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Ahoy Sterling!

Started by Orphena, July 23, 2012, 12:51:27 PM

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Orphena

Greetings future friends!

M'lord and I are excited to visit your faire for the weekend of August 11 & 12th. We will be travelling down (across) from Ontario, and are looking forward to experiencing Sterling for the first time! An avid fact gatherer, I have perused several of the posts in this forum to help us learn more about the faire (anticipation is a wonderful thing!).

I have a few queries to which I have not yet found the answers. Hoping you "regulars" can help!

What time is a good time to arrive? I hate missing anything, so arriving before gate is a must, but what time should we aim for?

Do you think it is better to purchase tickets in advance online (I know, we missed the early bird rate  :( ) or should we wait in line for tickets? If we wait in line, can we pay with credit cards, debit (using a bank card, since debit is not as popular in the States as it is here in Canada) or is it cash only?

I have read that lines to attain alcohol "stamps" are long later in the day - how early, and where do you suggest we attempt this?

Speaking of alcohol, I am wondering if mead is available? I have seen some references, but they were all older. I have seen that some say it is not "authentic" mead - so long as it is sweet, and non beery, I am a happy lady!

I have heard that the terrain is quite hilly - any advice  on how to make the most of the day?

We will be camping nearby (We are really more hotel people, but finances are too tight to justify such hotel prices!), and plan to attend both Saturday and Sunday! We will be in garb both days, and at least one of us will be wearing RF pins - be so kind and say a hello to travellers who know no one at faire! Looking forward to the faire!

Lady Orphena
Luxurious Lady ~ Statuesque Seamstress ~ Winsome Wayfarer
Enjoyer of Elegant Elizabethan Ensembles

Elinor Hakebourne

Regarding the "terrain" question - I've found a good pair of shoes with "backs" on them help; also, accounting for the hilly terrain when planning out the day helps (ie if you want to get a good seat for the pubsing - a can't miss event in my book - plan on leaving the last joust of the day early, or you won't make it in time, because it's up the hill and down a ways to the stage where the pubsing is usually held).

Ozium

#2
Good Morrow Lady Swanbee, I would say buy tickets ahead of time, the lines do move fairly quickly but why
stand in line if you do not have to. As for time to get there, the Queen arrives outside the gates at
10:00, but there of course is some interaction with the sheriff and others of the shire before that so
9:00 9:30 would be a good time. You can probably get tickets then also and they do take credit/debit cards
at the gate.

If you are of age where your age would not be called into question the stamp really is not necessary, while
i am more of an ale and cider drinker i have not had the mead, but i believe the meadery where it is made does
more of a sweeter mead, they also have a berry mead i believe. There are about 12 types of ale in the shire
as well as mead and wine slushes. And the normal soft drinks and such for the nipperkins.

And do wear completable foot wear, most paths are dirt or stone, and a few bricked paths. And the grounds
are basically down the side of a hill. Plenty of places to perch and rest in the shade, and take in our wounderfull
shire or Warwick.

Where are you camping, if it is Sutters Creek aka- Suttershire you will most definatly meet some ren folk there.


Would be happy to try and answer any more questions you may have and will be looking for you about the shire.



Home Faire:Sterling
Clan O'Doinn-Irish Penny Brigade (New York)
Carpenter of the good ship Medusa.
Foktop Knight
Clan Vogdis

Orphena

Good Day to you both!

Lady Hawkebourne (Fantastic name, by the by!) I appreciate the advice about footwear - as avid faire attenders, both m'lord and I have adequate footwear - at least, it has proved adequate to date - although all this talk of hills is beginning to imitidate me just a little! I wear Mary Jane style shoes by Merrill (Which I heartily endorse) that enclose my feet entirely and offer support. M'lord has boots to wear that have good support and a sturdy sole, so that, I hope, will work! As we intend to visit both days, I hope not to have to "rush" to see anything, but will keep in mind the terrain as we plan. Do you know of any maps of the site that are available?


M'lord Ozium - I thank you for your comments also! I hope you will allow a few more queries! You mentioned the line moves quickly - do you know at what time the ticket sales begin? We have been to faires before that do not open their ticket booths very early, making it a long (anxious) wait for one such I! I would be more than content to arrive a good hour before Faire begins, but do not care to rush myself or m'lord in our preparations. If we purchase online, are tickets scanned as we enter? (Also in the past, I have expereinced problems with these).

