A young friend has been cast on the Scots court - so I am using it as an excuse to visit TRF. Though I am a long term "resident" of Sterling Ren-faire and know my way around several others, I am sure TRF is going to be totally different, because, aren't they all?
I'll be there for the last weekend of October. Any suggestions as to "not to miss"? In any catagory - food, shops, acts, music....
MMario
You picked the best weekend to be coming to TRF... All Hallow's Eve is when the freaks come out of the woodwork. TRF is huge as far as faires go, covering over 50+ acres. There is WAY too much to see & do to point to just a few things and say "gotta see/do". Your fellow R/F'ers have a meet & greet at the Prince of Wales pub right after the parade(noonish) but most of us get there early to watch the parade go by. Come on by and some of us will be more than happy to point you in different directions. Just ask any faire employee where the POW is... we'll make you feel welcome. Ever try Loki? ;D :D
I was hoping people would discuss it HERE and by their vehemence I could make some decisions PRE-faire; then throw my schedule to the winds when I actually get there.
Christophe is a must at least once during the weekend;
The Bard O'Neill as well - I haven't seen/heard her since we sang a duet at Scarby about 10 years ago...
Ok... Tartanic is a "not to be missed" but i'll let my fellow TRF'ers chime in and give you a broader spectrum of choices than i can. ;)
Aw man! You're coming to Texas and we're going to have to miss seeing you? I'm totally bummed!!! :(
Unfortunately, that is Halloween weekend, which means we'll be busily working Screams on the Scarby faire site.
As for TRF, if you haven't had a chance to see him, I highly recommend Cast in Bronze (the carillon). Have some pierogies in Poland, because they make pretty good ones over there. Iris and Rose are always a joy to watch. Make sure that you hit up the Pepper Lady booth and try some of the jams and hot sauces. Make sure you visit our friends the Warrens at The Knarly Knot shop (lovely woodworks) and let them know you know Shado and myself. They may give you hugs or they may just point and laugh, no promises. *snerk* If Arsene is performing, I highly recommend his show. Oh...and get a truffle at the chocolate shop near the entrance. Very tasty.
I'm sorry we won't get to see you while you're in the state! *HUG*
You should see Wine and Alchemy at the Dove Meadow stage, have a Royal Hamburg from the german area, and also, try out the roast beef sammich at the Prince of Wales pub. The fish and chips aren't bad either!
*See, told ya* ;)
I wrote a very long reply but the system apparently ate it. Will try to reconstruct. :(
Quote from: Fraser of Lovatt on September 17, 2010, 12:10:24 PM
*See, told ya* ;)
ah - but you see, this is what I want to hear....because chances are if I don't hear about it prior to getting there I will be oblivious. especially about food choices...
Tartanic I have experienced before - and I need to do it from a distance - not because I don't like them.
What are Wine and Alchemy? I can't find a description.
Lys - I am due for another trip to Scarby - maybe in 2012.....unless I end up with enough vac days left for next season.
Give it an hour, friend, and you'll have a list a lot longer than you have time. Blue's right about the POW's prime rib trencher... absolutely fantastic!
Wine & Alchemy is awesome...
Let us know when you're going to be at Scarby, hon. If you don't want to hotel it, we have a guest room.
From Wine and Alchemy's website:
Wine & Alchemy is a unique experience in World Music, providing a delicious blend of original and traditional world fusion music derived from a wide variety of genres including Celtic, Renaissance, French, Greek, Armenian, "Gypsy", Flamenco, Sephardic, Middle Eastern and others.
On a personal note, I enjoy their music very much. An eclectic and entertaining mix of world styles.
Greetings MMario! Fraser is right - you picked a great weekend to attend. Be sure to bring your camera because you will have some very memorable experiences. What types of acts do you usually enjoy? Among my favorites are:
Arsene - world class magician and juggler.
Gypsy Dance Theatre - wonderful music, colorful costumes and beautiful dancers.
The Royal Fireworks - surely the largest and finest fireworks display of any ren faire (with musical accompanyment by Tartanic).
