Took Miss D. to the local Renaissance Festival today. Hot (90°+ F), dusty, overcrowded – but fun. More types of food-on-a-stick than I’ve ever heard of before (shrimp – how do you shove a pointy stick up a shrimp’s backside, anyway? – various sorts of sausage, cheesecake and bananas dipped in chocolate, etc.), wall-to-wall people, weird costumes (I never knew there was a Medieval Mohawk hairstyle!), fake swords, shields and armor (including an incongruously anything-but-Renaissance Nazgul outfit patterned after the movie) worn by boys of all ages, ladies bursting out of the most inadequate bodices I’ve seen in quite a long time, performers delighting little kids, others skirting the very edge of ‘family-friendly’. Most enjoyable.
Got home very hot and tired, but Miss D. has found herself with another unexpected engagement tonight, so it’s time to hit the road once more. If I get back in time, I’ll put up some more posts later tonight: otherwise they’ll have to wait until tomorrow morning. Please entertain yourselves meanwhile with some of the other blogs listed in the sidebar.
Have fun, y’all.
Peter
Did you get a roasted turkey leg Peter? Though they looked wonderful I couldn't quite bring myself to purchase one.
OK, Peter, it's modern Internet use protocol that someone has to say this, so I will. "Without pictures, it didn't happen"
Sounds like y'all had a great time. I need to take the kids to the local Renn Faire.
You have Renn Faires, here in sweden we have "Medieval markets". The food tend to be robust traditional homecooking, the treats tend to be stuff like roasted nuts, the leatherworks and clothes of authentic style, and the weaponry real(and sharp, and crafted by real blacksmiths! Who usually have it as a hobby, but tend to be VERY good at it). Of course a sword goes for something like $500-600 minimum.
Ps: There's often jousting included as the big spectacle. As in actual men in armour on horseback. They don't break lances on eachother though, only hit targets, collect rings, etc.
They've had a "Renaissance Festival" in Tuxedo, NY (Sterling Forest) for over 30 years. Unfortunately, it's turned into a summer long money mill more than a long week-end or week long annual event.
Although I lived about 40 minutes away for many years I never went. Too many people and stuff I'm not interested in.
Now, tell me there's an air show somewhere and I'll gas up the car and be on my way.
Mikael is right, our Renn Faires are a POOR imitation of the ones in Europe! Glad y'all got out and got to have some fun though!!!
…ladies bursting out of the most inadequate bodices I've seen in quite a long time…
Where are the pictures? If it was me, I'd have taken a few pictures to post.
Mad Jack et al, I suggest you go to Renaissance Magazine if you want to see (and price) the modern medieval bodice "in action" as it were. Sophi's Stitches (IIRC) also has a Wenches for The Cure program to encourage ladies to look after the health of their, ah, never mind. I'm not going any farther down that road.
LittleRed1