Getting Ready For Faire. What do you do?

[Master Benjamin]

1st thing I do is PANIC
2nd thing is to check the garb to see what needs repair, cleaning or replacement
3rd is to make sure I remember where I stashed the tickets
4th is to gas up the truck
5th is to leave on time to make opening cannon (w/tickets in hand)

[Tygrkat]

Today, I'm finishing repairs while watching the Princess Bride in the hotel room, coordinating with family and friends, get tickets in advance and keep checking to make sure they're still in the wallet where you left them...

[DonaCatalina]

I've been working on garb since New Year's.
Located and washed the drinking vessels.
Planned lunch menus
stocked up on beer, wine, whiskey (40 Creek under $20 get it before it goes up) and brandy.
Cleaned mud off the shoes from the last visit to TRF in the rain.
Bout new color coordinated laces for everything.
Now waiting for opening day!

[Rowan MacD]

  @Dona- ^_^ Glad you bumped this!
 
~Working on new garb since before Christmas-all done except for hemming and some trim.

~Found out my favorite black Moresca chemise has a bleached out mark on one sleeve. Sucks! Have to redye it in time for the Pirate fest.

~check stockings for stains and holes and shoes for mud.

~Locate belts, pouches, tankards and bottles, and make sure they contain the basics for survival.

~Checking in with the producers of the local faire to see where he needs volunteers this year for site cleanup, decorating, etc. 

~Put up posters and flyers when I get them in the mail...

~Planning lodging and faire attendance around the Celtic Festivals we do.

[Merlin the Elder]

What do I do? Normally, just get organized, and go to the liquor store. This year, shear panic. Nim and I are supposed to convince each other that we want to do this for another 40 years... 

[Lady Gryphon]

Since the last Faire we attend is in December, and the first is March.  I'm constantly keeping up with our garb.

When I come home from Faire, I wash or clean anything than needs done and rehang it in our Garb Wardrobe.  We clean out and check our Footlocker we use for guns, sword, sashs and any other accessories we use.  Re-pack according to out next event.

Check boots to make sure they don't need cleaning and all the buttons are on them.

Check our snack bag and restock. ( this is for the car and the hotel room)  Also check our liquor supply if needed.

This way right before we leave for our next event, All I have to do is organize it into a pile, pack any mundane clothes we need and Dragon packs the truck.  I find keeping up with it is easier on me than the mad rush  the week before Faire, unless of course there is only a week between events, and then I'm in panic mode.

[PollyPoPo]

In the past I just grabbed my garb on my way to family gathering point for day-tripping.  My garb is on the generic, not-noble, more fantasy stuff that can be repaired with a few safety pins if necessary. 

Now that Sherwood is here and a Clan is kind enough to let me stow away with them, I keep a running list of everything I need to have done (animals taken care of; cold food ready to pack, thermos filled, mundane clothes counted, garb items ready) or loaded in the car each week before arriving at camp.  As I do things, the list is updated constantly to reflect where everything is, i.e. left at camp, in trunk, in big blue box, in flippy top box, boxes in car, etc. 

Last thing I do before leaving is print a hard copy of my list and verify it is accurate, that all is in car; check purse for id, money, keys; put cell phone on; and lock the doors.

[WindChime]

Faire never ends with me. I cheat now that I'm a vendor and keep all my faire garb and accessories in my booth so I never forget anything any more during the season. I am also either making or repairing items year round. I also have all outfits and all accessories in tubs together so I don't have to spend to much time finding everything I wear with each look.

[DonaCatalina]

....so I ask my husband what he's going to be wearing this weekend since I have my garb all set out. He replies "You've known what you're going to wearing this weekend since March!"

[Rowan MacD]

Last thing I do before leaving is print a hard copy of my list and verify it is accurate, that all is in car; check purse for id, money, keys; put cell phone on; and lock the doors.

  I've been printing packing checklists since the days when I had an RV.  They are soooo handy, particularly when you are planning to bring food.
   It helps to pack the car/van with whatever you can well before launch time. 
  There are a few things that are semi-permanent in my trunk: 2 folding chairs and and a folding table, and some drawstring trash bags for everything from dirty laundry to actual trash. They come in handy for rain too, though I always carry a travel umbrella in the back seat.

[Amyj]

Let's see...In no super-particular order:

1. Sew, sew, sew new garb...whether it's needed or not (and honestly, how could it NOT be needed right?)
2. Check the extended forcast
3. Tweak and repair existing garb.
4. Check the extended forcast
5. Obsessively watch "Garb movies" and read historical or medieval-ish fantasy novels (gotta say, if my home faire wasn't in the hottest part of the year...it would be all about Game of Thrones garb this year  )
6. Check the extended forcast
7. Organize the Accessories Bin(s)
8. Check the extended forcast
9. Make rum purchases (and/or other interesting boozes...but really mostly rum...AHEM, COMING TO ST. LOUIS ANYTIME SOON TEACH?)
10. Check the extended forcast
11. Decide what myself and Pirate Bob will be wearing.  He's like my renaissance faire dress-up-doll!  Don't tell him I said that though, LOL!
12. Impatiently wait.
13. Check the weather ON faire day.

[Jack Daw at Work]

Cut the heads off of three chickens and drink their blood while holding my breath.

[Archer]

Toss the remaining entrails of Jack's three dead chickens onto flat terrain and then, use them to forecast Oklahoma weather.

[iain robb]

It takes only three chickens to forecast the weather in Oklahoma? Man, you should count yourself lucky.

[Merlin the Elder]

Yeah, yeah, Iain! I suppose you had to walk to school in the snow every day...uphill...both ways... 

Arkansas weather is even harder to predict. We used to sacrifice virgins for our forecasts.  There aren't any virgins left, so we have no idea what weather is going to be from one day to the next...

{{ does everyone have their hip-boots handy for all the B.S. being shoveled into this thread? }}