What turned you into a rennie?

[Seaman Blurt]

I had a friend that i worked with. for 5 years he tried to get me to go to faire, I blew him off, i had other things going on in life. Finally i went and took the family, we went as tourist in normal clothes, i didnt see anything special. Later that year my wife and i split up, the next season my friend wanted me to go, but he wanted me to dress up. I was like, i dont have a costume. so he twisted my arm and told me he had garb for me to wear. so i reluctantly accepted. OMG! i couldnt believe how much fun i had, girls i didnt know coming up from behind me kissing my neck and lots of flirting and booze, I had even got flogged mulitple times, i was in boob heaven. but the thing that really got its hooks into me was later on in the day. It started storming, raining hard as lightning flashed through the sky. The pathways filled with water and it was a huge muddy mess. reports of tornados were in the area. I looked around and all i saw were people dressed in garb, The tourist had gone home long ago, It was almost closing cannon, the last show of the evening was Pub Sing. With the rain pouring down and the darkend sky, i wondered why people were still here. Obviously something kept them here, tornado warnings did not phase them. Pub Sing started and everyone was singing, drinking, laughing and dancing with eachother. At that show i realized why people were still there. Everyone was having a time of thier life. I wanted to be a part of that. After faire we went to the parking lot and partied for a while til it was time to go home and prepare for Sunday the next day at faire. I woke up early, tried to hit the thrift stores before i left, i wanted my own garb. I looked pretty funny with the things i found. I even went by walmart and looked in the womens section for tights. I got funny looks from shoppers when i picked up a pair of those stretchy pants and held them up to my waist to see if they would fit.Lol.  that day at faire i went by the shoppes and bought some more stuff. I was hooked. I couldnt even spell renaissance 3 years ago, now with all the web searches i have done for garb or even some history lessons, renaissance is a word i dont mispell anymore.

[Lady Christina de Pond]

i can mispell it my poor fingers can't keep up with my brain
i've always been interested in Renaissance time period the cloths always fasinated me. i remember hearing about the Georgia Renaissance festival several times as a child but we never went i was roughly 25 when my two best friends mentioned it again and i was in i wanted to go. that year we all went in mundane cloths before the next season came around one of my best friends had garb and so did i. I've gone in Garb every year since then i actually change my costume a little every year.

[Seaman Blurt]

It is one thing to go to faire, but it is a totally different experience when you are in garb and part of the faire.

[Rogue Hidesmith]

As a kid and through jr high and high school I was always involved with theatre and choral groups. In 11th grade my theatre class took a field trip to a student day at PaRF. We all dressed up (we were performing a scene from the Merry Wives of Windsor) and I got hooked. I didn't make it back until about 5 years later but have been going every year since

As an aside, I still have my sweet sword I got from Isle of Man on that trip. Amazing how much his workmanship has changed and improved in 12 years.

I'm on the far right.

[Seaman Blurt]

Thats a great story Hidesmith... I wish i was exposed to faire a lot earlier in life

[SethB]

I have always been into medieval things, ever since I was a very little kid. My brother and I made our wooden swords, shields, axes, etc. I loved the MDRF the first time I went, and went for many years in street clothes due to the prohibitive prices of garb. Last year, I finally took the plunge, bought a kilt kit from USA kilts and had a blast! My Girlfriend has really gotten into it as well and now it is another of "our" things together.

[DonaCatalina]

When I was in high school, back in the dark ages, I had a friend in the SCA. (Her identity is another story in and of itself) She talked me into going with her the first year that Scarborough was open and I was wearing mundanes. I thought it was fun, but no big deal. A couple of years later my husband and I went and rented costumes. Oh my. What a difference. We had a blast and stayed until cannon. So many more people, performers and cast spent time interacting with us, taking our photos, etc.
We've been going as much as possible ever since though we did spend many, many years in the SCA as well.

[Adriana Rose]

My mom took me when I was going into 8th grade on the last day of Colorado, we made it midday and stayed till just about cannon, mom let me get a dress and we just loved it! When I got home I started to research the cloths the language everything Renaissance.
The next year we went again mom got herself kitted out and wow if I would have known where faire would take me and all I am doing thanks to it I dont think I would have belived me.

[Rowan MacD]

   It started with a random encounter with a very muddy person at the now defunct Renaissance faire of the midlands.  He was pursuing every woman; playtron, mundane or cast member  for kisses or hugs with an admirably single minded intensity.    Everybody was fleeing, it was hilarious!
   I decided that year that I was ready to be a part of that fun.  I bought my first basic wench garb the next year and never looked back.
   Before that I attended faire as a mundane for many years.

[Ms Trish]

I'd gone to the Ren Faire basically twice in my life up to my mid 20s and was utterly unimpressed. Then MG took me with her to beautiful Larkspurshire (fully garbed for my first time ever) in 2010 and I was hooked! I had so much fun and everyone I met was amazing! I love MN's renfaire, but I think my heart will always belong to CORF.

[Delireus]

I remember thinking in 8th grade "I wish there was a huge mall with swords and dragons and fairies and all that cool stuff" I had always liked fantasy books and dragons and the like. I told my mom this and she said "we should go to the Renaissance festival again" Apparently they had taken me many times when I was little, but I didn't remember at all. I went for the first time my freshman year with a good friend of mine and I was hooked from the second I walked through gates! From that second on, not a day when by that I didn't dream of the next time I would go. My friends and I would put together costumes the night before using our moms old 70's flowy shirts and long skirts  Yeah, we looked ridiculous, but 7 years later I am happy to say I have a great garb closet now and plan about 4 trips to faires through the year! I loved it from the very beginning!

[Lady Rebecca]

My junior year of college, a friend came to me and asked if he could pay me to make him a doublet and pumpkin pants for an upcoming Ren Faire. I had never been before, but it sounded like a cool idea, so I made myself garb as well, and tagged along. And I was hooked!

[Seaman Blurt]

I love hearing all your stories, what an awesome common bond we all share.

[maeven]

My then-boyfriend-now-husband took me when we first started dating, and I've been going ever since. It only took me one time to go without garb to make me want to go in garb the next time and every other time after that. lol...

[Mairte]

I grew up on fairy tales, though at OUR house it was mostly Grimm's fairy tales!   Running wild with six siblings we were always dressing up and such. Though when my sisters wanted to be the princess in the tower, I wanted to be the dragon slayer or even the dragon.
When I first heard of the MNRF, I HAD to go but soon figured it would be a lot more interesting to go in garb. I think it was the garb that REALLY got me hooked, that and reading up on the Renaissance.