Double Sunshine?

May have convinced my wife to leave for MA later Saturday. So if I get to the Waitsfield Market, when do they start selling beer and how long will it take for those at the back of the line?

 

So the idea that reducing the limit would put the beer into the hands of more people led to people asking "non-beer" people to buy for them? Stay classy, everyone. God forbid you only get two beers, not four.

 

HuskyHawk, you're killing me. All this info is readily accessible and has been repeated dozens of times on the BA boards.
The guidelines are at
http://www.lawsonsfinest.blogspot.com/2014/05/waitsfield-farmers-market-sat-524.html
Show up at Mad Taco and join the line. When you arrive is up to you. At 8am (or earlier if there's a mob) someone will start handing out numbered tickets. The guide on the back of the ticket will give you an estimate of when your number will be called. Chill out until your time comes- the market doesn't open until 9 (and finishes at 1pm); Mad Taco has food and breakfast beer starting at 8am. Don't hang out at the Lawson's booth at the market, go do something else. The numbered ticket is also an order form. Fill it out in advance with the number of each bottle you want. When the LED light at the booth shows your number, hand over your ticket and a huge wad of cash (no plastic accepted). Take your bottles and go.
Only thing I can't tell you is when you'll get your beer. First in line will be finished at 9:05am. Number 300 may have gotten a ticket at 7:45am but may not be done until the market closes at 1pm (or may get shut out altogether. They can't "finishing off the line" after 1pm, liquor license says no one gets anything after 1pm.) I don't have any of my past tickets to give you the translation of what number equals what time - someone may have posted it in the past. They move efficiently, but expect to wait if you don't have a low number. Also, check back periodically to see how they are doing against their prediction. If you miss your number when it's called, you can go up anytime after and get served next. (Of course they may have just sold the last bottles of DS to the people before you who had a number after yours).

 

Sorry about that...just nerves I guess. I've looked at both blogs before. What you said about #300 possibly waiting until 1:00 is what I really needed to know.

 

its weird the first time you do it because its all intangible but it isn't as bad or chaotic as I first imagined. with a line at mad taco there is now a defined place to go to with parking so it is slightly easier. The market is full of places to buy bread, cakes pizza, fruit veg and all sorts so its not wasted time. Your wife will probably enjoy the rest of the market and the more love we have for fellow market stalls the happier Sean Lawson is.
I am thinking it may not be as chaotic as last time as some beer geeks may have been unable to shake family obligations.

 

Latest & Greatest:
http://www.lawsonsfinest.blogspot.com/

 

Wow, must have been record time today at the bev. Showed up prob 30 minutes after they posted and it was sold out. Not typical by my experiences... Last week I showed about 20 min after they said there was a line... Still a handful of cases. Chalk it up to summer?

 

So if I get to Mad Taco between 7 and 7:30 what number should I expect? 250? Trying to figure out if the Farmer's Market will be worth it this year. Especially since people basically camp out these days.

 

is this serious? Gotta be there around 7 to get a ticket? last couple times I went last summer we arrived at 8-815 and was one of the first 20 people to get a ticket... that's crazy

 

That's why I was asking these "asked and answered" questions. I'm not leaving the house at 6:00 AM on a Saturday. Getting there at 8:00 and getting out of there by 10:00, yeah, I could do that.

 

I've never been on a holiday weekend, didn't realize it was THAT much busier than the other farmers markets. Not sure I can bring myself to stand on line at 4am for beer, but I will be damn sure I'm there by 7 if its really that ridiculous

 

With no alchemist sale and no HF tap takeovers and no Triple Sunshine... I would not listen to any of the quoted arrival times and ticket numbers.

 

Yes, this is my thinking too. Then again, it only gets crazier every time I am up there.

I don't think it is necessary to arrive at 4am, but arriving at 8am I do think you take a risk of being shut out...

 

The fourth is a big day for the town of Warren, pretty much everyone with a ski house or condo in the area comes up for the weekend to celebrate. Town is busy, I don't think it will be that different from last time around to be honest.

 

Good thing the farmer's market is in Waitsfield.

 

Doesn't matter one bit buddy, many of the second homes I'm talking about are in Waitsfield, and Warren is 10 minutes down the road. Thanks for reminding me where the Farmers market in my town is.

 

You're very welcome. I'll ask every Vermont poster where they're from before I post something of that nature.

 

oh boy...

 

Well, sounds like fun. Hope to see you guys there...

 

I only participated in the last one, so I'm not a veteran of these things, but I tend to agree with this sentiment. I'll defer to @iwantmorehops since he lives in Waitsfield, but in my lone experience, the people there at 6am did not appear to be "family men (and women) up at their ski condos for the holiday weekend with their families" type people, but rather "hi, we're beer geeks here for the HF anniversary party and up at an obscene hour for the one-time only release of TS" type people. I'm guessing with no HF party, no Alchemist sale, and DS available locally for past couple weeks, it will not be even close to last time.

Also @HuskyHawk, yes appease your wife by perusing the farmers market before your turn comes up. Ended up spending $50-60 there while waiting for my Lawsons. In addition, if Yak It To Me food cart will be back--check their FB page or call--I'd recommend skipping the overpriced and underwhelming Mad Taco breakfast and getting a yak sausage or burger instead.