Swept from the corners of my mind….
Lords, ladies, a 10-foot wood sprite, lots of knights and Wild Hunters too. This weekend I attended my first ever Renaissance Faire. For those who haven’t participated, a Ren Faire is like a giant dress-up party without the drunks or overwhelming music. There were costumes of all kinds, from a group of mice to mushrooms to a giant crow. If it can be found in a fantasy novel, it can be found at a Ren Faire. Costuming was not a requirement, though. There were people in jeans, some with just elf ears (SO MANY elves there!). I heard that Saturday there were over 4500 participants…and not a single fight.
Other than the clothing, it felt like any small-town fair. It was on the town fairgrounds (Vegreville, AB) and there were dozens of vendors, both food and items. The grandstand was where you got to watch the jousting and there were performances in different spaces. My eight year old grandson spent hours this weekend in the ring matching swords with knights. Yes, grown up men in all kinds of armor took turns swinging swords and axes with (mostly) children. That was just the first attraction within the gates. We watched several rounds of jousting with participants from as far away as Australia. We ooohed at Lothar the Magician, watched the dancers, enjoyed the wandering minstrel band and were gob-smacked at the wares in the vendors tent.
Grandson talked me into a sword for him and I came home with a neat dragon necklace. If I had not been so tired I would have ended up spending this month’s paycheque. Who wouldn’t want a real wool traveler’s cloak? Deep green, water repellent, and with a hood so big you could use it as an eye shield for sleeping. The fantasies grow just looking at it. Or beautiful handmade jewelry? Or wine.
I have to say, being able to buy a bottle of wine on the fairgrounds seemed odd to this PA girl, but there were all kinds of mead-based wines as well. You got used to seeing someone dressed as a peasant walking along with a bottle of mead in a plastic bag.
The Faire-goers were happy. Complimenting each other’s outfits or waiting patiently for up to an hour for a glass of lemonade. At the end of the second day I realized that there was hardly any litter! I saw one napkin on an empty field and it disappeared within minutes of noticing it.
We returned home exhausted and happy and committed Ren Faire participants. If you ever get the chance, grab some elf ears and pop in to see what goes on in the happy world of Renaissance Faires.
Cathy Bendle finds humor in the quirks of everyday life, from training teachers to dodging housework. When not writing, she’s either laughing at her pets, frantically Googling for her work assignments, or playing on her iPad. Her column appears every other Wednesday.
