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TNRF Newbie

Started by Trigger, March 03, 2011, 11:29:41 AM

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Trigger

I moved to the Nashville area from Dallas/Fort Worth last October and have been waiting for TNRF since I got here. I used to be at Scarborough Faire every weekend it was open but now that I'm roughly 12 hours away, I don't really see that as an option anymore. I've seen the TNRF website and all, but there is a lot of information to be gained from the participants, playtrons, and patrons that can't be found other than word of mouth. So, I suppose what I'm looking for is your opinions on TNRF.. favorite shows, favorite places, favorite foods, etc. An insider's glimpse of the faire so I know what I'm wandering into! Thanks in advance.
look up into the stars, and you're gone.
-fight club

Lady Catherine

First of all, welcome!!! I am a four-year cast memeber, and attendee from WAAAY back.

Well, to begin with, I wanted to remind you that GARF is only about 3-4 hours away depending on where you are. I make an annual trek there. We are going to go opening weekend to celebarte our 10th with a vow renewal. The opening is April 16th, with a BOGO weekend!

Soooo, for us, we are a smaller faire, and we are not allowed actual buildings to stand permanently. Our pub has a roof and beam construction, and is the only thing that stands year-round, as per local codes. We are in the woods and hills, which I feel makes it special!

My favorite shows: Buckle and Swash( playful, comedic swordfighting), Axle the Sot( he's AAAARRRRRR rated, a sailor with a comedic look at songs, and freakign hilarious!!), Washing Well Wenches, and that's about all i get to see much of!

Favorite places: hmmmm, the woods( which is most), joust arena, and this year, the fairy garden, since I will be a Trollup!

Favorite foods: Chocolate covered cheesecake and bananas, and galley rolls!

also, mothers day weekend is very nice! They pass out favors to the ladies, it is cooler, and not so many people, so interaction is more one-on-one!
Last weekend is the international joust competetion! people from Germany, Englad, etc come to compete in the full-contact joust!


again, welcome!!
2008-2009 cast TNRF
Fishers, GARF, TNRF, ALARF, Fishers, KYHRF and BRISTOL
Coming 2011- Bella the Troll at TNRF!

CapnFayeCutler

#2
Welcome, Trigger!

Lady Catherine certainly did a great job there with the info! (WTG girly! <3) I pretty much agree with all of it - especially the chocolate covered cheesecake. Nom.

I have a question - by any chance did you go to TRF All Hallow's Eve weekend in 2008? I swear I think I've met you before. x_X;
Slack'n Penny -  Chieftess, Clan Byrne of the IPB
IFRP# 1264 IWG #3575
RoOL 26 | Castleteer | ETTE

Trigger

Hopefully I will have enough time to experience everything you mentioned as it all sounds great. Another issue was I am not sure what the playtron stance is out there. Some faires are all for it, some not so much, some it depends on your garb, but I feel so weird going to faire in mundanes and all I own is pirate garb (naught but the sea for me!).


And CapnFaye, I swear we have met too, but I have only been to TRF once and I can't for the life of me remember when it was. I don't think it was Halloween though. Did you ever come to Scarborough Faire?
look up into the stars, and you're gone.
-fight club

Lady Nicolette

Wear your garb.  TN doesn't have as many playtrons as most of the faires, but you'll still feel more comfortable and happy!  And you'll be a trend-setter.  It's gotten much better over the 8 years I've been attending here and there will be an invasion of playtrons the weekend of the 14th/15th, many from this site.  Favorite shows for me are music, if Empty Hats/Celticopia is there this year, Craig of Farrington and The Roses.  Also love Paolo Garbanzo's shows and his shows combined with Giacomo of Empty Hats and Lady Ettie wherever she may roam.
"Into every rain a little life must fall." ~ Tom Rapp~Pearls Before Swine

amy

Welcome Welcome!   I will claim to be one of the folks who has joined this community over the past 5 years and strongly increased the numbers of folks in full garb!   We have a wonderful month at TNRF.   The site itself sets the mood for this faire and you will love all the trees (and perhaps a bit of mud).  My favorite part is just finding a few friends and a nice spot to sit near a handsome ale tender and listen to music and watch the crowd and talk.    Sloanwolf (pipe and drum band) was a great addition last year and was one of my highlights,  but we must give unending kudos to her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth I, (our Syrilla) who reigns gloriously over the faire.  She really pulls the whole thing together.  And we have one of the very very very best pub sings on the entire circuit.  I am a real joust addict and am at the field for every pass.  The tourney over Memorial Weekend is totally thrilling and yes... it is REAL.   Can't wait to meet you!

