“People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them .”

~James A. Baldwin

…can you guess where I went this weekend?

Yep, the Renaissance Festival.

Land of honeyed mead, pear cider (my favorite), and ale to quench thy thirst.

Where turkey legs, ribs, Ye stuffed spuds, Sir Lancewurst Sausage on a Stick and many other artisan delights assure to satisfy a King’s (or Queen’s) appetite.

A village where the uppercrust gentry, along with bawdy maids and knights in-not-so-shining armour, jesters, men in kilts, pirates, bellydancers, and the faerie folk mix and mingle to create a magical world that celebrates the year of 1533 when King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn reigned supreme.

It amazes me how a person can leave behind today’s high tech, fast pace world upon entering the Renaissance Festival. With the first “G’day, Milady” at the ticket counter, you step back into time. Not only was I astounded at the costumes, but the length people go to getting into the spirit of things. Everyone stays in character even down to the accents of the period.

And you just can’t help but get caught up in the magical world.

And why not? Not that I am in the market to wear those long skirts and those push-your-boobs-up-so-high-they-almost-pop-your-eye-out bodices, but I had so much fun watching everyone else.

I tried a Chinese Stir-fry for lunch and of course, a Funnel Cake for dessert! But I am sure the calories I consumed were walked off by the time I got through the 38-plus acre park.

To give you a little taste of what I saw:


A wood nymph from the Faerie Kingdom

She was awesome as she flirted and fluted her way around the park


A Spanish Conquistador and Scottish Maiden

Always with a cup of ale handy


Twig the Fairy being carried by a rickshaw in the Grande Parade


Middle Eastern Belly Dancers


Men in Kilts


My favorite – Cast in Bronze – playing the one and only traveling carillon

His music had a haunting surreal sound. Absolutely beautiful. Had to buy two of his CD’s


The Prince of something or another


Miguel of the Don Juan and Miguel show

They have been entertaining at the Festival for over 25 years and one of the favorites


Minstrels in concert


A Fair Maiden of the Faire

There was so much to see it is impossible to see it all in one day. Next year…

~Sandy

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 4th, 2008 at 7:34 pm and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

7 Responses to “hear ye, hear ye…”

Michelle Says:

I love Don Juan and Miguel – they crack me up! And so tawdry! LOL But you’re right – SO MUCH to see and do there. I love that place. Did you see the pretzel guy? He seemed to pop up everywhere we went. And that man had some lungs! You could hear him everywhere. At one point he shouted, “Loud annoying guy with pretzels!” It cracked us up.

Sandy Says:

Yes, we hear him! He was hilarious. And LOUD! I just loved that place also. Can’t wait util next year.

Brenda Says:

Wah, wish I could have gone. A family emergency popped up and I couldn’t have gone anyway. Everyone is all better now. The last time I went, we got to enjoy “Beowulf” in the mudpit. (Word of warning–sit on the back benches, that’s real mud.) It was a hoot. The female actress weighed about 80 lbs. and was relentlessly tossed in the mud. By the end, she probably weighed about 100 lbs. I was also followed to the bathroom by some village idiot loudly asking if I was on the way to the privey.

Sandy Says:

Wish ya could’ve gone. And Beowulf of the Mud is now Doktor Kaboom. Very entertaining and very funny!

I can’t tell you how much fun I had!

There always next year!

sandy s Says:

Oh it looks like you had a good time. We used to go to the Renaissance Fair in California. It was so fun. There was always some lute player following people around and then there was the jousting tournament. Hubba.:bugeyes:

Devon Ellington Says:

How lovely!

We don’t get our Renfaires until late summer here.

Michelle Says:

YOU NEED TO BLOG! 😉

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