[AT] A commentary on how to win friends and influence people at tractor shows

[charlie hill]

David, the way the guy yelled out and rushed over to the truck you would 
have thought
I had a raving mad pit bull with a log chain around his neck, not a 17 pound 
lap dog.
It was clear, very clear, unmistakably clear that dogs were not allowed in 
the show.
There were about a dozen signs on both sides of the road in a stretch less 
than 100 feet long.
Had I been getting out of the truck with the dog on a leash it would have 
been different
or if he had been even close to polite about it, I wouldn't be upset.  He 
used "polite" words
but they were straight from Cop Speak regardless of if he was or wasn't.  It 
was his tone
and demeanor that got me.  Now with that said, I do tend to over react to 
things some times
but Lynn is not at all that way and it ticked her off as well.  As I implied 
earlier, you needed to
have been there to understand and I don't expect everyone to agree with me. 
I'm just hoping
someone, somewhere that reads this will think twice about how they effect 
their show.
I won't be back at Smithsburg.

Charlie

-----Original Message----- 
From: David Bruce
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2014 7:19 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] A commentary on how to win friends and influence people at 
tractor shows

I agree with Charlie that there are better ways to get to the same point.
Tone does matter.

David
NW NC

On 10/8/2014 6:49 PM, David Rotigel wrote:
> I realize that a tone of voice can mean A LOT in this sort of situation, 
> but, having said that, I do not see anything wrong with the words that the 
> guy used.
> Dave
>
> On Oct 8, 2014, at 4:11 PM, charlie hill <charliehill at embarqmail.com> 
> wrote:
>
>> I offer this as constructive criticism to folks that volunteer with 
>> tractor
>> and engine shows.
>>
>>
>> Weekend before last we were in Hagerstown, MD visiting Lynn's parents. 
>> We
>> usually go
>> about this time of the year and come back with a few bushels of apples 
>> from
>> our favorite
>> apple farm.  The farm happens to be out very near to Smithsburg, MD where
>> they hold an
>> annual "Steam Show" on that very weekend.  I've been before and enjoyed 
>> it
>> very much so we
>> decided to ride by there after we left the orchard.  We didn't have time 
>> to
>> take the show in
>> and do it justice so we were just going to stop long enough for me to 
>> take a
>> quick look around.
>> I just wanted to see if they had a good crowd and if they had the same 
>> sort
>> of displays they had in years gone by.  Plus I had
>> my Jack Russell Terrier with me and there is NO WAY to take a Jack 
>> Russell
>> to an engine show.
>> I don't think that Mike Rohr (sorry I that is probably misspelled) who is
>> part of that show still reads this list
>> so I don't know who I'm addressing this too if anyone so I guess it is
>> addressed to whom ever might
>> benefit from it.
>>
>> Now let me stop right here and explain that I know full well that the 
>> folks
>> at the show had no
>> way to know what I just told this group and I fully understand that.
>>
>> As we started to drive into the show grounds parking lot there were signs
>> EVERYWHERE, probably
>> dozens of signs, saying No Dogs allowed but before I saw any of those 
>> signs
>> I was in the driveway
>> headed to the parking lot and as  I said I had no intent to take the dog 
>> in
>> anyway and no intent to
>> even go in unless I had seen something particularly interesting worthy of 
>> a
>> quick hop out and look.
>> There was no way to turn around and go back out.  We were committed with 
>> a
>> line of cars behind us.
>> I told Lynn well we'll just drive on through the lot and see if we can 
>> see
>> anything from the parking lot
>> and go on.  Then I see a group of ladies who are taking donations for
>> parking.  As we approached them
>> Lynn and I discussed it and decided we'd go ahead and give them a 
>> donation.
>> As I handed the lady
>> a five dollar bill the Jack Russell was standing in my lap.  She took the
>> money and didn't say a word.
>> We pulled forward.  There was an open road to the exit straight ahead of 
>> me
>> that would have taken me
>> right down the side of the show where I could have looked briefly at the
>> displays but there was a fellow
>> standing there motioning me to go left.  I did so without any discussion 
>> or
>> argument.
>>
>> That's when it happened.  This fellow who waved us left, probably mid 
>> 40's,
>> about 6'2 maybe and stocky built but not overweight,
>> with short cropped hair and looking every bit like a cop in street 
>> clothes
>> let me turn left with the dog, now on the other side, hanging out the
>> window  of the truck in plain sight and then he YELLS OUT, again like a 
>> cop
>> at a DUI check point,
>> STOP RIGHT THERE SIR!!  I NEED TO TALK TO YOU.   Then he proceeded to 
>> walk
>> over and start to lecture me with....
>> Sir "I" can't allow YOU to take THAT DOG into the show.  As he was about 
>> to
>> continue I said in a polite but direct voice,  Sir the dog is
>> not going to get out of the truck.  At that he backed off and left me 
>> alone.
>> We proceeded out the back of the parking lot
>> and left as we had intended to do all along.
>>
>> I hope the Smithsburg Boosters club puts the 5 bucks to good use because
>> it's the last time they'll get a dime from me and the
>> last time I ever intent to attend their show.  It's not the shows fault, 
>> I
>> have no argument with them.  It's not the booster clubs
>> fault, I have no argument with them.  I fully understand why they don't 
>> want
>> dogs running around in their show and I agree.
>> What burned me was this guys power trip attitude which I'm sure no one 
>> can
>> properly read into my writing but I understood
>> loud and clear.   I didn't mind one bit being asked about the dog but he
>> could have done it in a friendly manner.
>> I don't go to tractor and steam shows to be talked to like a street punk 
>> and
>> if I subject myself to it again it will be my fault.
>>
>> Everyone at that show appeared to be friendly and welcoming this time as
>> they always have been in the past EXCEPT this one
>> bully.  Obviously they have had a previous problem with dogs or they 
>> would
>> not have spent a small fortune on White signs with
>> bold RED print saying NO DOGS but they need to understand that someone 
>> from
>> 400 miles away can't do anything about having
>> their pet with them when they turn into a parking lot where there is no 
>> way
>> to turn around and at least be polite about it.   He seemed
>> to have the attitude that "THIS IS MY SHOW AND BY GOD IF THESE JERKS WANT 
>> TO
>> COME TO IT THEY BETTER TOE THE LINE AND
>> DO LIKE I SAY!"  The only thing that kept him from looking like Barney 
>> Fife
>> is the fact that he was big enough so as to avoid being
>> construed to be a comical fool.  A fool yes, just not comical.
>>
>> All the man had to say, if anything, was a polite "sir, I assume you are
>> going to leave the pup in the truck" or something to that effect
>> but no he had to throw his weight and assumed authority around.  If 
>> anyone
>> from the Smithsburg Steam Show or anyone who runs
>> a show reads this, please take it as I intended, as constructive 
>> criticism
>> and realize that folks who go to your shows, sometimes from
>> great distances, don't go there to be harassed and treated like 
>> criminals.
>>
>> Charlie
>>
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