Other outstanding shows at TRF are: Wine & Alchemy, Clan Tynker, The Royal Joust (Hanlon Lees Action Theatre), and many more. The Bard O'Neill (as you mentioned) puts on a fine show, and she almost always takes requests from the audience. Hope to see you at the R/F meet & greet at The Prince Of Wales Pub.
You are fortunate in that the Scots Court's main area to patrol is right next to the POW pub & the meet&greet. Can kill 2 or 3 birds with one mug, so to speak.
Oh, and just so you know, unless they've changed it the TRF performers do a "Zone Defense". Each cultural group is assigned to a certain area of the festival and they don't roam around outside that area. So your friend with the Scots will be working a certain part of the faire but nowhere else. Makes it easy to find folks, really, but would drive me NUTS as a performer. :)
The one group that's on my I-have-to-see-at-least-one-of-their-shows list is Sound and Fury. These are not for kids and the last show of the day can get into the "R" rating depending on the crown and how the actors feel.
I'm with Blue on the Prime Rib Trenchers...it's about $13 but big enough to feed two. Oh and the Scotch Eggs, about $4, are a must for breakfast. Stay to the right when you walk in and they're at the first food booth on your right.
Iris and Rose are good to see and so is the Chainmaille show but that's at the same time as the meet 'n 'greet so if you want to do one one day and the other the nest that'd be the way to go.
I would also recommend the Pepper Lady, GREAT salsas and preserves!
If you park on the campground side, stay and watch the fireworks (AWESOME display) and then come and hang out in the campgrounds for an hour or two to let traffic die down. Otherwise you could be sitting in traffic for an hour or two just to go 10 miles. If you don't know where the camping entrance is just ask we'll get you pointed in the right direction.
I am of the type to come early and stay to the bitter end....though as I get older the "bitter end" occurs earlier and earlier....
I've never understood the people who show up a couple hours after gate opens and leave before the gates close.
Is there a particular year for the faire?
Technically, it's the first year of Anne Boleyn's time but they don't really follow a "year", per se. They have Themed Weekends that use the premise of the queen's birthday & she decides what type of party she wants. You weekend with us will be All Hallows Eve, in which the weirdness descends upon TRF in full force.
knowing which Queen Henry is on in advance helps ....
Quote from: ravic on September 20, 2010, 08:16:04 AM
Technically, it's the first year of Anne Boleyn's time but they don't really follow a "year", per se. They have Themed Weekends that use the premise of the queen's birthday & she decides what type of party she wants. You weekend with us will be All Hallows Eve, in which the weirdness descends upon TRF in full force.
Is that changing this year, then? Because up til now Henry's wife has been Catherine of Aragon. At least, that's the Queen I've always seen in the lanes.
Quote from: lys1022 on September 20, 2010, 09:05:50 PM
Quote from: ravic on September 20, 2010, 08:16:04 AM
Technically, it's the first year of Anne Boleyn's time but they don't really follow a "year", per se. They have Themed Weekends that use the premise of the queen's birthday & she decides what type of party she wants. You weekend with us will be All Hallows Eve, in which the weirdness descends upon TRF in full force.
Is that changing this year, then? Because up til now Henry's wife has been Catherine of Aragon. At least, that's the Queen I've always seen in the lanes.
I believe that it is changing this year. Don't know why.
Quote from: eldatari on September 20, 2010, 09:11:47 PM
Quote from: lys1022 on September 20, 2010, 09:05:50 PM
Quote from: ravic on September 20, 2010, 08:16:04 AM
Technically, it's the first year of Anne Boleyn's time but they don't really follow a "year", per se. They have Themed Weekends that use the premise of the queen's birthday & she decides what type of party she wants. You weekend with us will be All Hallows Eve, in which the weirdness descends upon TRF in full force.
Is that changing this year, then? Because up til now Henry's wife has been Catherine of Aragon. At least, that's the Queen I've always seen in the lanes.
I believe that it is changing this year. Don't know why.
I believe that the performer that played Catherine had real life issues that took her away from TX.
