California's Oldest and Largest Celtic Faire
http://www.sonoracelticfaire.com/ (http://www.sonoracelticfaire.com/)
March 13,14,15 2009
Celtic Music: Tempest, Wicked Tinkers, Golden Bough, and The Black Irish Band.
The Great Whiskey Tasting Competition is back in its 5th year. Taste 10 types of whiskey.
Jousting ~ The Knights of Avalon.
We were there last year and had a great time. We got our hotel booked for this year.
Anybody else going to be there?
Hey there!
We've been attending this event since 98 and we make it a point to start off our faire season by going every year. Although we weren't too thrilled with the parking situation at the new location last year seeing everyone there more than made up for the inconvenience. Heres hoping to maybe run into you there.
PS: I finally got around to looking at your pictures that was printed in Renaissance Magazine, they were very nice!
If you go this year and if you find me, the ale is on me. We are going up Friday night and will be there Saturday for sure and most probably Sunday.
I'll be there with my clan.. err.. family. Planning on Saturday and maybe Sunday morning. First faire of the season. Looking forward to it.
We will definately be there! I wouldn't miss the first Faire of the Northern California season!!! This year I hope to meet some of you, since we missed each other last year, North Bay Dreamer. We will be there Saturday. My daughter's fiancee bought a great kilt there last year, and it took six months to arrive from Scotland. ( the tartan had yet to be woven) I am counting on him to be wearing it this year, since he had gotten the pleating figured out by the Las Vegas Faire last fall. Let's all hope that the weather is as fine as last year's!
Hmmm....sounds like we should shoot for a place and time to meet. Any suggestions? The website states that they are doing Whiskey tasting (which I like) again in the Sierra building. If it is the same setup as last year, there is seating there and that might work.
Quote from: Lady Toadflinger on February 13, 2009, 04:42:42 PM
Let's all hope that the weather is as fine as last year's!
And the parking better.
I'm sooo excited for Sonora! I had a blast last year. If there is a meet up, I'd like to come and finally meet some of you;)
Merry
Just pick a time and location for a meet-up and we'll be there! ;D
You pick,:D I'll be working and playing with the paytrons so I can't nail a time down. We won't know our set gig-times until that morning. I'd have better luck just getting away for a for a bit when I need.
We'll have our pill set up but we won't be there very often as we 'are' street performers;) But check it out anyway...My Lady's Stillroom.... It's a new set up and still a work in progress, so constructive comments would be appreciated. We are working on making the encampment more inviting and interactive when we cannot be present at it. If we are there, say stop and say hi! :)
Okay. How about Sat at 11:30 in the Sierra Bldg? Too bad it's not Rum tasting, though. I'd love that! :) Hope to see you all!
Sounds good to me, see you there
Huzzah! The first Faire of the Nor Cal season...tomorrow!!!! See you all there! ;D
What a beautiful weekend! :D I don't think I've ever seen better faire weather, so nice and cool. The entire family had a blast. We made it just in time for the early(er) Saturday performance of the Wicked Tinkers, which is always one of our favorites. Its so much fun to watch my daughter try to dance :D, even if it's a little scary in crowds. Missed the joust, yet again :(, but we're pretty well used to the little one not being so interested, and wanting to wander. I do have to say, during the joust is definitely the best time to hit the privy or the food vendors if you don't want a huge line ;). We absolutely loved the new shuttles! We got a few odd looks and comments after reining in the kid with a leash, but in the crowds it was a must. The wolf hounds were a big hit with Amara. As usual, we were too busy herding the small, and looking around to remember to take pictures, but we got a couple good ones.
My beautiful ladies getting ready by the shuttle stop
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c154/squisheez/Ren%20Faire/IMG_4277.jpg)
The wild one
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c154/squisheez/Ren%20Faire/IMG_4280.jpg)
Me and the kiddo towards the end of the day
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c154/squisheez/Ren%20Faire/IMG_4289.jpg)
We had a blast as well! my family and I spent the majority of our time at our encampment at the Viking household, where we reveled with much ale, great comradeship, outrageous songs and tales all through the night. Of course we did managed to slip in a few visits to the shows as well as the vendors from time to time in between.
