Middlefaire - near Hillsboro, Texas

[cjacksonii]

I wanted to post a brief message to let anyone interested know that we are still going to be running the Magical and Medieval Fantasy Faire on the weekend of November 6, 2010. Also, along side the fantasy faire (at the same location) we will also be running a Live Action Role Playing game event we're calling "The Battle of Peltham Downs". Let me first start with the storyline we're running for the game event:

There is a magical item that can give the user the capability to take over any piece of land he/she wants, with literally NO resistance and as if they had always owned the piece of land. The leader of an army of primitive cultures (including barbarians, vikings, orcs, and mythological creatures like Minotaurs and satyrs), known as the Minotaur King has the item and is planning to use it during a ritual held on the Saturday of the weekend [No, not a real ritual!]. Parts of a army of civilized cultures are planning to stop this ritual and get the item for their leader, even though the civilized army leader does not have any idea how to use the item. The weekend's events will culminate with a battle between the two armies.

Our primitive army will include barbarians, vikings (especially berserker-types), orcs, minotaurs, satyrs, and cursed pirates (cursed that the males can not wear a shirt (although they can wear a vest). I personally am playing the leader of the primitive army, the Minotaur King (a berserker with the spirit of a minotaur king that manifests itself through wearing specific items.).

Our civilized army (which technically has nobody playing the army's leader) includes in essence any civilized culture!

All combat during the event will be via foam LARP-style weaponry and we will theoretically have a vendor on site selling suitable weapons. We will also theoretically have a designated primitive army camp area where non-modern tents may be set up. [We also have a modern (patron) camping area as well suitable for modern tents.].

I would personally love to have a bunch more people participating in this game event (which since it will be more of a test run will be included with admission to the faire (after signing liability waivers)) and I would REALLY love to get a few people to do some more mythological creatures or barbarians and berserkers!

Clayton Jackson
Assistant Cast Director of Middlefaire

[DonaCatalina]

Hi,
anyone know if Middlefaire made any improvements this year?
Last year the wharf stage was unusable and needed to be rebuilt and the pub had no shade.

[beckgam462]

Hi,
anyone know if Middlefaire made any improvements this year?
Last year the wharf stage was unusable and needed to be rebuilt and the pub had no shade.

We were there for Pirate Fest in may and the pub had shade and cold shiner
Very small but it is growing

[MrHyde]

We were there for Pirate Fest also.  The pub was shady and nice.  We enjoyed it.  Not sure which stage was the warf stage but they used a lot of the stages that day.  It is small but they still managed to part me with my money for garb! 

[ophelia murdoch]

good to know! i'm wanting to visit middlefaire this year. i'm getting new garb and want to get some wear in before the spring.

[angusmacinnes]

I always enjoy my visits to Middlefaire.

[beckgam462]

any one havce the schedule for middle faire this fall?

[angusmacinnes]

2011 Faire dates are: Middlefaire Renaissance Festival (5 weekends):
Oct. 29-30: Opening Weekend - A Royal Haunt
November 5-6: Pirate Invasion
November 12-13: Magical & Medieval Fantasy Faire
November 19-20: Celtic Weekend
November 26-27: Christmas Fest

[SaucyWench]

Hi All

Can you guys fill me in on Middlefaire?  I am considering applying to have a booth there.

How are the crowds? 

I'd be driving up from south of Houston and I want to be sure it will be worth the effort.  It's a very long drive to make!

Thanks!

~Saucy

[Clarendon]

Hi All

Can you guys fill me in on Middlefaire?  I am considering applying to have a booth there.

How are the crowds? 

I'd be driving up from south of Houston and I want to be sure it will be worth the effort.  It's a very long drive to make!

Thanks!

~Saucy

This is a small Faire. Can't really give you any numbers as to attendance but I guess there might be a 100 to 130 or more per day.

[cjacksonii]

Hello everyone!

I wanted to post about the upcoming festival season this year. I personally am now down to working on two projects for the festival this year.

The first is the mud show. I've turned it into more of a "Whose Line Is It Anyway" style show, I have a few already cast for the show, but I really am searching for a few more people to either be in the show or be understudies for the show. All characters in the show are barbarians and most are going to be wearing loincloths, with a couple wearing fur as well. We're only doing three of five different Improv games throughout each show, and each will end with me getting completly submerged into the mud. (To put people's mind at ease, I'm not really going to be submerged, but I hope it will look that way!)

The second is attached to the mud show, and that's trying to form a horde of barbarians. Personally, I'd like to have a group of 5-8 (or more) loincloth and fur clad barbarians roaming around the festival. They will also be able to get into fights with each other using safe boffer-style weapons normally used by some of the more interesting Live Action Role Playing games like NERO. They will be led by a character I will be playing known as the Minotaur King, a minotaur with a human face (who is able to change into a standard human form for the mud show). For those that do not have a loincloth but want to be in this horde, I will be bringing plenty of material to make simple loincloths for those that need them, although I would encourage those that have experience playing a barbarian to bring their own garb. The cast of the mud show will be a part of this horde as well. The horde will also lead in a drum jam after the faire closes on Saturday nights. I'd also love to have a few mythological creatures (other than my character) as part of this horde, especially minotaurs and satyrs.

The only request I have is that those wanting to come out should be aware that several of the already cast people for the mud show are gay men, so those that apply should be "gay-friendly" (meaning they're open to working with gay people).

For the mud show, we are only going to be doing it for the first three weekends of the festival (Halloween weekend and the first two of November). Theoretically, the horde will be done all five weekends (weather permitting!).

And for those that have never played a barbarian but would like to, this will be a perfect chance for them to get their feet wet and try out playing such a character. One of my favorite sayings is "It's not the body that counts when you play a barbarian...it's the attitude. If you have the attitude, the body will eventually follow."

Those that are interested can get in touch with me in one of a few different ways. The best way is to come up to Hillsboro and attend a cast meeting on the 20th of August starting at noon at the Super 8 Hotel. The other way, if you can't make it to that meeting is to contact me via email at clayton@terabites.com, and please (so I can filter it out of the junk I tend to get) put either "Middlefaire Mud Show Cast" or "Middlefaire Barbarian Horde" in the subject line.

And for those that want to come out and play a different type of character, please get in touch with the festival itself and we can route you to the appropriate cast director or come out to the August 20th meeting!

[Please note: All cast positions are volunteer, although mud show cast may get a share of any tips that might be received.]

Clayton Jackson
One of the cast directors at Middlefaire

[beckgam462]

I love the Idea of a barbarian mud show
Will  be ready opening week end

[cjacksonii]

I'm personally hoping that I'll be ready for the mud show to premier that weekend. Doing the mud show is literally a first for me, the past two years as a cast director at Middlefaire, all I did was roam around and talk to the guests we had and lead the parade. With all the tricks we have in mind for the mud show, I'm going to be very nervous with making it all work.

Please don't get annoyed if the show isn't everything one expects from a mud show initially....it'll improve with time!

Clayton Jackson
One of the cast directors at Middlefaire