Anyone gearing up for Ren Faire season??

[Arduinna]

Spring is just around the corner, just think of all those ren faires coming up! Although Arizona has already started.

Anyone getting excited? Getting their garb ready?

Share here!

[Flaire-FireStar]

Ooooooh! :dis: I really wish we had one here, but sadly....we don't. :(


Anyone willing to accept a package from UPS with me in it, so I can go to a ren faire w/ you??? :D

[Earthcup]

as long as it isn't COD! ;)

I've never been to a Ren Faire. I'm thwarted and foiled every year but this year I am going! And very excited about it! :D

[Dancin Girl]

Won't cost too much to ship yourself to Minnesota! And you have until August so you can send yourself by slow moving cheaper rates...... Minnesota has a wonderful one in August!

[Arduinna]

hahahah you guys are too funny.

I'm sure someone will accept yourself as a package, but I wonder how safe the journey will be. Ever notice how banged up some of our packages are?? OUCH!

[Flaire-FireStar]

I have tough bones...

As for the COD... ;) I'll have an arm hole cut out so that I can hand the cash over then. :p 'course I'll have to get it exchanged for American dollars first. :) heheh.

[Earthcup]

yeah, I know a guy who used to work at FedEx. He said they used to shake, bend and toss fragile packages as a joke....

People have shipped themselves and lived though. The trick seems to be having enough food, water and air and a very sturdy wooden crate with this end up painted on it..... I read a guy once spent a couple of months at sea shipping himself to the Americas...

[Djiril]

I'm leaving for the Sonora Celtic Faire tomorrow. It's not exactly a Ren-Faire, but it's close. Gotta go now. 30 water bottles to make!

[Arduinna]

ooo, Have a great time!!! And let know how it was when you get back! :sunny:

[Lavender]

Flaire, I have a friend who's really into ren faires. I'll ask her for some info on local BC ones.

[Flaire-FireStar]

:D Thanks, Wildchild!

[Azure]

Our local faire starts the first weekend in May. haven't decided what I'll wear this time. . .

[Topazz]

When the weather gets springlike, I always start to get excited about Ren Faire. I have been a street performer for many years, and made and sold costumes, and been a face-painter. That's what I'm doing this year ~ the first faire is here in town the last weekend in April. I can hardly wait. I've been practicing on my four-year old granddaughter and several neighbor children.

I was very pleased to find that my costumes still fit me fine, although the bodice could provide a little better support now than when I made it 6 years ago. ;) Does it sound a little silly that although I make costumes to sell, I keep wearing the same one year after year? Nah, it's like a favorite pair of jeans or broken-in shoes. Speaking of which, this is the faire where I can safely go barefoot. Yes!

:boing: :) :boing: :) :boing:

[Adam Of Avalon]

Sadly, our Renaissance Faire doesn't begin until August 7th. Ah well, more time to prepare.

[Danustouch]

We go to King Richards Faire, in Carver Mass. And that doesn't start till September, I believe. :( But...we missed it last year, so i'm REALLY looking foward to it this year. Last time we went, they were all out of meade :(. But, I did get a hand blended personal perfume oil that was OUT of this world !

[Arduinna]

Bummer they were out of meade :-(

What is everyones favorite thing at faire??

I love hard cider, glad I can get it outside of faire too!

I love the shopping! I bought a really great leather purse last year.

[Danustouch]

Hmmmmm..besides the meade? The roast pork is pretty good :) It's a dead tie, for me, between the Shopping, and seeing peoples costumes. Last time, I rented one, because I did not have my own. This has now been remedied :) One time, a woman showed up wearing all black, with amber jewlery, and she had contact lenses which looked like cats eyes in her eyes. Freaked me out. lol.

[Earthcup]

I love those contacts. The ones that look like eight balls are my favorites but $100 for contacts isn't an option. Especially when I have to keep myself stocked with normal ones!

I like jousting!:D

[Arduinna]

oh man, don't let me get started on the freaks. There is one at every faire it seems. Last faire we went to, there was this woman that was obviously mentally ill. She was having conversations with herself about the weirdest things, and then just wandering up to people and saying bizarre stuff. She was an older woman (I'm nearing fourty too quickly, for reference) and she was alone. I hope she got home ok.

[Topazz]

Ummm, the music, the food, the costumes, the food, the old friends I see,
the food, the money I make, the fo . . . :mmm:


My least fave ~ seeing my almost-ex and his slut-mistress. :smash:

[Dancin Girl]

The food, and then the food, and maybe the minstrels, the costumes, and then some more food!!

