What was TRF really like 10 15 20 years ago?

[Sir Martin]

The Maypole at TRF was pretty cool.  Its only been gone a few years but lots of people enjoyed it.  It was replaced with one of those bungee things for the kids.

The Cursing Tree is gone (too bad ... it was an incredible sight), but the lower section of it still remains and it is now called The Cursing Well.  Lots of folks have probably walked past it without noticing, but it is located next to Dave Shepard's Satyr Horns shoppe.

I don't know if this cast member had a more formal name, but I do remember a woman who was referred to as the "German Attack Wench".  She would make bawdy jokes and pull up her skirt to reveal a heart-shaped design on her bloomers directly over her youknowwhat.  I haven't seen her in many, many years.  Her modern-day counterpart (who has now been at TRF for about 20 years) would be Jenny O'Manion, the Scottish Welcome Wench.  Jenny isn't nasty as the German wench was ... she's good with kids and she sings well also.

[ravic]

That was Schatzie! TRF was her home faire but she did others on the curcuit as well. As she got older she started making "kissing lips" pins. I have a whole collection. She is now retired & teaching school.

[Batonrogue]

My first time was  22 years or so ago.  The industrial section was my favorite.  We would watch armorer plying his craft for hours.  The "drunken wenches", don't know who they actually were called, but there were normally one or two walking/weaving the lanes.  They would call out to the guys and make all sorts of suggestive and funny comments.  I got goosed so many times by one or the other over the years that we began to recognize eachother.  It was great!  I had 2 friends that worked the "Cajun" booth with the fried alligator so we came almost every weekend to visit with them.  I also remember all of the chain mail without the need for the cloth underneath.  Ah, such delightful women! The SCA events also kept me coming back and I was very saddened when they got the boot.   I also loved the Flaming Idiots.  They were my favorite act

[RenStarr]

First time I ever went to TRF was in the late 80's early 90's time frame (don't remember specific year now). 

My memories of "how it was back then"  was something like this:

More lane entertainers ( the Ogre, the wenches going around kissing all the guys, the character in the rope web that was way up in the pine trees down in Sherwood, etc...)

SCA presence in the faire.........the battleground fights.  My brother in law was involved in that for about 10 years.  They obviously weren't trying to seriously hurt each other, but they were fighting for real........NOT a choregraphed event.  I saw some of the welts and bruises on his back and the backs of his legs/arms.  Thought he was nuts for doing it, but I watched it every time I went.  And the historical presentations that they provided.

Pretty much NO production items sold by the various vendors.  Allot of hand made items.  Made strolling thru the shops more interesting back then.

Oh yeah, did I mention the Ogre?  hehehehe   As someone pointed out, clearly one of the most stand out performers of all time at TRF in IMHO.  I'll never forget his booger bag.  He'd pull a long nasty looking booger out of his big hooked nose, and either fling it at someone in the crowd, or save it in his booger bag.  He'd brag about the boogers that were in his opinion too good to be waisted, they were to be saved in his booger bag.  There was always a big crowd around him as he moved thru the lanes.

I know I'm forgetting some stuff (much like going to the grocery store, always forget something), but those are a few things that stand out in my memory.

 

[Pascal]

The rows and rows of orange-and-yellow flowers (marigolds?) in the parking area

[RDCII]

WOW, just WOW.. I'm now 30. but was brought here a few times a child. Never really remembered to much until now..... Thanks all for posting.. The memory gates have been opened and its a floodin.

[Lady Laura]

I miss the Highland Games the most.  There was a fairy picnic in Sherwood.  The fairies would spread out blankets and all the little kids were invited to join the King and Queen of the fairies for cheese and fruit.  It was magical.  And the Maypole.  And the wenches over the front gates calling down colorful remarks to people.  And of course the marigolds.

[eldatari]

The highland games are probably the thing I miss the most as well!

[Edmund Howard]

We moved to Houston in 1982.  Many years gone by and memories of those days aren't too clear.  We went to TRF several times.  Can't have been later than 1987 when our son was born because I don't think we went after that.  I can't recall the acts at all, though I do recall watching them.  I recall SCA being there with their duct taped swords and weapons.   I recall the first year we went, must have been '82 or '83, that the mud was horrendous.  There were no paved walkways anywhere.  You just slogged through the mud.  And I recall going back and there were walkways.  I recall lots of interesting vendors.  I still have a skull coffee cup with a broken handle that came from TRF.  And a vendor that sold little pieces of castles made of plaster.  Pretty sure the box of those pieces is still around here somewhere.  Scotch eggs.  And beer.  Somehow, I was surprised you could get beer.

We were able to make it back last fall and I was amazed how large it had grown.  We only had one day, and didn't really get to see it all.  I don't really know why we never went back after we had kids.  Fortunately, those memories of TRF kicked in some years back and we went to CORF.  Well, the kids are grown now and we have more time, so, well, we're totally hooked.

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

Welcome to the addiction... it's a habit you don't want to kick.  LOL 

[Merlin the Elder]

We have mugs from `89 & `90, so I'm guessing we went in, erm... `89 & `90  .  Haven't returned since then.

We were there as time travelers to present day, so were in disguise in `dane clothing. Lady Nimue was wearing a white dress, and we stood behind the audience to watch the mud divers. She still got some on her.  I seem to remember watching a glass-blowing demonstration.  I also seem to remember wide open expanses on the grounds.  Maybe someone could tell me if I am remembering correctly.

Nim's folks took us there because we had talked about a similar place near Dallas that some friends had taken us to.  Ten years later, we were financially able to start going to Scarby on a regular basis. TRF is still a long trip, but we may get back there one of these days.

[Breandan]

And a vendor that sold little pieces of castles made of plaster.

James Martin made those, and sold the molds and pieces to someone up north years ago. Ironic you should mention that, as our company is about to bid to get all of the molds and materials for those and start producing the castles again

[batninja]

I remember in 1986, on my first trip to TRF, there was a section called 'Oriental Gardens'.  Every boy on our high school field trip bought those foam-covered nunchuks. The bus ride back to Silsbee was, shall we say...animated.   

I also remember the fencing lessons out in the lane, where kids could fight each other with balloons tied to the sides of the faceguards.  If they still do this, where did it move?

And the SCA battlemound, duct tape and all.  To be honest, I think this is the first memory I ever had of wanted to dress apart from the mundane world.

I can barely remember the dirt track for chariot races.  I remember attending several years later thinking, "Wasn't there a race track around this area?"

[609wood]

I remember a lot of the things that have already been mentioned but a few things that stick out were the simple pewter tankards and the act of filling them. They were seen as a waste savings and that was better then using another disposable plastic cup. It makes me sad nowadays when you have your mug filled only to see the wench throw a clean cup in the trash because someone is "counting them".

On very rainy days the "mud surfers" would have sliding contests for distance. In general everyone was wetter, muddier and far more happy.

[scarletnyx]

The wenches and the SCA fights sound amazing. I like TRF now, but it sounds like the past TRF had some great points going for it.

I kinda see TRF as a marketplace. Its busy, a little crowded, but it has, as far as wares go, pretty much everything. I would like to see more small time merchants, such as sewers or whatnot. Like the Gypsy Encampment at Sherwood - a dedicated place for smaller/newer businesses.