That's a Wrap

[lowlandscot]

It was a long weekend, and a long drive home, and I've had a glass of Scotch and a shower, and so I can't stay awake to write much. Thank you all for a wonderful five week run. Thank you, Moggie and Karl and Tom and the others I'm spacing now, who jammed with me at the Phoenix when things were slow. Thank you Bill, for pulling me onstage to sing tonight. Thank you Brad, for that big hug after "Lighthouse." And for recognizing "Ashgrove" when I sang it to you. Thank you Cornie and Meredith and Phil and all the others who actually make sure this thing happens year after year. Thank you to each and every patron who sat through a set of mine, or a song, or just nodded as they walked by. I can't believe how much fun it was, I can't believe it's over, and I can't believe I have to wait another 47 weeks for the next time.

[~pixie~]

As a loyal paytron and VARF's first "official squatter" (lol)  your music was certainly appreciated as well as that of all of the performers this (and every) year.  Through the heat, the wind and rain, all of your efforts to put on the best shows possible did not go unnoticed by anyone. 

As I made rounds through the faire there wasn't a soul who wasn't smiling due to all of the wonderful music, being called "Barry" by Maggie,  being mystified by Dinty, the revelers dancing the maypole, special attention from the Royal Court, being "wowed" by the gypsies' dances and Sashenka's feats, getting an "education" from Fletcher or buying some wonderful new trinket from our special vendors.  All of it was amazing and you should all be quite proud.

I'd also like to thank the staff who helped organize everything, parking, ticket booth, medical, maintenance and cleanup.  You guys are awesome!

I'll display my VARF car sticker with pleasure and will look forward to next year.

[reese]

Hazzah! 

I can not believe that 5 weeks could fly by so fast, at least it did for me.  I'm very sorry I didn't get a chance to sit down and fully enjoy your shows...and many others alas.  Perhaps next year I will have more time, if I'm not juggling the 2 littler ones all the time. 


Until we meet again,
Reese

[Scotsman]

Well, unlike previous years I actually went to VARF twice rather than just once. It is good to watch a faire grow as yours is. You guys have done a wonderful job and I have little doubt that next year is going to be even better. I look forward to seeing a lot of you in MDRF this year. Now, back to the Scotch!

[aidenoffairfax]

Yeah, it's amazing that it's already come and gone. I don't know where it went, but I want it to come back... even with the heat! Can I just put on my garb and run around for a couple more days?

[lowlandscot]

Can I just put on my garb and run around for a couple more days?

Did you hear Cap'n Moone's running joke all weekend? Every time he introduced an act at the Pub Stage he's say "Sadly, this is the last weekend "X" will be appearing here in the Shire." Except for John DuRant, who got "And Son of Strum will be appearing on this very stage next weekend!"

[~pixie~]

[/quote] Did you hear Cap'n Moone's running joke all weekend? Every time he introduced an act at the Pub Stage he's say "Sadly, this is the last weekend "X" will be appearing here in the Shire." Except for John DuRant, who got "And Son of Strum will be appearing on this very stage next weekend!" [/quote]

That was hilarious!  Speaking of SoS, I think he should be made an honorary M'Crack and be called "Strum'n". 

[lowlandscot]

That was hilarious!  Speaking of SoS, I think he should be made an honorary M'Crack and be called "Strum'n". 

I would think very hard about what the M'Crack verse of the "We had some chickens, no eggs did they lay" song would be like, and whether you want to hear it in every Rennie pub on the east coast for the rest of his life. He's a fast living man but he's still young, so that might be 50 years of "We had M'Cracks, no 'blank' did they 'blank' ".....

[Dallan]

VARF rocks! This was our third year and while we love our home faire (MDRF) I got to tell you VARF  is fantastic and hold a very special spot in our hearts. The cast is great and seems really appreciative that the entire family garbs up. (Kilts Saturday and Pirate Family Sunday). We were surprised and pleased at the growth. We'll see you again next year. 

[troubadude]

"Thank you, Moggie and Karl and Tom and the others I'm spacing now, who jammed with me at the Phoenix when things were slow." 

Thank you, I was worried I was stepping on toes when I'd "play" with you, Dustin, etc. 

I had a great time playing with all the musicians & cast at VARF this year and hope to be invited back next year. 

btw: Was it just me, or did Sat seem awful warm?  My hats off to Brad for his "fresh" performance at the end of the day when most of us were hot and tired! 