[Raindancer]

They don't have a Ren Faire out here, but when I lived in Northern California, I was active in both SCA and Attending and for some years working as part of the entertainment at the Novato RenFaire at Blackpoint. It was back in the late 70s, early 80s when I worked there, first attending one back in 73. I have many fond and some poignant memories of my Faire years. I was part of Clan Colin, a 16th Cen't Scottish Clan, and we did shows, and various sorts of things planned and improvised as part of that. Its hard to say what was my favorite thing, I just loved being there, leaving the 20th Cent. behind and my mundane persona, and being silly, playing, hanging out with my friends in Clan and Faire, the whole thing... If I had to say one thing? Today I might answer that with "Collecting the Ale Tax" Maybe some of you guys might know what that is. I was very bold when it came to that. On another day, I might say something else, but tonight, its the Ale Tax. Those were good times, few people I haven't seen in many years I wouldn't mind seeing again. It was everything, not just one thing. Sigh...
Raindancer

[MagickHLHgurl]

umm...hat is Ren Faire?

[Danustouch]

A Rennaisance Faire. People get dressed up in Medeivil/Rennaisance costumes. There are shows such as Jousting and other typical Rennaisance attractions. Basically, it's like opening the door to the past :) Great fun.

[tiffy04]

hi.

i am so disappointed. i really want to go to a ren fair but the one in florida is so far away! :0( there's no way my mom will take me. i really wish i could go. i've always wanted to but sadly i've never gotten there. maybe some other year.........

tiffy

[Dancin Girl]

Minnesota has a fantastic permanent Ren Faire site, which they are hopin eventually to build up enough so they can keep it going throughout the entire summer months. Right now they run it on the weekends through August and September. We try to get down there every year and it's awesome! They did have a fire a few years ago which set them back in their expansion plans but they are slowly making all of the improvements and adding to it each year! If anyone ever gets a chance, be sure to check it out!!

[Sequoia]

HUZZAH!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE REN FAIRE!!!!!!

^^; ok so I've only been to one. But I run with a group of people who try to never miss one! *.* mmm ren faire. . .

hmm. . . I can't decide what's my favourite thing! The costumes are great, working is really fun, especially if you mess with the Turkeys, the food is nummy (anybody for a naked englishman?), the shopping is GREAT, and you can find some good deals on swords if you know who to ask. . .

^__^ I love wearing costumes. heheheheeeea ahahahah! Here in Northern Cali, we're getting ready for the faires!! hehe ne, Raindancer, what part of Northern California were you from? I'm here in Santa Rosa :D

:bad: they turned Blackpoint into a golf course. It was my friend's home faire. Ever heard of the Wolf Guard? hehe or Dance Macabre?

[Danustouch]

I knew a guy in a chatroom once called Dance Macabre.

[Arduinna]

Yes, great shopping, great food, great entertainment, games, and you get to dress up! Who could ask for more!!

I grew up going to So Cal faire. I've been to No Cal faire also, and it is fun. Last year we went to the Faire in Santa Barbara, it's in July. Had a great time, grandma watched the kid, it was our anniversary. And we stayed the weekend at a hotel. Plus the theme was Lammastide! I can't wait to do it again this year.

Good thing I get to practice at the earlier faires in So Ca first. I wouldn't want to have to wait until July.

[Azure]

The clothes. I'm all about the clothes.

Is it just me, or is there something really sexy about a guy in period costume. . .

[Sequoia]

OH yeah. . . *drool* s'pecially the Scottsmen.. .

[MagickHLHgurl]

ahhh i see!! I WANNA GO!!!!!!!

[Raindancer]

Puma Hime
^__^ I love wearing costumes. heheheheeeea ahahahah! Here in Northern Cali, we're getting ready for the faires!! hehe ne, Raindancer, what part of Northern California were you from? I'm here in Santa Rosa

they turned Blackpoint into a golf course. It was my friend's home faire. Ever heard of the Wolf Guard? hehe or Dance Macabre?
****************************************************
I tried replying earlier and wrote probably thousands of words then the computer froze up and I ended up losing all of it. Then I got busy with the kids and only now at 1AM am I ready to have another stab at it.

I used to live in San Jose, and we travelled to Faire from there. I was in Clan Colin, and we were a recreation 16th Cent. Scottish clan. We worked Faire until the early 80s when there was a falling out with Faire over salaries for the Clan officers and it culminated in mooning the gate on the last day of Faire. No, I wasn't involved in that.