Lady Nicolette

I also meant to mention that the cast here at TN is one of the friendliest and interactive of any I've met anywhere!
"Into every rain a little life must fall." ~ Tom Rapp~Pearls Before Swine

biggerstaff

I used to be a season ticket holder at Scarby. I moved here right after Scarby's run in 2001, and bought tickets for the faire in 2002. Haven't bought a ticket since.

Instead, I roam the hills with a group of talented, passionate people out to have fun and make you enjoy your day(s). We joke, jest, joust, jump, dance, dine, feast and flirt. (psst, I haven't gotten to the cast yet..still talking about our playtrons / forum members.) Blink wrong, and you may find yourself adopted, adapted, and assigned a role in the rolling bedlam that is a faire day.

About the cast: Simply stated, I am in awe of my fellow cast members. The array and breadth of the knowledge and talent assembled at this small faire is is...can't think of the right superlative.

So: Be warned. this faire can be addictive.

Trigger

You guys are making me really excited to see what TNRF has to offer. I don't have any rennie friends around here yet so I am looking forward to meeting as many as possible. If any of you live around Nashville or within like.. 30 min to an hour of and would like to meet up beforehand, I would definitely try to make time for that. There's an Irish pub/restaurant that I've found here in Hermitage/Donelson that has live Irish music on the weekends (haven't gotten to experience that yet!) but the food is awesome and it's a great place (McNamara's if anyone is familiar).

Unfortunately, I have a retail job so I will probably only be able to make it out one day a weekend, but if I can pull off one day a weekend for the entire faire season I might survive!
look up into the stars, and you're gone.
-fight club

CapnFayeCutler

#9
Quote from: Trigger on March 04, 2011, 07:02:54 PM
I don't have any rennie friends around here yet so I am looking forward to meeting as many as possible. I

Wanna bet?  ;D We're a lovely bunch here!

Btw, Macnamara's is awesome! It's in the Old Plantation House and is pretty cool. There are several more "pubs" in the area, but this one's my fav.

Sometimes a few of us get together on weekends and do "Sunday Guinness" or get together or what have you. We should plan another one soon! Lemme get with some folks to see when they're available. There are quite a few of us who are local to the Nashville area!

Also - If you're interested - There's a Castleteer Gathering up in Loveland Ohio at the end of the month.
A few of us are carpooling up!

----Check out he Loveland Castle "Castleteers" thread under Midwest sometime.
Slack'n Penny -  Chieftess, Clan Byrne of the IPB
IFRP# 1264 IWG #3575
RoOL 26 | Castleteer | ETTE

Trigger

Quote from: CapnFayeCutler on March 04, 2011, 09:50:58 PM
Quote from: Trigger on March 04, 2011, 07:02:54 PM
I don't have any rennie friends around here yet so I am looking forward to meeting as many as possible. I

Wanna bet?  ;D We're a lovely bunch here!

Btw, Macnamara's is awesome! It's in the Old Plantation House and is pretty cool. There are several more "pubs" in the area, but this one's my fav.

Sometimes a few of us get together on weekends and do "Sunday Guinness" or get together or what have you. We should plan another one soon! Lemme get with some folks to see when they're available. There are quite a few of us who are local to the Nashville area!

Also - If you're interested - There's a Castleteer Gathering up in Loveland Ohio at the end of the month.
A few of us are carpooling up!