Unfortunately we did not get to meet some of you out there when we arrived at the appointed time at the whiskey tasting area as no one was there. But we did however managed to run into NorthBayDreamer and his friends when they came by our camp. By the way NorthBay, I wanted to let you know that it was great to meet you and would like to also convey how wonderful your traveling companions were as well. ;D
Here's to meeting up with you again as well as hopefully the other people in this forum at another event real soon!
I am sad I didn't get to the meet up as well. We were assigned gate duty at 11 so I was busy:( But if any of you stopped by the pill near the Dauntless with all the herbs, My Ladye's Stillroom, that was us. We were quite busy making posey's for those who suffered from unwashed doublets and other smelly things:) We also enjoyed our Signature Treasure Hunt gig with the little ones.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3447/3362192261_1f11f2e89d.jpg?v=0)that's me bottom right
It was my screw up that I missed the meet up , sorry about that. I have a great time. I am working on a trip report, it is about 1/2 done. It will get it posted ASAP.
missed this faire this year :(
2010's trip to Sonora is this next weekend! This'll be the first full season for our son, and Sonora is always a hit with my daughter who loves the pipes. We're planning on staying in Angels Camp Friday and Saturday night, and spending as much time as humanly/childrenly possible there on Saturday. Here's to hoping for not rain! Snow, cold, warm, windy, whatever, I can handle, but rain would be a bother for the little ones.
We will be there Saturday. Was not able to commit until a few days ago. We did get a hotel room for Saturday, but at this point only going to faire on Saturday.
Well, better late than never I guess.
We left Sacramento Friday afternoon, and were in Angels Camp for the weekend. Things got a little mixed up, lost, or outgrown for garb for the kidlets, so I spent probably too much time sewing, and we had a late start Saturday morning.
Thankfully, the torrential downpour of rain that hit Friday night cleared well before dawn, and we had a clear, beautiful day for faire. Although, I do think this was the first time I've actually heard people complain about being cold at a faire. With the sun out, the cold wasn't too bad, except when the wind blew, which was a little too often. Especially as the sun started going down. We ended up heading out because the cold was getting too much for the kids to handle.
When we first got there, we missed being able to park in the lot right there at the grounds by one car, and I swear I saw a few empty spaces from the entrance. My wife ended up dropping the kids and I off at the gate, while she waited for a text message telling her where the shuttle pickup was.
While we waited, the kids and I visited the wolfhounds, and then watched court for a while. People were lining up to meet the queen. Amara walked right in, and started talking to a couple of the court members like she belonged there. In fact some of the folks thought she did belong there. I stood off to one side with Tristan in the stroller, watching as Amara talked with one of the lords and a couple of the ladies of the court. When Amara turned to come out, one of the ladies followed her, to make sure she was mine. Everyone thought she was a cast kid, who had been dropped at court while her parents got ready.
We ended up catching most of a set from Need Fire, where Amara was the only one dancing for most of it. It was kind of cute, and a little sad, that the band made sure to thank the tiny dancer for coming out on the floor. The stands, and the floor filled up pretty quick when it was time for the Wicked Tinkers though. We sat through most of their set too, but headed out a bit early, to beat the masses, and because Amara wanted to be be a little more rambunctious than the crowd let us feel comfortable.
It was the only real time we ran into a crowd, even at the food court (where, despite the wind and cold, Amara insisted on getting an ice cream cone, even instead of getting a trinket or her face painted). I wonder if the cold and perceived rain kept some people away.
We spent most of the rest of our day wandering, catching songs here and there, and checking out vendors, and trying to get Amara interested int he storyteller.
We saw Dreamer and his wife a few times, usually surrounded by masses of people, and only really got the chance to stop and say hi on our way out. In fact, I'd like to apologize for not introducing myself when we did stop by. So, if you didn't know who it was that came up with the little ones, it was my wife and I. Thanks for the coin for Amara, she loves it and calls it her little coiny. She played with it most of the trip home, to the point of breaking into tears if she dropped it (even in the car).
