I know what you're thinking. Renaissance Faires are just another place where geeks meet to impress each other with their ability to dress and speak oddly with other cult members that are as warped as they are. They are no different than the 'trekkies' that swarm the Star Trek conventions. They are social misfits and nerds that can't get dates...basically people that have no lives and this gives them something to do so they don't hate themselves quite as much as they normally do. Well I thought that was what it was going to be too. I was wrong.
Perhaps they are the same type of people...devoted to their interest and eager to explore it more. But I found that the Renaissance people can be very generous and extremely informative if you give them half a chance. I don't know if the Trekkies are the same way. The main characters ( and a lot of the bit players too) at the Renaissance Faires are paid actors and they are more than willing to converse with you even if you make no attempt to 'talk in their language'. They are friendly and easy going and it's very easy to believe you have actually stepped back in time. They are very well versed in any aspect of life from that time period and address you as if they talk to you every day. If you are a bit shy they understand that as well and don't push you beyond your comfort level. Many times I asked if I could take their picture and they gladly posed for me no matter what they happen to be doing at the time. It was a very accepting and intriguing feeling that I came away with. You don't have to make the attempt to fit in. You can just be an interested observer. Although I did see whole families that were making active participation the rule of the day.
I spoke with King Arthur and Queen Guinevere as easily as if they were an Uncle and Aunt of mine. The king posed for me and then beckoned the queen to his side (see how easy it is to slip into it?) so that I could take a picture of her...front and back. Her head piece was beautiful. I came across a minstrel playing some beautiful music on an instrument that I had never seen before. When he was finished with his songs he explained the instrument was a dulcimer and where it came from. Unfortunately a zombie chose that moment to show interest in Justin's brains so I was too distracted to absorb all the information he was giving me. Why would there be zombies at a Renaissance Faire you say? Well because they were slowly changing over to a Halloween themed evening as the day progressed. And it gave the knights, like Sir Tristan something to do to earn their keep.
I came across Sir Tristan several times and each time it seemed he had a different weapon in his hands. And busy as he was defending damsels and doing his best to stem the tide of zombies he did take the time to speak to me a few times. He never broke character and I found him very entertaining (as well as very good to look at!). Unfortunately the zombie he was supposed to fight ended up being M.I.A. (a choreographed fight scene had been planned) so he had to go searching for another foe. He seemed a bit distressed that his zombie never arrived. However he still took the time to inform me how a zombie would attack; the areas of the body they prefer and that once your loved one is bitten they are no longer to be trusted and will 'turn' soon after. On one of our encounters he was very charming and when I aimed the camera at him he asked me to wait a minute...then proceeded to toss his hair and give me a 'come hither' look for the picture! What a ham! We all loved that of course. (too bad the picture came out so terrible!)
There were a few zombies to be reckoned with during the day but as night drew closer they began showing up in force! My favorite part of the evening was the zombies dancing down the avenue to Michael Jackson's Thriller. I was determined to see the event and the crowd was huge and tightly packed. It didn't stop me. I started excusing myself and explaining that I was too short to see and they all edged over enough so I had a view...not a good view but I could see at least. I did take some pictures but they weren't the best shots. (probably because being the MJ fan that I am, I could barely stop myself from dancing too) But I was so swept up in the music and the anticipation of the dance number that I didn't really care. It was so wonderful to see that performed in real life....and by the undead of course. Some of the knights and ladies of the court joined in as well. And I have to admit that not everyone was a "dancer" by nature. But it's still a real treat to see that number performed in a group right in front of you. Very dramatic!
Pirates have always held a special interest for me. I've dressed the part more than once for Halloween over the years. We were fortunate enough to come across a pirate show and we were ready to sit and relax for a bit anyway so we took a seat at the top of a set of bleachers. One of the pirates took exception to our filling in the back rows....said he would have to yell his lines that much louder for us to hear. So he came up into the bleachers and yelled pirate jokes at us for awhile. He was hysterical and we loved it! I can only assume this was the way they warm up the crowd. He never relented on the crowd either...often stepping out of the scene to spray water on little kids and name different people in the crowd. One large guy in a blue shirt was named Mother and then they proceeded to blame Mother for everything that went wrong in their show. Another fellow was named chum bucket or some such name and he was eventually handed the wheel of the ship and commanded to steer for them (from the audience no less) because the captain was too drunk and too busy trying to kill his first mate, being the scoundrel that had spilled his rum! (as instructed in the pirates articles of course). Being a family show there were a few references to 'public school' having produced these pirates...a 'liberal arts' program was also blamed for their career choice too. I came away wishing I had taken those pirate courses myself!
The food at the faire was diverse also. There were choices like steak on a stick (I'm told it was delicious); a turkey leg (also delicious); vegetarian dishes as well as the usual hamburgers and hot dogs. I had the opportunity to try deep fried oreos, something I've heard of before but never tried. Now that I've tried them...I need never do that again. :) I don't generally eat deep fried anything but at least I know what they taste like now....nothing special in my book. After eating we felt the need to put Justin and Carol in the stocks for awhile...so they could relax. That was fun! And then we made the rounds visiting the various stalls with their trinkets and wares to sell. I did see many interesting clothing pieces that I'd love to have for costuming but the prices were high and I'm pretty sure I can get a better price somewhere else.
The evening ended with the flaming jousts on the tournament field. I think this was their first time doing this display and I hope they will improve it for next years performance. Many people found the field to be too dark...impossible to see the contestants and their horses...even with the lit torches. And the sound system needs to be tweaked a bit too. However I was impressed with the flaming sword thrown (while on horseback) into the huge sinister looking pumpkin in front of us..which made a very dramatic burst of flames (and some much needed warmth) in front of where I was standing. The riders caught flaming rings as they rode by and eventually had a fight to the death...quite close to where I was standing. A very tall and evil pumpkin headed creature fought the dark knight and we had the perfect spot to see his head leave his body...the body stumbling a few steps before collapsing to the ground dead. These shows are all about the drama! This ended the show and the evening and rightly so...because you just can't top the beheading of the evil pumpkin headed guy can you?
We headed for our cars..tired and happy...chatting about what we had seen during the faire. (not all of us had seen the same things as we split up several times during the day) I made sure to bid them all 'fare thee well' before leaving the gates. Yet I was surprised to find more zombies outside the gate in the parking lot. One of them was determined to come home with me. He kept following me with his shuffling gate and saying things like 'take a zombie home my lady?'; 'I don't eat much'; 'sleep under your bed or in a closet'. Every time I'd laughingly say no to him he'd come up with another line to try to persuade me. We eventually did make it to the car zombie-less. I had already decided to come back again next year...possibly for the spring show as well as the fall show. Long live the King!
Parts 1 and 2 of the faire are below.
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