be away from one's seat on a temporary basis is fine. It's the roping of blocks of seats by one person that is the issue here.

[redwitch]

I would never dream of taking a seat once the music starts. Then, I assume folks are off dancing, etc. However, seats saved with something tied on them or objects in the seats at 3:30 and no one there are fair game in my book. I would take all objects and pile them in one seat. At least I'm not tossing them into bushes, although that is tempting.

[tuccillo]

Pulling a piece of rope off a bunch of seats is one thing. Moving someone's cushions off a seat, regardless of the time, is something else. I would never touch anyone's possessions, such as a cushion.

Originally Posted by redwitch

I would never dream of taking a seat once the music starts. Then, I assume folks are off dancing, etc. However, seats saved with something tied on them or objects in the seats at 3:30 and no one there are fair game in my book. I would take all objects and pile them in one seat. At least I'm not tossing them into bushes, although that is tempting.

[Walt.]

Isn't it amazing. This thread has almost 14,000 views and still nobody with any authority will do ANYTHING about it... including something as simple as a few signs (which would discourage at least some of the people).

[tuccillo]

There is no (or little) upside to doing anything.

Originally Posted by Walt.

Isn't it amazing. This thread has almost 14,000 views and still nobody with any authority will do ANYTHING about it... including something as simple as a few signs (which would discourage at least some of the people).

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Cedwards38

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.

Did you finally call the Entertainment office??

[Loudoll]

Originally Posted by Polar Bear

Actually, I tend to agree with you. I did not take the situation lightly. And I was very polite and careful in my actions. I just feel strongly about the principle involved.

I don't believe actions such as charging for seats, having enforcement staff on hand, or similar expensive, manpower-intensive actions will ever be implemented. And I can't say I blame management...I don't think it's practical.

But one step that I do believe could help is simply posting signs in very conspicuous places...possibly on the stage structures or someplace similarly visible and obvious. The folks I dealt with (at least the ladies...heheh) were very polite and made it apparent that they thought they were violating no rules. I think those who might be prone to violate the rule even though they know it exists might be less likely to do so if a sign clearly stating the rule (as worded in the FAQ's cited earlier) was staring them in the face and apparent to all present. The cost and effort would be one time and minimal.

Print right on the chairs: SAVING SEATS NOT ALLOWED!

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by Loudoll

Print right on the chairs: SAVING SEATS NOT ALLOWED!

So simple, what a great idea!

[TheVillageChicken]

The Solution

Meter Maids for Chairs

And they even named the culprits, Chogs....Chair Hogs