Our Chief, Colin Mac Colin lived in Petaluma and we stayed up at his and his lady-wife's place over the weekend going from there to Faire, sleeping in the back yard. Its been years since I've seen any of them. Of course seeing how I've been in New Zealand since 91, that figures LOL. I think that at its peak, Clan had about 200 members in Northern California alone. There was a Southern Branch of Clan Colin that worked Southern Faire. Marion Zimmer Bradley's daughter Dorothy was a member, and Marion was a friend of the Chief and his lady, but then they were all involved in early SCA.

I can't believe that they turned Blackpoint into a golf course. One of our clansmen was burried there, or at least his ashes were. He wanted to be buried on Faire site, so we had a funeral in our compound one evening after Faire closed. It was one of the most moving funerals I've ever attended. His name was Sam Weynert, and he was only 17. He died from leukemia. We erected a small cairn for him over his ashes, and so when we were at Faire, he was there too. I wonder what became of his ashes.

I won't put anyone to sleep with all the other sentimental stuff I wrote which was mercifully lost when the computer crashed, but I have many remembrances of the place, and some people I wouldn't mind seeing again, especially a young lady named Andrea who was part of the Irish group. We were very close, too bad I wasn't available then.

Wolf Guard, and Danse Macabre? I haven't set foot in Faire since before 91, and maybe I've heard the names, or maybe if you refresh my memory, I will know who/what thats about. I may have also known it/them under a different name. I miss Faire. What happened after they sold Blackpoint? When did it happen? For years we heard rumors that they were having money troubles, and people were saying that the land was getting to be too valuable to afford to keep. So please fill me in on everything, what happened? Was that the end of them or did they move to another site? Blackpoint will have ghosts for many years.

Raindancer

[Arduinna]

ok, this must a pattern, I typed up a reply and it's disappeared??


No and So Cal Faire were sold quite awhile ago, to REC (Ren Entertainmant Corp) and the locations of both Faires have moved. No Cal has been at the Nut Tree in Vacaville for awhile now. But are planning another move, not announced yet the public. So Cal moved to Glen Helen Regional Park in San Bernardino.

The Pattersons son and his wife (if I remember correctly) started a new Faire in Santa Barbara that runs in July. I went last year, very fun.

Here's a link to the Scribe http://www.faire.net/SCRIBE/WebScribe.htm for anyone interested they are a source for Faire workers to keep in contact.

Here's a link to the list of all US Faires http://www.renfaire.com/
for those people looking for a Faire near them in the US.


Thanks or sharing your memories Raindancer. We never forget huh.

[Ball-Bhreac Ròn]

:wah::wah2::wah:

Ren Faires are exactly the type of thing I'd be into ...but I've never heard of one 'round here. :(

[Sequoia]

oooh I"m so sorry to hear about your friend, raindancer. . . . *mad at the people who got rid of blackpoint!* that's aweful that they would do that to your friend. . .

yeah, it's now a golf course and I think houses. So they'll all get nice and muddy-footed every year :D bakas, don't build your home and play golf where it floods!

I never got to see blackpoint. . . I think they took it out hmm let's see not last fair season but the one before it.

speaking of memories. . . . the only faire I've been to, Valhalla in Tahoe. . . Last year, there was this little boy there, I guess he had cancer, and his wish was to be knighted. So you expected just some little thing, right? NOOOOO WAY these are faire folk, dammit! They gave that kid a costume, the queen herself knighted him, they gave him this beautiful little sword, made just for him (and I belive it was a real sword), the ceremony and such was just wonderful, any booth he went to, practically, he would get something, everybody who saw the ceremony (ohh say about 80-90% of the faire lol) was bowing to him, addressing him as "m'lord" and such. . . were' talking about a boy I think he was actually like 10 or 12, but he looked barely 7 or 8. I think. I could be wrong about the age. But it was sooooooo special, there was NOT a dry eye at the ceremony. I don't think I've ever seen a kid trying to hide a grin that bad before, and he always responded to the "m'lord"s and bowing and kneeling with this very dignified "rise" LOL! It was so cute!!!

