TRF I remember

[Shandi]

how could I have forgotten "Merlin" I love that man!

[Breandan]

Merlin
Chariot Races
Ogre and Tree Troll
The Battle Mound
Highland Games (actually being there all the time)
The Round Table
The Carved Trees (knight and dragon, etc.)
The Stone Crane (awesome as well as educational)
Carol Shannon
The Live Chess Match
Musgrave Art
Improve Non-Restricted/Scripted Street Characters
Wolf Runs (show of hands of all those who did one... show of other hands for the guys who did one and a random branch or other protrusion made them regret it )
I could go on and on, but that's my short list

[Rapier Half-Wit]

I did forget to mention Real Musgrave. I appologise for my oversight.

[eldatari]

The one I miss the most are the Highland Games.  They were one of my favorite things to watch.

[Breandan]

I used to do the Highland Games with the McClue on the battle mound back in the 90s, it was a blast. Before that, I worked with Wyrdsmith's Forge over where the haunted castle thing is now. Before that I was one of the hangers-on with the Barbarians when it was Toruk (Jeff), Tiny, Lumpy, Kryll (Dan), and so on. The forge where I am now was in the hands of Chris Poor, and DAMN did he make some good weapons (still does, but you'd have to sell someone's kidney for them). I miss those days and want to try to get them back. Best I can do is try to get as good at weaponsmithing as Chris (no chance in hell, but I can try), since none of the other stuff that I loved about faire is going to come back 

Nostalgia's a bytch, a sadistic one at that.

[Singed]

I actually really miss the fighters mound and the SCA involvement at TRF.  I've never really gotten the story on why an end was put to that. 

[Rapier Half-Wit]

I did know the reason at one time because I was there, but so many years have passed that anything I said would most likely be completely wrong.

[Deckard And Zhora]

What happened to all this stuff? I guess if it wasn't making TRF money, it got canned? They should kick it old school one weekend and bring back all of those characters (and if the people who played the characters aren't able to, get a "nice try") just for the people who are long time faire-goers.

I did go in the early 90's but I was a kid then and don't remember much of it.

I guess there are always pros and cons at having such a large well-attended faire.

[RenStarr]

A few for me that have already been mentioned:

The Ogre:  I always looked forward to seeing the Ogre.  In addition to his pus bag, he also had a booger bag.  He would pull long "snotty" looking stuff out of his nose and throw it at people.  If one was particularly appealing to him, he would save it in his booger bag.  His bouts of gas/farting was classic.  Always a great laugh for all involved.

The Battle Mound:  The battles that took place on the mound were always something to look forward to.  As I remember, they fought with rattan swords.  Nobody got seriously injured, but some of those folks walked away with some serious bruises.  My brother in-law did that for several years, and he showed me some on his back and the back of his legs that were huge.

Tree Troll in Sherwood Forest:  Always fun to walk along look up in the tall pines to find the Tree Troll.

Last thing I miss........many of the hand made items through out the Faire.  Seems to me that in recent years there sure is allot of mass produced items in many of the shops.  I guess it's a sign of the times. 

[Rapier Half-Wit]

What happened to all this stuff? I guess if it wasn't making TRF money, it got canned?

There's more truth to that than I care to remember.

[Breandan]

ditto on the hand-made stuff. However, people come to us and ask how much it would cost to get a custom sword made, hear the price tag (anywhere from $400 on up, depending), and then scoot down a few booths to the Pirate Ship and buy a cheap Pakistani wallhanger for $50. It's the customers that drive the market, and they want cheap, not quality, so they go where they can get a souvenir for the least amount of money. I love Nina and Liam to death, so I am torn between my friendship with them and my desire to see TRF go back to being a predominantly artisan-based faire as opposed to retail-central.

[Rapier Half-Wit]

It's the Walmart mentality; it permeates everything.

[Mouse]

Now if only they would start rolling back prices, because I have already seen enough wal-creatures dotting faire on a lookey-loo vacation enough for the criteria to be met.

[Rapier Half-Wit]

Don't all new vendors have to be approved by all the existing vendors?

[ravic]

Don't all new vendors have to be approved by all the existing vendors?

No, all new vendors are approved by the vending coordinator (Shelley) & their merchandise is juried in by a committee. They are starting to put the screws down. The vendors started receiving letter this year that all merchandise must comply, within only slightly flexible guidelines, with their original or officially modified contracts. Threatened us with nasty fines & seizures, they did.