In terms of the hand stamps - I find it all depends - while neither m'lord or I are still in our twenties, we have both been "checked" in the recent past, and so safer might be better. I would hate to stand in line for alcohol, and be turned away and told to go elsewehere to get my hand stamped (and another line!) I am less familiar with New York laws - is it permissible to wander the faire with such beverages in one's tankard, or are drinkers "confined" in a specific are as they tend to be at most events in Ontario?

In terms of camping - we were aiming for Sterling Creek, but they have no more treed sites available, so have now put in a request for Sutter's Creek. I should have an answer soon on that. (I had made previous inquiries). I had looked at the State Park as well, but the rules about tying tarps to trees were dissuasive! It is good to hear that others may camp at Sutter's Creek - it is nice to be among likeminded people! I am now wondering if anyone else who frequents this end of the forum can tell us more about the campground?

We are SO looking forward to your faire - m'lord and I have heard good things, and LOVE the more permanent faire setting (all our local faires are weekend affairs!). We thought for a few days we would have to cancel our trip due to hotel prices being too high, but hope that the minimalist camping will help with that!
Luxurious Lady ~ Statuesque Seamstress ~ Winsome Wayfarer
Enjoyer of Elegant Elizabethan Ensembles

Ozium

The hills are not that bad, just not knowing what folks are used to walking on at faire.
I think the ticket windows open at 9:30, and as far as walking around with a beverage
uou can surely do that, there are 5 pubs kinda around the shire for convenience sake,
i did love going to ORF in the past but hated being stuck in the pub with my ale.

There is a totaly shady spot at Suttershire around the bend to the right of the property
line that is where i try to get when i stay there, mossy ground and plenty of trees to tie
off to, plus i snore like a dragon so it is good for all. Just tell them you want to be over
with the rennies.

As far as being proofed and stamped will lessen and troubles which i doubt you will have,
the place to get stamped is right inside the gate you will see it no problem. I am bordering
on geezer status so i never bother.

I will double check on the time of ticket sales this weekend, As i have a season pass
i never pay it much attention.
Home Faire:Sterling
Clan O'Doinn-Irish Penny Brigade (New York)
Carpenter of the good ship Medusa.
Foktop Knight
Clan Vogdis

irish

Hi Orphena!
I have heard some bad reports on Sterling Creek. The facilities are very bad. If you can go to Sutters Creek, you will find a better camp experience!
Irish
irish~ren ~
Cruise Director ~
Clan O'Doinn (Sterling) ~
Irish Penny Brigade (New York)

Orphena

#6
Thanks for the info!

Ozium - thanks for checking about the ticket sales - I think we are leaning towards the online option to take away the need to stand in line! That said we will likley aim to be there somewhere between 9 and 9:30, to take in the ambiance and do a bit of garb ogling!

I am unable to find the 2 day pass I was sure was advertised on the Sterling Website - is it no longer offered? ((And now it is miraculously back....or my eyes have rebooted!))

Irish - thanks for the heads up about Sterling - I have yet to hear back from Sutters, but if I don't hear back by tonight I will give them a call. I am sure they are out and about enjoying the weather!

This is the first time we are camping for faire, so I am really hoping it goes well. We have all we need (and more) for camping, the challenge for me is to not bring it all! I promised m'lord I would pack the absolute minimum. We shall have to stop off your side of the border for some food to fill our cooler as I don't want to rish the border getting snarky about what we are allowed to bring across with us! With garb and all, the vehicle will be full! That said - is there somewhere m'lord can get a coffee in the morning?

The "usual" crowd of rennies - are these people who attend every weekend, or do you mean it is a popular place for those attending the faire? Should we make / bring a banner / flag? Are there RFers there as well, or would all that be a waste of our time?

A couple of extra questions - I have a bodice chiller - is there somewhere I can get ice for it? Is there a seller of such items at Sterling? (I may be in the market for a second one!)

I have been reading all the posts in the Sterling end of the forum, and cannot wait to see it all in person!

I hope I shall be able to meet a few of you!
Luxurious Lady ~ Statuesque Seamstress ~ Winsome Wayfarer
Enjoyer of Elegant Elizabethan Ensembles

Ozium

Any drink booth will give you ice for free, and the glass blower in the lower part of the shire
makes bodice coolers but you need to ask ask they keep them behind the counter.

Not knowing your tastes for entertainment and you should be able to see them all in a weekend
i would  say you have to see Arthur Greenleaf the poet, he is very bawdy and as he says he is a gutter poet.

