Small Fairs

[The Rabbi]

I am very fortunate to have the oppurtunity to attend fairs like The Castle in Muskogee Oklahoma and call it a daytrip so by no means am I anti-established large faires. However I am even more grateful to the smaller faires and think they deserve some credit and even support from the established rennie. For a first timer the large fairs can be a bit overwhelming and even intimidating creating a drawback to what might be another die hard rennie had the shock and awe not scared them away.Small fairs are a great way for newbies to become accostomed to what can easily be a way of life. Smaller faires struggle to get recognized and create a cast and to build a budget to get performers on board, vendors are afraid to take the risk ( In the vendors defense many faires try to get their money back through vendor fees) as they can not expect huge crowds. As rennies we save our money and budget to get to some of the larger faires and therefore tend to skip the smaller start up fairs so we can get all our monies worth.(been there done that) There was no countdown for The Renaissance Fantasy Fair of The Ozarks and i am here to tell you they might be small but Three Crones and a Pirate done a great job with a very tight budget. Festival of The Dragon is paid for by one family through thier vending and performances at other faires. There was mention of another faire trying to start up in Arkansas a few folks said great idea but it takes more then a few folks for most to carry on with the attempt. No the small fairs dont have the brand name acts but I garuntee you there is a lot of unknown talent out there. Missouri Renaissance Fair, The Kings Champion and many other small faires have died because we did not budget them in. I for one am saving my money for Sherwood but know for a fact I will return to RFFO and will be at The Festival of The Dragon. Small faires need your support and need your countdowns just to know they matter. Get excited about new faires even if you cant make it to them lend your moral support it will go farther then you know.

[Coch]

Well spoken Rabbi. I have attended a few small faires and they can be a lot of fun.

[The Rabbi]

I like to think of it as a new adventure....How else are we to meet new friends. Not sure if I offended anyone but was not my intention if I did.

[Bob of the Lake]

I am a supporter of new and small faires too--I say the more the merrier! Last year I was able to attend the 2-year- old New Jersey Renaissance Faire and the Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Faire in CT. Both are young and not real big but have enthusiastic, committed people working very hard to make them better and they are doing a good job of it. I admire that and want to support their efforts. I'll be going again this year!

[Craigmeister]

I like smaller faires as well. It's easier to get closer to stages and hear acts, each visitor can get more interaction with performers and it's easier to get around and see everything. If they are new enough, they even let me set up my tent. ;-)  Most of the smaller faires I've attended seem to be more family- friendly. That's a sure way to get me back.