----Check out he Loveland Castle "Castleteers" thread under Midwest sometime.

i am definitely down for a sunday (or any other day of the week) guinness, just depends on my ever-changing schedule. as for making it to ohio, i doubt that will be doable since i already have requested a lot of time off to go home to texas for various things.  :'( i'll renmail you my cellphone number since i have a tendency to forget to check the forums on a daily basis.
look up into the stars, and you're gone.
-fight club

renfairephotog

Welcome to TN.
Favorites shows Empty Hats, Buckle and Swash, Chess Match, and the Freelancers. The Freelancers did the Memorial day tournament  at  Scarborough  several years ago.
It's a great faire with a lot of shade. You'll find a lot of friends here. Also check the Fight Faire withdrawal thread for other area events.
The Kentucky Ren Faire starts right after TNRF ends. It's 3 -3.5 hour drive. The Alabama Faire is in Oct, it's a small faire but it's a fun way to end the season. They'll be celebrating their 25th year this fall.
Twenty seasons of covering renaissance  festivals. Photos/calendar/blog.
Fairy photographer

Chelsy

Welcome to TNRF, Trigger! Welcome to the family. I know everyone else has said this already, but TNRF really is a great experience. I'm a youngin' (a sophomore in college), but I've been attending TNRF faithfully for the past eight years. They've been eight years of great weekends, and I wouldn't change a second of my faire experience. When I'm not in school in South Carolina, I live in central Kentucky without a car, so I only get down to faire for one weekend a year. I wish I could do more-- so if you can, being local, do!

My favourite shows are probably Isaac Fawlkes, Buckle & Swash, and the Froyd Boys. The joust is always fun to watch, too, even tough it can get REALLY hot out on the tournament field. At least once I would suggest going to see Castle Gwynn, which the owner of the grounds has been building for (correct me if I'm wrong) 20-odd years. It can get hot, but it's a lot better in the shade; I still recommend a hat. It also rains a lot that time of year, so unfortunately faire closes sometimes because the grounds flood.

Again, welcome. Can't wait to see you around. :]
TNRF (2003-2015, 2017)
CRF (2012-present)
GARF (2015-present)
KYHRF (2005-2009)

bmgjarvis

Welcome to the faire. TNRF is a highly interactive bunch who love to talk to folks in costume. So, wear yours!!

Definetely catch the castle tour, early in the AM if possible. I think the tour hours are 11-3. I have been warned in previous years that anyone in line at tour close does get to go. But you wait for a  long time to catch the bus to the castle. This is the festival's 25th year, so the castle has been around for at least 26 years now.

Weather wise, it's always cold the first weekend and blazing hot the last. The middle two are somewhere between. It can rain, so be prepared with an extra layer or cloak. The show goes on, rain or shine, except for historic floods like last year. I've been working at this faire since 1991, and last year was one of the few times in my memory that the faire closed the gates. So, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I've always enjoyed Buckle and Swash, the Chess Match put on by the New Castle Players, and Empty Hats is a must.

Stop in at the children's area and the fairy there will give you a welcome hug. That's me!

Mixsae

#14
Garb is a must!

We are a friendly lot for sure.....I've heard it said quite often that allthough we have a great fair...it's the people that really stand out. I think we all witnessed that opening weekend when we flooded and began the chain of looking out for one another.

God willing, I will be under the shade of a tree with the Captain again this year singing and joking around and we love visitors (or bumps on a log)

And as Capn Cutler pointed out...we do need another Sunday Guinness soon!

Or Monday Guinness...Tuesday...hell, let's just go all out for a Guiness week!

CapnFayeCutler

I can do this Sunday if anyone's interested... :D
Slack'n Penny -  Chieftess, Clan Byrne of the IPB
IFRP# 1264 IWG #3575
RoOL 26 | Castleteer | ETTE

Trigger

i would have been interested had i seen this before now. lol. did you get my renmail message, capnfaye?
look up into the stars, and you're gone.
-fight club

CapnFayeCutler

I did, indeed! Alright folks! I've actually gotten calls this week so it's looking like we'll plan for THIS Sunday (20th)!!! Do we want to do Dan McGuinness again or do we want to hit up Macnamara's?
Slack'n Penny -  Chieftess, Clan Byrne of the IPB
IFRP# 1264 IWG #3575
RoOL 26 | Castleteer | ETTE

CapnFayeCutler

Here's the info!

Time: 20 March ยท 13:00 - 16:00
Location: Macnamara's Irish Pub
2740 Old Lebanon Road
Nashville, TN

Let's get together for some good food and great company! ?

Trigger, I'll text you the info! :)
Slack'n Penny -  Chieftess, Clan Byrne of the IPB
IFRP# 1264 IWG #3575
RoOL 26 | Castleteer | ETTE

Avidd

Gotta miss this one. Three day weekend at Sherwood forest.