Here is a sample of his work and it only get better, or worse. You decide http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_GQu1jukQ0


Also Franko the hypnotist is very interesting, Hey Nunnie Nunnie is also a great show not to miss.
Home Faire:Sterling
Clan O'Doinn-Irish Penny Brigade (New York)
Carpenter of the good ship Medusa.
Foktop Knight
Clan Vogdis

Aaroncois

I STRONGLY recommend buying your tickets in advance online. It makes it SO much easier. Also, I noticed this year (too late to take advantage of it) that folks had apparently stepped up to the gate before the opening ceremony/parade and had their tickets validated and their hands stamped. When the procession of performers entered through the gate, those folks simply had a pause a moment while the ticket-taker's booth was wheeled back out, then they walked straight in. I had to stop and have my family's five tickets scanned, which took a couple minutes and slowed us down considerably. Next time I'll know. I'd say that 9:30 is probably a good time to arrive. Have fun and enjoy the shire!

Orphena

Ozium - thanks for the info about the ice, and the suggestions of what to make an extra effort to see!

Aaroncois - Excellent tip about getting tickets validated - what a smart concept! I shall endeavour to wangle my way gateward before things get started...perhaps a wink and a grin will get me similar treatment!

We have been confirmed at Sutterby, and shall endeavour to purchase tickets online tonight!

So excited!
Luxurious Lady ~ Statuesque Seamstress ~ Winsome Wayfarer
Enjoyer of Elegant Elizabethan Ensembles

Orphena

The garb is laid out, the camping equipment is already in the vehicle! We leave tomorrow just after noon, so hope to have some daylight left to set up in! I am praying it does not downpour all day tomorrow so we can avaoid setting up in the rain! I heard there may be some rain on Saturday also, so the wool cloaks are also coming along - hopefully Sunday will be less damp!

Any updated weather from the locals would be appreciated - I've heard the forecasts online can be misleading?

SO looking forward to it!

We will both be wearing RF pins, as well as cute red maple leaves!

Ozium - your picture just started working for me - so I shall now have a face to watch for!

Sterling....here we come!!
Luxurious Lady ~ Statuesque Seamstress ~ Winsome Wayfarer
Enjoyer of Elegant Elizabethan Ensembles

Ozium

Yea i did not realize my picture was not working, Looks like it is going to be a great
weekend. Low chance of rain right now and the coolest temps of the season so far.

I think i will be wearing my brown viking tunic this weekend.

See you there
Home Faire:Sterling
Clan O'Doinn-Irish Penny Brigade (New York)
Carpenter of the good ship Medusa.
Foktop Knight
Clan Vogdis

Orphena

We had a lovely trip to Sterling (a few weeks ago now), and I wanted to express my thanks for all your help! I thought I would post a few points that we learned or especially enjoyed for others wanting to visit.

We enjoyed staying at Sutter Creek Campground - it was full of others attending the fiare, which made getting ready in the morning much less awkward. (Aka we weren't the only "wierd" ones!). 5 minute drive to faire - yes please! Hot showers, flush toilets available, great price, would definately do it again.

Tickets - if you buy online, especially a 2 day pass, get there EARLY. You have to go to the office to get the printed ticket with the bar code transformed into a cardstock ticket that must be filled in. We were at faire for 9:15, and it took us a good 20 minutes to do this. Once we had the cardstock ticket, we went to the gate and had it punched for the day, and breezed in right after the gate show - noble garb means they don't even stamp your hand if you converse for a moment with the nice ladies running the gate! 

Right where you enter, you can get your hand stamped for alcohol, so we did that first. When buying mead - which we both enjoyed - even brought a bottle back!, we found it easier to buy 2 at a time (each) as they both fit into a tankard, and it saved us time waiting.

Very much enjoyed the street, and the court (I could follow the court around all day and be perfectly happy!) loved watching the Queen play at forfeits with dice, very much enjoyed the pub sing, and Hey nunnie Nunnie was a hoot! M'lord enjoyed Sir Arthur Greenleaf - his wit is incredible! We had a lovely time, and will be back in the future!

Huzzah!
Luxurious Lady ~ Statuesque Seamstress ~ Winsome Wayfarer
Enjoyer of Elegant Elizabethan Ensembles

Lady Amy of York

 Glad you enjoyed your visit to  Sterling  and hope that you will come  and play  with us again  next season  ! :)
Lady Amy of York/CaptainAmy of FeistyLady pirateship
Cheiftess Feisty of Clan O' Doinn
HF:Sterling