We will have a new Queen this year, Anne Boleyn. We also have a new actor playing the King. He's amazing, and everyone will LOVE what we're doing.
My understanding is that they are going to revisit the whole 6 wives cycle again.
My must sees are:
Sound & Fury
Arsene
Iris & Rose (trainwreck show)
Circa Paleo
Gypsy Dance Theatre
Quote from: ravic on September 20, 2010, 10:40:31 PM
My understanding is that they are going to revisit the whole 6 wives cycle again.
LOL, over the years, yes I'm sure they will. I mean, you can't have only one wife of Henry LOL!
Be sure to come to Pirates' Cove... there are several shops that are not to be missed...
Take your fine leather wear to the Royal Shine-- amazing leather care product there-- it will make old looking boots/bags/bodices... etc... look nearly new again-- (PC2)
http://ant-1.net/BootRub
The Salt Cellar is a bath salts and botanicals paradise-- himilayan bath salts along with herbs and spices all custom made to order in beautiful bottles! You can even make them yourself... NEW this year: Custom make your own gift basket! (booth 509)
http://ant-1.net/SaltCellar
and
Faeries from the Swamp - One-of-a-kind, hand sculpted, faeries and enchanted beings. Awesome little creatures who dwell in the swamp... (booth 510)
(http://ant-1.net/swamp.html)
grumble; grumble;grumble - long range forecast has gone from sunny to rainy - but temps still in the "hot" range for me....so .......
oh well - long range back to predicting sunny - so I am less grumpy. Anyone want to chime in with opinions on what to see/do/eat?
There is no way I am even going to have a chance to scan evrything so I am really hoping for opinions to help me make decisions - - I already know I have to visit some fiber folk but I am told they are right near the gate...
Quote from: MMario on October 19, 2010, 09:36:42 AM
oh well - long range back to predicting sunny - so I am less grumpy. Anyone want to chime in with opinions on what to see/do/eat?
There is no way I am even going to have a chance to scan evrything so I am really hoping for opinions to help me make decisions - - I already know I have to visit some fiber folk but I am told they are right near the gate...
good Lord... where to start... Hmmmm... the R/F meet & greet, at the POW. Then you can pick our brains in person....
hmmmm - I just noticed something:
same number of stages as at sterling ; 60% more acreage...
Hmmmmm - decisions, decisions....this is only my second faire going via plane versus car - and the last time I only packed "emergency" garb because getting to faire was iffy at best (I ended up not going in garb anyway....) but this time I PLAN on the two days of faire...problem is now they CHARGE for those checked bags....
When we have travelled by air, we always pack our boots and hats as carryons. The rest gets chucked into the cargo hold of the plane. If I have to lose anything, it's NOT going to be my boots or hat. Pack lightly on "real clothes" to save room for garb.
Having 2 of us helps in the carryon capacity. I wish you the best of luck and hope to meet you this weekend!
So? How was your visit? Did you have fun? What did you end up doing / seeing / eating? :)
I wanna go back!
Saw Kristophe; Jim Hancock and The Bard (multiple times) Ded Bob, Cast in Bronze; a lot of the Scot Court; the courtesan....the pirates, caught a little of the Cannibal Tudors; Shakespeare Himself...i'm probably forgetting some things...
ate pork on a stick, battered pig, philly cheese steak, stout glazed beef on a bun....and a foot tall pina colada!
also Cantiga; The Fire Whip show; some of the German Brothers;the opening and closing shows; the fireworks on sunday; the parade both days
Glad you liked TRF! It is such a large faire that you will need to come back often to see all of it. ;) :)
@ 1300 miles I may want to.....but even once a year is doubtful.
Well, luckily, you can see some of the same acts at Scarby when you come visit next. :)
That's the one thing that I don't like about being on cast. I don't have time to meet the newcomers to TRF from the forums. We have such an INSANE schedule, there's just no time to stop.
I know the feeling well - if people don't come to my booth at Sterling I don't get a chance to meet them - and the "slow" times are few and far between (with any luck)