A handful of silly questions...

[Scotty Hunter]

Great replies!!

Nighthawk, I've had good experiences with cloaks staying cool... but then again, perhaps it wasnt period cloth on mine? And it was a very dry climate; Las Vegas Nevada. Probably made the difference.

Food is another one of my interests with the Faires. I hear the food there is the absolute best. Making me hungry just thinking about it.  I might search the forums and see if I can find some photos of ren faire grub, actually.  I'm SO lining my pockets with cash. Eat, drink and be merry.

Most comfortable shoes I have happen to be moccasins. lol. I find the warmth of them keeps the muscles in my feet loosened up quite well, perfect for lots of walking.

THANK YOU ALL for the replies! The tips and info here have been invaluable to me!!

[Marietta Graziella]

Welcome!  This is a great place to start and feed your faire addiction.  Folks here will help with anything you might need-sometimes more than you want!  LOL

Key things for faire: 
CASH-small bills: The gold dollar coins are fun but bills are much easier for performers to deal with.  ATM fees are often around $5.00 because they can.
SHOES:  Better to wear "non-period" comfortable shoes than something that looks right but gives you blisters.  Don't skimp or sacrifice your footware!
WATER:  I do love to imbibe in my favorite adult beverage at faire but follow the minimum of 1 water per 1 other drink.  It's easy to forget or get caught up in the day.  Hydrate!!
SUNSCREEN:  Ditto above!  It's easy to forget to do this.  Chances are you are exposing parts of you that are usually covered so sunscreen is important.  Nothing ruins a faire weekend like getting burnt.

Get involved with your local faires board on here.  Attend meet-n-greets and introduce yourself.  We're an easy going bunch and enjoy sharing this fun with new people.  You won't click with everyone but chances are you'll find a few folks that put a skip in your step.  Attending with friends magnifies the fun.   

[Muffin]

"CASH-small bills: The gold dollar coins are fun but bills are much easier for performers to deal with.  ATM fees are often around $5.00 because they can."

Yes!!! Thank you MG!!!

I can't tell you how aggravating it is to have someone pay for 6 beers using those stupid gold coins!! Are they fun? Sure they are, but we can't even deposit them with our regular cash and have to wait till the end of the run.. We try to "get rid" of them as best we can, but most dane's don't want them for change...

Welcome to the addiction Exiled Archer!! You will find that R/F is a great place, with a lot of very helpful people! 

[Adriana Rose]

I second the ick on the gold coins. I had someone pay for a $28 garland with the damn things yay for the money but boo for the fact that they are a pain in the bum!

[DonaCatalina]

Please use paper money!
We once had someone pay a gate fee in pennies because they were ticked at the price increase. sheesh.
One another note:
If you're going to be an archer, a leather covered water bottle is probably a good investment to keep from dehydrating in the ehat.

[Amyj]

A couple of key things for St. Louis (Wentzville) when you come out...

1. Sounds like you live close enough that you are more than familiar with our lovely humidity, so plan for that with light clothing.  Unless that is, we get one of our random cold snaps in May/June...bring a cloak just in case...it can stay in the car if it's warm.   
2. The GSLRF grounds are hilly and slightly rocky, so unless you are used to that in moccasins, you will want shoes with hard soles.
3. It will rain.  It's inevitable...or tradition, depending on how you look at it.  More than likely on Memorial Day weekend.  When that happens, the grounds can get a bit muddy.  Not horrible, but something to plan on.
4. If the same vendor is back this year...Check out the Jugged Fish for their Fish-n-chips and Shepherd's Pie...Nom, nom, nom!!! 
5. Check for ticks at the end of the day...We have a wooded site and the little buggers show up sometimes.

Hopefully we will get a chance to meet!  I'm always happy to help enable a new ren-addict!     

[Rowan MacD]

A couple of key things for St. Louis (Wentzville) when you come out...

It will rain.  It's inevitable...or tradition, depending on how you look at it.  More than likely on Memorial Day weekend.  When that happens, the grounds can get a bit muddy.  Not horrible, but something to plan on.

That reminds me.  If it has been raining hard and the paths have been thoughtfully patched with cedar wood chips, keep in mind that those things float.