Well, what the Wolf Guard is is a group of friends, who recently have been semi-attached to the drubbing booth. . . hehe, but what they used to do is guard the dance macabre. The dance macabre were the people dancing through the streets, dressed as dead people. (the whole idea being it was historical, with people dressing like that to try to fool Death into thinking he'd already came to that city, so nobody would die of plague) they were pretty hard to miss ^^; faire costumes, but all shredded up and masks and such. . . something like that (never actually got to see 'em, myself.) The wolf guard would make way through the streets and protect the dancers, much like mercinaries ^^; hehe

if you've ever heard of a guy reffered to as "Spike" with a great big battle axe. . . ;) my friend

[Raindancer]

Danse Macabre is after my time, I went to the WebScribe website and found their dates. One thing we did at Faire was to go on procession with Queen Elizabeth and keep people from walking through the middle of the progress. Late afternoons when people were half drunk were the worst. People didn't have much sense by then. Sometimes people started to get nasty, one threatened to get violent but it ended up OK. Some people got pretty stupid though.
Raindancer

[HallsOfAvalon]

I live 2 hours from Bristol (2 hours wont keep me from a good time), and I really love the Ren Fair. It doesn't start until late July/early August for us though. :(

I was going to do the "Mud Peoples" website last year, but something didn't work out. I was getting free passes. You gotta love free passes.

I really enjoy every part of the ren fair, except the heat.

I esp. enjoy the music of the Minstrels of Mayhem, Ahem!

http://minstrelsofmayhem.com

[Nyx]

I love going to Faire, but I don't know when the season starts here. By the time the Faire hits back home, I'm already away at school. *oh well* I have SCA events to make up for it. And once the semester ends, it's off to WAR I go! :D

[Faery-Wings]

I love the Faire too. Our's begins in August so I have a long ways to wait. One year I dressed my kids up as Robin Hood and Maid marion. The characters made such a fuss over them and the kids thought it was great. I'd attach a picture but for some reason, they never show up. ;)

My favorite parts are food, shopping, costumes, shows...LOL You get the picture!

BTW, Dance Macabre is also a way cool shop in NYC.

Chris

[Niamh]

I Love going to Ren Faires. Every year I swear I'm going to two of them, but my friends and I always end up spending so much money at the first that we don't go to the second.

I'm in Connecticut, so it's either King Richard's Faire in Carver, MA or the New York Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo, NY. I haven't been to Carver in a few years and I think I'll try to get to that one this year. It's nice to have a change of scenery!

I love dressing up, I love seeing others dressed up... it's fabulous!

[shnen]

I have never been to one. But I want to go this year, for those familliar with Ontario, there is one in Milton during the summer, I think weekends only. I have a friend that has a booth there!

I can find out more info if anyone is interested...

[Djiril]

The Celtic Faire was great. Our booth was right across from the stage where Golden Bough was playing, and I also got to see Tempest. This Faire doesn't have any pagents or street theatre, but it does have some really good music.
The only problem was that it was cold and rainy and I got really sick and couldn't stand up or keep food down yesterday,:( but I'm fine today.:)

[Djiril]

I was really sad about Blackpoint too.:( But something happened to me a while back that I have really been wondering about.
Some time after the development started I was in a car going past Blackpoint when I suddenly felt that I was being greeted. I got a message that went something like this, "Hi! We haven't seen you in a while, how have you been? We've been busy lately." And I got an image of some kind of construction going on. It was only a few minutes when the feeling past that it occured to me to wonder what that was all about. Were the spirits of the place helping with the construction or incorperating themselves into it? It seems very odd to me, but that's what I felt.

[Danustouch]

Niamh, Hubby and I go to King Richards, too. If you intend to go this year, tell me when you'll be going! I'd love to meet up!

[Raindancer]

Djiril
The Celtic Faire was great. Our booth was right across from the stage where Golden Bough was playing,

**************************************************
Golden Bough are friends. Simon Spalding, who was in Clan Colin the same time I was, was their fiddler on their first album, and much later, Margie gave my then-wife harp lessons. Margie and Paul are really nice people.
Raindancer

[Sequoia]

Originally posted by Djiril
I was really sad about Blackpoint too.:( But something happened to me a while back that I have really been wondering about.
Some time after the development started I was in a car going past Blackpoint when I suddenly felt that I was being greeted. I got a message that went something like this, "Hi! We haven't seen you in a while, how have you been? We've been busy lately." And I got an image of some kind of construction going on. It was only a few minutes when the feeling past that it occured to me to wonder what that was all about. Were the spirits of the place helping with the construction or incorperating themselves into it? It seems very odd to me, but that's what I felt.

wow!! what an interesting thought. . .

[Dellit Tandannon]

there was a celtic fair here in new jersey that kaylara, traz, and i went to. i was all excited to go there but it ended up totally biting. the only cool part about it was the weapons table.

[Niamh]

I hate that! Getting geared up for something that sounds incredible and having it stink beyond belief. :mad:

[Psyche Ague]

Ooh, I hope to go this year. I can still remember my parents taking me when I was little. I loved it even then.