John (Son of Strum) - you may want to bring an umbrella this weekend,
I don't think the tents will be up and they are predicting rain!

Tom
Troubadude

[lowlandscot]

Thank you, I was worried I was stepping on toes when I'd "play" with you, Dustin, etc. 

What, are you kidding? I don't think there's anything more gratifying than sitting down with someone you've just met and finding out you can play together. That's when I remember that it really is playing -- it's fun like the fun we had when we were kids and we didn't worry about impressing or doing it right. I learned a lot from all of you guys -- music of course, but stagecraft too, and timing and pacing and pulling the audience in. It was a great pleasure.

[Master James]

I am so sad that it has ended.   It seemed only yesterday that we were planning and doing auditions and fighting over which guilde got Mehan, although why now I'm not really sure since he is such a hack  , and now its over.    Yes its a lot of hard work, yes it was crappy weather but darn it was fun!    For all the friends I saw there again, thank you once again for gracing our shire, for all the new friends I made this year, thank you for the wonderful time and hope to see you again next year!  We certainly are growing each and every year.  This year we got an honest to goodness stage for court!  Who knows what next year will bring!  Hope to see everyone soon at the next faire and this time I can play instead of work.  Wait a minute who am I kidding?  Cast IS PLAY!!!!  Until we meet again.

[aidenoffairfax]

Ok, so the faire is now officially closed. Tents are down. Trash thrown out. Garb put away and washed (or at least in the process of being washed... thank God because it really smelled.) I no longer own tights as I have put them all in a toxic dump bag in order to keep them away from anything that might die due to the aroma from them... I thought about burning them, but didn't want the toxic smoke in the air. I don't have to wear tights any time soon. Just for old times sake, I might just go buy a pair and run around for the hell of it. Actually, no. I don't think I will.

So, despite the fact that the tights were common place in the faire garb, and it got hot and rainy all in the same day, I would do it over again in a heartbeat. It was really an honor to join all of you this year, and I feel blessed that you let me play. I remember sitting in my car outside the auditions at the library wondering if I was good enough to join this cast that I had heard so much about. I remember seeing Jim outside the library talking to someone and finally getting to meet the people I had talked to on-line. I remember thinking that I wanted to be part of this thing called VARF as soon as I met Lisa and Jim and Norm. The passion just flowed from each of you, and this was only the audition part! It was amazing. I am no longer a rookie... I am now a seasoned veteran... and with this heat, I think you can call me a seasoned, baked veteran. It's over, but...

