Recommendations?

[Chandler]

I've been going to TRF for a long time, probably not as long as a lot of you on here , but I'm no rookie.  With that said, I'm curious to hear what some of you guys and gals recommend as 'must do's' while you're at TRF.  This year I'd love to try some new things, eat some different food, see some different shows, etc while at TRF, and I'm sure there are a lot of people around here that feel the same way.

[JackGonzo, MD]

Come but stuff garb, mugs, pouches, hats, bracers and the like from me at Excalibur Leather....

shameless self promotion...im doin it right...

[Macintyre]

the gyros in greek town are really good if you haven't had them before.

[Lord Duelist]

What made TRF the experience it was for me personally last year (as close to a "must see/do" list as I can make), in approximately the order of importance:

The Other Brothers
Iris & Rose
Sound & Fury
Royal Fireworks (caveat to the newbies: the FM 1774 traffic at the end of the day can be a bear.)
Arsenne
Ded Bob
Drench-a-Wench (primarily from the first time when I was visiting with a friend and her 12-year-old son who managed to soak the wench three times in the span of about 5 minutes... actually got a response of "could the next person who dunks me be one of the older guys, it's embarrassing to get dunked by a kid" or something along those lines. the only show I really got to see that day was Ded Bob)

Hopefully I haven't named an act that won't be there this year (and if I have I'd like to know which one). I've been a bit out of the loop since the point in time where it became obvious finances wouldn't allow me to make Scarby (about May or so).

[Macintyre]

go to www.texrenfest.com for a list of shows times and places. 

[Spanish_Peacock]

1. Go to Voyagers Dream, you might find yourself the proud owner of some reprehensible new vice. Maybe a drum or a book & DVD on how to play the Great Highland Bagpipe. Or a Didgeredoo, Tibetan prayer bowl or incense or clothing or jewelry.
Voyagers Dream is my favorite shop and it's chock full of good karma!

2. Find the Pirat...I mean "yachting enthusiasts" and find out when & where they're having the end of the day pub sing.
Go there.
It's the nearest thing to the groove the Sea Devil had back in the day.
Who knows, maybe it's back there this year?

3. Listen to Istampita play, old skool medieval music. EJ Jones will be playing with them during November.


/Hey you kids, get off my lawn

[Lord Duelist]

go to www.texrenfest.com for a list of shows times and places. 

1. Experience tells me I can't rely on the information there to be accurate. (2007 Thanksgiving Friday, when I had the whole day planned out and one or two of the shows I had planned to see changed their times.)

2. I cannot use the Flash plugin on this PC. While it is not impossible to get the information out of a Flash movie the way the TRF "web"master did it (at least last year), it is a bit tedious.

[MollyGrue]

I don't know how exciting this would be for someone else, but I loved the crystal mining. I'm thinking of the place that you pay a certain amount and then go into a dig up your own gems. I, however would not recommend the labyrinth/maze thing, if you're anything like me. My man and I tried it a couple of years ago and it drove me up the wall that I couldn't find the way out. On top of that, he kept teasing me by splitting off when I wasn't paying attention. It also bothered me that we were in there with six year old kids who were finding the bell five seconds after they entered the maze. I hated it!

Oh, and I really love the archery place where you buy the fake arrows and shoot at hay. I'd like to try the place where you ride camels and elephants, this year. 

[valt]

Oddly enough I had no trouble with the maze.  (I wonder if being 6'8 had anything to do with it...)

I agree with all of the show's Lord Duelist listed, pretty much my favorites.  I have also acquired a liking for the bread bowls the past couple years, and I hear the Scottish Eggs are excellent.

[Aiacha]

Valt, the Scotch Eggs are the best!  I've had them other places, and these are definately better.  Since we're talking about shows ans schedules, does anyone know where there might be a printable schedule of everything, instead of just the stage by stage layout on the site?

[Randal]

Not to slight anybody, but here's a few of my favorites.

Acts: Ded Bob (especially in an election year), Arsene, Tartanic, The Sound and The Fury, and Cast in Bronze.

Games/Rides: The Maze (set aside 20 minutes for this one), The Kings Swings, Paintball Muskets (so you can say "Hi!" "Ahoy! to me), Drench a Wench, and Tomato Torment. Want a Kiss Card? Try the Star Throw.

Food: Crack Kettle Corn, Stuffed Bell Peppers at the Polish section, the Burger at the German Section, Turkey Legs in Sherwood Forest, Scotch Eggs by the entrance, and the Gyro at the Greek Agora. Don't forget the Baklava while you're there. Oh, and fresh Gingerbread and a Cappuccino at the coffee shop!

Molly, I ran the Maze 2 years ago, and those 6 year olds get to the bell so fast because they go under the walls.  I also ran the archery range in Sherwood Forest last year, and those are real bows and arrows that will poke real holes in things.

Randal

[PurpleDragon]

TRF MUST SEE:  4:00 Auction at The Pirates Cove. It is without a doubt the BEST SHOW at the faire.   

((For those of you keeping score, that is a blatant plug)).

Iris & Rose
Cast In Bronze

I highly recommend The Kings Feast if you have about 4 hours to kill   All the beer, wine, or tea you can drink with a four course meal and a floorshow.

[*Teach*]

IRIS AND ROSE TRAIN WRECK SHOW 5:30 @ sea devil
Ded Bob (if you haven't before, if you can quote it, don't bother)
Other brothers
The Pirates are back in the Sea Devil, that'll be a treat as well
Cast in Bronze

Any other shows I see are because I wandered by and just got interested lol

*watching me drink rum isn't exactly a show... but you're welcome to join in there as well lol*

[LadyElizabeth]

Food: Empanada's in the spanish section rock!  Love the bread bowls too.

Silliness: Go play with the fairies by the gardens (especially if you dress as a fairy!!)

Shows: Shunyata Bellydancing are AMAZING! Sound and Fury are hilarious and bawdy! Arsene is awesome entertainer!

The best end of the day thing is Iris and Rose at the Sea Devil tavern and then if you're drunk by the end, go see Christoph the Insulter OR stay for Tartanic who plays right there in front of the tavern and people dance and have fun, and then go see the fireworks which rock!!

[PyroMaster]

The Royal Fireworks (of course!)