[Topazz]

Oh, the lovely memories. One year our street Guild got into a mock war with the troup of Elves. What fun we had attacking each other and deuling with our wits and words. And then there was the year I 'kidnapped' a pirate . . . Yum.

[Earthcup]

*doesn't even want to contemplate the ransom!:D;)*

[Topazz]

*sigh* His pirate buddies stole him back at derringer-point before I could even contemplate "ransom".


And then there was Chester the Jester who snuck up behind me. slid a foot behind my leg and ever so gently laid me out on the ground where he proceeded to kiss me. You see, I had been teasing him whenever I ran across him that "My wise old granny used to tell me - 'If you've kissed one fool you've kissed them all' "
But doggone it, I was laughing too hard to know if he was a good kisser or not.

[Niamh]

What fun!

[Topazz]

* holding up a set of scales *
:shift:

On the one hand I make more money painting children's faces at
Faire. On the other hand I had more fun as a street performer.

Looks like at this time the money outweighs the fun. * sigh *
:rolleyes:

[Niamh]

I'm sure you'll still have fun! :)

[Raindancer]

A Renfaire would have to REALLY suck to not be fun.
Raindancer

[Topazz]

Raindancer said:


A Renfaire would have to REALLY suck to not be fun.


Well there was the year at Normal Medieval Faire when I was catching the flu and it was cold and wet and icky. That was the year we called it Normal Mudieval Faire. :lol:

But I've been to lots of Rainaissance Fests that were cold or wet or both, so I'm sure it was just because I was getting sick that time.

[Topazz]

Huh? Where the heck is Normal OK? :confused: Is it anywhere close to Norman OK?
Dad gum it Screw Up Fairy, ya got me good that time! :nonono:

[Phoenix Blue]

Well, just hit "edit," ya silly! :D

[Topazz]

Edit . . . nah! Just wanted people to realize that I'm normal.
This is where Normal is ~ right here ! :lol:

[Flaire-FireStar]

Yeah...:eyebrow: the edit button is for us perfectionists that can't stand to have a typo in their posts. :p

[Topazz]

Ha! I used to be a perfectionist. Just decided to quit one day.
The hours were terrible and the pay just sucked. Besides it
was hell on my self-esteem.

Topazz,
having much more fun being Normal.

[Flaire-FireStar]

:shaker: I can't stand typos in my posts...:eyebrow: Watch out for my edited posts...They're the ones that I went back to fix. :lol:

[Sequoia]

^^; I use instant messangers too much. . . I've gotten used to un-changable and pretty much unavoidable typos hehe

[Élistariel]

I always wanted to go to one. I went to harris teeter, and saw an ad for one here in NC. Even though I don't know very much, and I will admit some of it seems a tad bit corny. http://www.royalfaires.com/CAROLINA/crf_main.htm
I still feel like I HAVE to go. But that's all depending on a few things. 1.) My being able to get there, without family -i'll explain
2.) My being able to get a friend or two to go
3.) Convincing the Grandparents to let me (and friends) go.
1.)- my family is WAY too touristy. They'd be the ones with a map and schedule glued to their hands. I hate that. I'm the "wing it" type.

[Gwion]

I'm always ready

[Armitage]

Dear Gods save me, I think I'm being dragged to one in full Elizabethan dress, or at least that's what the plot sounds like... :wah:

[Élistariel]

I take it you don't want to go. You could try reverse-psychology and say you won't go unless you ALL wear full elizabethan make up.

[Armitage]

I don't want to go IN THAT DRESS. I don't mind costuming, and would love the gypsy or peasant outfits, but the formal dresses look incredibly hot and uncomfortable. Not to mention I don't like dresses. But a promise was extracted while I was *ahem* a little tipsy. :ugh:

[Flaire-FireStar]

If it's going to be really hot out, I wouldn't really want to be in a formal dress either. :ack:

[Azure]

Actually, I find it not at all bad in Elizabethan, as the hoop skirt leaves my legs nice and bare with the breeze swooshing about ;)

Some of my gypsy stuff is way hotter. . .

[cyranodb]

Hey there,

Just wondering if anyone in the thread is familiar with the belt maker from the NY Renaissance Faire. I haven't gone in a few years and I went today and his shop wasn't there anymore. I was thorougly disappointed. I loved his belts and wanted to get a new one (also showing him the weight I lost requiring a new belt). I guess I don't need to know where he went...i can get other belts...just wondering out of curiosity if anyone knows what happened...I think his name was Chris something.

[TheTempestuous1]

Here's me at the Ren Faire in the dress I painstakingly made myself for the first time! Plus the belly dancer who was awesome! and the cool owl pic I took at the falconry show there.