Let me put on my garb one more time (now that it's been cleaned of course)!
Let me practice my audition song for hours in the car!
Let me run my monologue over and over!
Let the early morning coffee flow!
Let me drape my sword and brandish my quill!
Let me sit at the sign post and write poetry!
Let me cut the sausage with a dull eating dagger because I can.
Let me be the reason we need a privacy screen!
Let me escort a beautiful lady on the right with my palm down (or up for the sake of scandal)!
Let me wake up in the hotel room after bailing on the idea of camping in the heat!
Let me eat one more unhealthy thing at Hubba's after a day of eating healthy things at the faire!
Let me listen to the stories people tell of years past!
Let me wonder if I am going to be part of someone's story at some point down the line!
Let me embarrass the hell out of myself by sweating only in the "crotchal region" (or by dropping a full cup of cold water on said region!)
Let the blueberry come out to play!
Let the yellow bandana be worn with pride and let me sell myself for 6 pence an hour!
Let me dance the Gay Gordon!
Let Mistress Alexandra lead the Bear Dance (or whatever that dance was with the Big Step, Big Step, Little Step, Little Step all the way across the shire!)
Let Chris lead the "Potato, Potato, Potato, Potato, Huzzah, Huzzah dance!" (I still don't know what that dance was called!)
Let me yell out "Duhdelee, duhdelee, duhdelee, duhdelleeeee, and spin because we're so happy!" as we dance in the 100+ degrees!
Let me sweat and drip again on the Queen while I present my hand to her palm up!
Let me hear the sound of kettle corn popping!
Let the grease from a turkey leg drip down my hand!
Let the butterflies flutter past while reverancing her Grace or Sir Richard or anyone for that matter!
Let me hear the minstrel play!
Let me stand in the pub and cheer when Woodward wins the election (or Carlos as the case may be!)
Let me drink cold water and put the ice under my hat!
Let me hug the Spaniard!
Let me snort with snorty and her bladder!
Let me play in the rain!
Let me complain about the heat!
Let me sing to Wild Rover while pretending the water in my mug is ale!
Let me hear the vendor yell out "Huzzah to the paper tipper!"
Let the stump speeches fly!
Let me eat a huge pickle on a stick or a corn dog with all the inuendo it can produce!
Let me chew on licorice root!
Let me hear the trumpet sound announcing the visitors the shire!
Let me blow my own horn announcing my arrival (dah daa da dah!)
Let me be a renaissance water fountain!
Let me pin my favor on someone special!
Let me sit in the revellers throne and watch people go by!
Let me ask about the vendors salty nuts!
Let me laugh with Ned Allen!
Let me cry as the trumpet plays taps!
Let me swing the clear rope from the maypole!
Let Thomas Meehan come back to life after the militia had me beheaded for bad poetry!
Let me write more bad poetry!
Let me watch the greyhounds (Candy) run!
Let me smell the smells!
Let me drink the wine!
Let me fight with my tent and watch as the city kid in me gets taught by the country boy!
Let the parking nazi yell at me for parking in the wrong spot!
Let the pixie boxes flash!
Let the carrots fly!
Let me practice the two moves not one that Pate kept correcting!
Let me watch the fight!
Let me fight!
Let me eat the apple over by the maze as patrons walk by!
Let me experience "Sir John" and his smelly cousins while trying to fit with all my accessories on!
Let me fall to the ground with the plague drill!
Let me swim in the pond!
Let me wake up the sound of someone in the next tent snoring!
Let me in the hotel room with the non-functioning bathroom door!
Let the court of love bring their worst charges against me!
Let "Barry" be "Barry"!
Let the powdered Gatorade flow through my veins!
Let the karaoke sounds from Hubba's ring out!
Let Hubba's be Hubba's!
Let the white knights run!
Let Carlos clean the Spaniard at least 1 more time!
Let me embarrass myself by buying tights without having a clue what I'm looking for!
Let me struggle while trying to fit into my tights only to blow out an entire seam once I get them on!
Let me realize that I can only fit in my tent in one direction!
Let the rain fall again!
Let the vendor in the copper hug me one more time!
Let the reveller pile commence!
Let the rain soak through the leather on my boots!
Let the cleavage make a comeback!
LET ME BE AT FAIRE!

I miss all of you. I am so ready to get back on that field and do it all again! Is it faire yet?

[will paisley]

Thank you Bill, for pulling me onstage to sing tonight.

And thanks for the hug after Wild Mountain Thyme.  I thought the ensemble did a damned fine job on that number and Lighthouse - I'd put it up against 9 out of 10 performances of same at the White Hart.

"Thank you, Moggie and Karl and Tom and the others I'm spacing now, who jammed with me at the Phoenix when things were slow." 

Thank you, I was worried I was stepping on toes when I'd "play" with you, Dustin, etc. 

And thank you, Tom, for inviting me in on one of your songs before my set started (some Dorian number in D, which I only declined after discovering that our guitars weren't in tune).  I wouldn't have minded playing more, but I too was afraid of stepping on people if I just plunked down in the middle of one of their sets, and the only musician I regularly followed or preceded was Kathy, whom I was wary of playing with for volume reasons (even my nylon string classical will drown out a harp in pretty short order). 

Let Thomas Meehan come back to life after the militia had me beheaded for bad poetry!
Let me write more bad poetry!

Bloody hell, poets are like faeries; you spray, you lay out the traps, you hang the strips, and they still keep coming back ...

Let me listen to the stories people tell of years past!

Be careful what you wish for ...

Let the cleavage make a comeback!

Did it ever go out of style? 

LET ME BE AT FAIRE!

I miss all of you. I am so ready to get back on that field and do it all again! Is it faire yet?

PARF starts in the first part of August (though there is a rather larger patron/participant divide there, unless you go to one of Marshall Laww's shows or Looney Lucy & Ploppy).  MDRF starts at the end of August, and I defy you to go there and talk to a stranger in street clothes without dropping back into dialect.  It runs to the middle of October, and I guarantee you'll run into more than a few familiar faces from VARF.  PARF runs for another week after that, and CRF continues into November.  By then, the various Renaissance Christmas events and PR events are starting to kick in.  You can wear your funny clothes on weekends nearly all year round if you know where to go