Well Met: Renaissance Faires and the American Counterculture ... a HIT!

Rachel Rubin's latest book is surprise hit. The New York University Press wasn't prepared for Well Met: Renaissance Faires and the American Counterculture to sellout the first printing so soon. Ms. Rubin's other books were cool but there is something about both Ren Faires and the American revolution of the sixties that is utterly fascinating and complex. The author told me the many returning Vets from that contentious period time said they "Finally felt like they were home." when they attended the 'Faire.' Ron Patterson, one of the originator of the Faire as well as other theme events knew that only when you get people to put on an unusual hat and pretend to be someone else do they become themselves.

World Pi Pay = March 14, 2013

Cerletti Park proposal , Santa Fe

Proposal for Cerletti Park

The area around the Water Street Parking lot that includes Fountain Head Rock, Fountain Head Rock Place, the Stone Chess Table, Turtle Rock,  Tomas Lipps' Stone Monument and other rock works near the fountain has become blighted and dangerous. The entire corner of Water and Don Gaspar is inundated with drug dealers and users. It is really out of control. As it is in larger cities, the drug dealers sell to the underage and use kids as runners for the dope. In Santa Fe, the dealers also use bicycles as signals and drop points for the drugs, and I'm not talking just about pot. 

To complicate the situation, there are many homeless people using that area as just someplace to be.  The dealers and aggressive panhandlers mix in with the homeless who could use help, and whose rights to be some place should be protected. Recently there has been increased incidences of aggressive and inappropriate verbal assaults on women.

The proposal for Cerletti Park  is not an anti-loitering or anti-vagrant proposal but more of a 'Helping Hand'
project.  We with Hand Pi, LLC are not cops.  We are a group of people from Santa Fe and beyond who want to help.  Our group contains neighboring business owners, and we have gained nearly complete support of those not yet part of our group.

Hand Pi is a active member of the Farmers Market and has a City of Santa Fe business license


The basic scope of the project  entails the leasing of City property in exchange for services (barter for trade).

1. The establishment of a mini-park and privatization of that park called Cerletti Park.
2. The cleaning, landscaping, and appropriate maintenance to be done by Hand Pi LLC.
3. A charitable food vending cart would be set up and run by Hand Pi within the area.
4. Hand Pi would provide City approved family-friendly demonstrations, games and activities.
5. The establishment of a bicycle parking area.
6. Hand Pi would make a video of the project with distribution at the City of Santa Fe's discretion.

    1)    Mike Cerletti loved Santa Fe, in particular the block around the Hotel St. Francis on Don Gaspar. As Secretary of Tourism, he kept a keen interest in the beautification of and the tourism to that block, to Santa Fe in general, and all of New Mexico. Mike would not like to see what the view and feeling is on the street in front of his beloved Hotel St. Francis now.  Don Gaspar  was named after a  well loved and successful but generous Mexican American merchant. Don Gaspar grew and traded corn, pinon and other food products. To honor Don Gaspar and the past by helping to feed people now would be a goal of this project.
    2)    Hand Pi, LLC will do all City approved landscaping, watering, cleaning on the entire    square feet of the leased space from the parking lot wall to the sidewalk, including Fountain Head Rock and Tomas Lipps' Stone Masons Monument.
    3)    The Hand Pi sandwich is a toasted sealed sandwich. The molded and shaped sandwich has an image toasted on its surface.  The image represents the charitable connection, for example: a Zozobra sandwich would produce royalties to Kiwanis; a Spitz Clock looking sandwich would make money for the clock's renovation; or a Farmers Market branded sandwich would bring funds to the Farmers Market Foundation.  But what's important about this food cart is Hand Pi's prime directive and corporate code: "If people can't afford the food you're selling ... you give it to them. "
    4)    Hand Pi members commissioned the stone chess table and produced Santa Fe's first large event chess tournament in the proposed lease area. Members of our groups have professionally demonstrated art processes such as weaving, marbling, pottery making and wood carving outdoors or in a park environment. We have built an oversize backgammon table for out door events and would propose a non-electric game tournament in the area.
    5)    Hand Pi would help maintain a bicycle parking area.  Bikes being chained to trees and other structures are causing serious obstructions and obstacles to sidewalk travels.  Some of the bikes are left there for days or even weeks.
    6)    Together with Public Access TV, Hand Pi will make a broadcast-quality video of the entire project as a final report.  It is very important to document what happens during this process for future projects like this and for any security concerns.

 Cove (left) hold a "Hand Pie machine" as former and late City Councilor Carlos Gallegos and Mayor Louis Montano cut the ribbon from the Spitz Clock to the first food cart in the Santa Fe Plaza.  Roque Gracia (right) continues to sell his famous "Carnitas" to this day on the historic Plaza.

The Spitz Clock mold for a toasted sandwich would look like a small replica of the clock itself. The mock-up to the left was used for a presentation to the Spitz Clock Renovation Committee as a fund raising idea. As well as a royalties for the sale of the mold the City would get a percentage of every Spitz Clock sandwich (pie) sold in any other location.

Rag Theatre

Venessa Delacour (left) and Helly Kagan (center back turned) stands in front of the former "Telegraph Avenue Hilton" home of the former Rag Theatre as the site is demolished.

Spitz clock

The Spitz Clock