A Return to the Renaissance Faire
About this time last year, I shared a blog about our adventure to the Renaissance Faire inspired by love of historical fiction (which you can read about here). Within this blog, I mentioned that you need to attend these events with an open mind because you will see an array of characters – ranging from the Queen of France to a rainbow unicorn fairy and possibly even William Wallace if you attend on Celtic weekend. Which is exactly what we did today. Aaron’s Sam and her friend Reese are into comics and can appreciate the dress up and costumes that come with that, so I thought they would enjoy the spirit of the RenFaire too. And boy was I right! So not only should you attend with an open mind, but you should attend with some people who are willing to embrace the spirit and opportunity the faire presents.
It was sort of a spur of the moment decision to attend today, but after realizing we were all free and that it didn’t appear that it was going to rain in Wentzville I decided we needed to go. Aaron agreed but was a bit skeptical as is usual. We didn’t tell the girls until the last minute in case the plans needed to change.
But we set out early enough to get there a few minutes after the gates open, so we could enjoy the shorter lines. We arrived just in time to see the procession of the court. We stopped to let them pass and take it all in. The girls were instantly interested in the thoughts of possible accessories and costumes. (They are already talking about what they will wear next year.) They decided they needed flowers crowns for their first purchases. After some debate and trying them on, they both found ones they were pleased with wearing.
For some odd reason, they were both intrigued with the idea of knives or swords. They quickly found the Angry Goddess Weapon display and spent some time perusing. This was the beginning of Aaron and I just sitting back and watching. This was also the first of a few weapon experiences for the girls.
After doing a little more window shopping, Sam decided to don my jingle wrap that I bought the first time. And then she found something that none of the rest us had no interest in – rats. One of market peddlers had a basket full of rats that you could pet. (They were rescue rats or so we were told.) For the even braver, the trained rats would sit upon your head and shoulders so you could have four rats upon you for your pleasure. Sam was a trooper and didn’t shirk from the challenge. The rest of us were more than happy to move along.
Next was more shopping and making our way towards the jousting arena. But before that, the girls found a way to let out a little aggression by tossing tomatoes at a heckler. But in the end, he won and neither girl was able to hit him.
After our jousting entertainment, we moved on to the important stuff – the food. Now not all food is period specific but we tried to stay as close as we could. Round One included two kabobs, grilled asparagus, broccoli cheddar soup bowl, pineapple, buffalo chicken wrap (I said we tried) and cannon drinks. A little later was Round Two with beef gyro, pita and hummus, fried strawberries, and blackberry mead. (It wasn’t the Taste of St. Louis but it wasn’t bad.)
The girls were willing to try just about whatever was available. Long bow shooting proved to be problematic for Sam and she would most definitely die if her life depended upon it. Both of them were intrigued by throwing stars or hatchets and took their time deciding which five they wanted to throw. I don’t have it on video but they were both able to get their last throws to stick. And finally they were given a lesson on using the pike by a stern German female drill sergeant which required some upper body strength. If either one had to defend themselves, the hatchet is probably their best bet.
We ended our day by taking in a few more shows. Aaron’s favorite was the Washing Well Wenches who he initially was drawn to when we first entered. (What does it say about me when he likes the crazy haired blacked out teeth wench?) The belly dancing, fire swinging, sword dancing women are always intriguing.
One can’t attend the faire without a few souvenirs. The girls had their crowns and bought matching Thor hammer necklaces. I bought some scented bath salts and some striped legging/socks that may make it into next year’s costume. Yup that’s right – costumes. The girls are already planning what exactly they want to wear and Reese said all four us need to dress in costume. It may take me a year to convince Aaron. So next year be on the lookout for the blog on how to prepare and attend a RenFaire in costume!
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