Ren Village

[kendric]

After many years a thinking and dreaming about creating a permanent faire as well as a place rennies can come to perfect their acts I have finally began setting the ground work for a Renaissance village and set up an LTD to begin gaining funds for the purchase of land and construction of buildings.  Currently we have a small budget and are working on collecting enough funds for the initial stages of the village.  For simplicity I have put the basic idea on a blog that will also be used for updates and news about the project.  If you are interested in the idea you can read it at http://stgeorge-gamers-palace.blogspot.com/ while there you can also see the amount of money we have collected for the project, how much we need, and if it sounds like something you would like to support you can also donate any amount you choose.

Also I would love to hear any feedback anyone wants to give me on making this project better.

[ladyhawke]

It sounds like Disney World for Rennies!  If you do it right, movie studios would pay big bucks to film there too.
I would go there on vacation if you could attract the talented people to live/work there.
Good Luck.

[theChuck]

heh, sounds promising. there's a place in washington state called camlann (camlann.org) that's basically the same thing. i hear it's supposed to be pretty nice.

one small thing is that i'd provide (or at least make available) a little more information about it. i'm not too sure people are going to be keen on donating money to a project hosted on a blogspot with a paypal link and one post. *shrug*

[Capt Gabriela Fullpepper]

The Chuck, Thank you for that link, it sounds like a place I want to visit. It also sounds like a fun place to work and live for a few months out of the year.

[RumbaRue]

To be honest you have a very noble idea, but I hope you consider weather as a factor. With tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, snow etc. in the mid-west and east you will be limited regarding trying to be open as a year round thing.

Not that I'm pushing California, but let's face it, we have the best weather of anyone and a year round event would be fine. Just don't look in S. Calif. because there isn't any amount of land around you could afford. I would look at northern Calif. where there are forests and lakes and such.
Or even Oregon - inland there's some fantastic areas that aren't as snow prone as others.

[kendric]

Thank you all for the interest and suggestions.  I am looking at weather as a factor and do plan at looking in Orgegon, California, Nevada, and Western Colorado.

I am also working on the lack of information.  Since this project is just in the initial stages of planning the information is limited but more will be comming.  As the project progresses.

Donations will be welcome but I do not plan them to be the only funding.  I am looking into using my own income to finance the project as well as contracts from vendors and performers to help get the loans needed for the project.

[jcbanner]

Hey now, don't go trying to steal this idea away from the midwest! The west coast area already has its fair share of renfaire activities (No pun intended, honest I didn't realize till after I wrote it!)

to be honest, theres no where that you can go that doesn't have some sort of weather or geographical issues.  as far as tornados go, the potential damage is generally very localized to a small area.

I hope this works out, so keep us updated on your progress and if it DOES land in the midwest, I may just have to sign up

[Lairde Guardn]

I would actually recommend South Carolina as the perfect place for such a project....They currently don't have a faire at all in the state....It is centrally located between other Large Rennie states, and has some great weather.....and if inland a bit, pretty much out of the way of the hurricanes.   Also, Land is still relatively inexpensive.

[Lady Mikayla of Phoenicia]

I second Lairde Guardn's recommendation of South Carolina and for the very same reasons!

[brier patch charlie]

Well, you could put in Arkansas, we have no fairs, all of the stats around us have them. And if you have it in the NW part of the state say close to Fayetteville, a large college town, you'll have people who will want to come and see it also, you'll people from Kan, OK, Mo. and other mid west Rennie's to come. Oh ya land is still cheep compared to Cali.

[Robert Phoenix]

I've seen this idea kicked around before.  Somebody was suppose to set up an entire ren faire/city where people could actually live, work, etc.  It was suppose to be around the Cleveland area.  Just south of hte city if I remember correctly.  It was posted either on the forum at Fairechasers or Atthe Faire which are both gone now.  Anybody else remember it?  It would be nice if such a place could be set up.

[Capt Gabriela Fullpepper]

There is another proposed in Colorado and the Nothern Colorado Medieval Festival is all part to help make money for it.

Info on both can be found here http://www.medievalworld.us/newsite/index.php and here http://www.medievalworld.us/

And for those you you that think Colorado weather is NOT suited for this, live here your entire life and you'll soon find the weather very pleasing. Colorado has 300 ears of sunshine, with temps in the winter averaging in the high 40's. Summer does tend to get warmer in the high 90's but it is very well suited and we do not get as much snow along the front range as many thing. It's the high country where ski resorts are built that get more and there are winters they have to make some of their snow.

[maelstrom0370]

Will there be "monsters" inhabiting the forest surrounding the village to keep the residents from wanting to leave? 

Just kidding, it really sounds pretty cool!!  I hope it works out and if I suddenly find myself with some excess cash, I'll keep you in mind! 

[RumbaRue]

I dunno Maelstrom0370, looking at your avatar of you, it looks like you're eating a bloody piece of turkey leg....yup, monsters in the woods....

[maelstrom0370]

I dunno Maelstrom0370, looking at your avatar of you, it looks like you're eating a bloody piece of turkey leg....yup, monsters in the woods....

While I appreciate the vote of confidence, I'm sure me as a forest monster would cause more people to point and laugh than run in fear! 

[Brother Robert of Essex]

heh, sounds promising. there's a place in washington state called camlann (camlann.org) that's basically the same thing. i hear it's supposed to be pretty nice.

one small thing is that i'd provide (or at least make available) a little more information about it. i'm not too sure people are going to be keen on donating money to a project hosted on a blogspot with a paypal link and one post. *shrug*

Wow that is so cool - I have to go there! I wish it was on the east coast though 

[Xanthenes The Unbalanced]

I dunno Maelstrom0370, looking at your avatar of you, it looks like you're eating a bloody piece of turkey leg....yup, monsters in the woods....

While I appreciate the vote of confidence, I'm sure me as a forest monster would cause more people to point and laugh than run in fear! 

Not if they found out that it wasn't a turkey leg at all, but the leg of a giant, rabid penguin which had been harassing the local village for weeks before Maelstrom killed the beast with his bare hands.  Or perhaps it was with his bear hands.  Ahhhh...bear hands!