I'm not much of one for taking pictures (when I remember to), but I'll try to get the few ones I took up soon.
Huzzah! It is time for the Sonora Celtic Faire again! Today I just picked up my discount tickets at the Celtic Knot in Jackson. I can't wait to enjoy Wicked Tinkers and Tempest. I am also looking forward to seeing Lord Rusty in all of his kilted and stilted glory. (love those hairy stilts) Is anyone else from these forums going to be there on Saturday? How about you Horndog,er,Northbay Dreamer? Maybe Hoowil or Merry? Shall we try a meetup? Let's hear it for the Sonora Celtic Faire and Jousting Championship 2011! (they lay claim to real competition jousting this year)
Ah yes, we will be there for the whole weekend. We will be working the front gate for a bit. I think 11:30-1:30 will be our shift, but other than that we should be free to roam. our first faire of the season. :))
We will also be there with our Viking household as well. Looking forward to seeing you all there!
We will see you then! I'm bringing Molly and Irish as well. (in Celtic garb, not Pirate this time)
While I'll be there in spirit (my guild will still be there - look for a trebuchet), please think about giving a donation for RJ Parson (of "Out of Kontrol") to Tina at the New Stirling Arms booth. RJ has been in a hospital in Tucson, AZ. for some serious issues.
http://www.paparaja.com/ (http://www.paparaja.com/)
Wildabeast, I am just stunned by this news! I cannot tell you how many times I have enjoyed Out of Kontrol at local faires. I was just thinking how I missed them. I will certainly stop at the booth and give a donation. After all, I would rather help out than buy another trinket or treat for myself at the faire.
The 2012 version is right around the corner (as in next weekend), and I will actually be there.
Indeed. We shall also be there, working the front gate this time.
Keeping an eye on the weather (http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?map.x=94&map.y=32&minlon=-121.29&maxlon=-117.61&minlat=34.76&maxlat=38.27&mapwidth=354&site=hnx&zmx=1&zmy=1).
...and don't forget about Daylight Savings Time this Sunday.
Saturday's weather was wonderful, but by the dark clouds, and sprinkles as we left Sonora this morning, today would have been a bit different.
As usual, we just did Saturday, and had a blast. Its always fun to hit some of the local merchants who recognize us, and like to watch as the kids grow every year. We had fun watching the games a bit, and of course the Wicked Tinkers were part of our schedule for the day. Amara has made a habit of making sure to get herself presented at court whereever we go, and that was fun. This is the first ime in years we didn't recognize or get recognized by)any forum members while we were about.
We just did the Saturday as well and likewise also had a blast! Now regarding seeing other forum members, we too did not see anyone from here but did run into North Bay Dreamer's friend Mike Andree and his wife as they walked past our encampment. But inspite of all the positives, (i.e., seeing all of our friends, and familiar vendors and performers there,) we were a bit taken back by the rather high prices we encountered at the food booths. For example we spent about forty bucks for breakfast consisting of an omelet, and three crepes, and nearly fifty bucks for lunch for some meatpies and drinks. Now ordinarily we would have eaten with our guild at our encampment, but unfortunately due to time constraints and a very busy schedule we had to kind of "eat on the run" as we made our way to one event to another. But other than that, everything was fantastic as always the Carnahans put on an awesome event. Next event for us will be in April for the Woodland Highland Games, looking forward to meeting up with some of you then.
We did the entire weekend. My wife, child, & I arrived mid-Friday afternoon and popped over to our guild. Friday was some sort of school day at the faire, and boy was it warm. The weather was actually better than I thought it would be. I honestly think, though, that Sunday close should have been at 5pm rather than 6pm since we live roughly 2 1/2 hours away.
I have a link posted for pictures in the photography forum (http://www.renaissancefestival.com/forums/index.php?board=6.0).
Well, Sonora opens today. Loading up the van full of family, and heading out in just a couple hours. The wife and I arranged the day off to get ready, but now we have to wait for the kids to get out of school.