anyone see the new festival at sterling still being planed http://mediakit.empireattractions.com/CRF/celtic-rock-festival-media-kit.html (http://mediakit.empireattractions.com/CRF/celtic-rock-festival-media-kit.html)
I saw that, and on that other website they also have new files for Sterling 2009 with some new information.
I initially wondered if that would be an event people would wear garb at but it doesn't look so.
Regards,
CB
Here's a fun question:
How does everyone feel about the Faire branching out into Halloween events, celtic rock concerts, and "green expos"? Forget that Sir Douglas reads the boards and BE HONEST! (or maybe even be honest because he reads the boards!)
My two cents: It makes me a little nervous because I worry about the anti-anachronism rules becoming more lax. Everyone knows that Sterling is legendary because of its committed to staying as true to history as possible. This is definitely not the case at most faires. For example, one faire I went to was set in King Henry VIII's time, and they staged his first meeting with Anne of Cleaves, which is a great story. I was excited to see this until I saw that they crafted King Henry into an immature peeping-Tom frat boy. It was the most pathetic excuse for a historical reenactment I've ever seen and I was SO disappointed. Without its commitment to history, what makes Sterling so special? What makes it stand out in a way that people travel from all over the country [and Canada] to come?
Also, I realize that I may potentially be overreacting here (animatronic Halloween characters = animatronic fire-breathing dragons leading the mid-day parade, ahhh!!), but here's my logic:
The point of having more events in addition to Faire is to make the site more profitable. That's just ducky. I'd love it if external events could make Faire profitable enough to do things like improve the privies, add joust seating, and make the Faire longer, but what if the "money is good" attitude leaks into management's mindset? What if anachronistic things [i.e. "Fantasy Weekends", electronic rides, booths selling Chinese food... not to mention the foam-noodle jousts already in place] get added to draw in new patrons? Doesn't the magic die a little bit if you, as a patron, are bombarded by reminders of the 21st century around every turn?
I'm scared of that happening, to be honest!
I won't let you down.
I for one....never thought you would Sir Douglas. If you did, you may have a good old fashioned rebellion on your hands....lol!! ;D
"Get me some hot oil!" :o
I believe that their is a long enough gap in time between events to keep each one separate. The Celtic rock fest only one week after Faire is close enough in spirit & most staff is still there to be cheaper to run. Using the grounds for other events could help keep the costs down for the "main event" as long as no permanent "nonperiod" structures are added.
Just my hopes.
I think it just makes sense - if you own a property that's just sitting idle for 40+ weeks out of the year (still requiring maintenance and other expenses during that time, but producing no revenue) then you're not maximizing its potential. Anything that makes Doug's use of that property more lucrative for him will (hopefully) allow him to spend more money on improvements, keep the ticket prices from rising, and ultimately ensure that the operation stays in business for our enjoyment for the long term. Moreover, it adds attractions to the CNY area that my family and I might enjoy and potentially draws tourists to the region from elsewhere.
If I were the entrepreneur who had bought the Sterling property, I'd certainly be looking for ways to make more money from it, both because that's why businesspeople do business (to make money) and because the money can be reinvested back into the property.
Likewise, there's nothing wrong with folks like us reminding Doug (who may or may not be an expert on the nuances of Renaissance faires, I don't know) what sorts of things add to or detract from the faire from our perspective and based on what we've seen at other faires. We're some of his best customers and spend as much time thinking about faires as anyone. This forum provides a prime opportunity for the "experts" (or at least the enthusiasts) to weigh in with those aspects of the faire they find to be most important, valuable, desirable (or not), etc. to help inform the choices Doug makes in operating the festival to be optimal both from a business perspective AND in terms of patron enjoyment and period authenticity.
Quote from: Aaroncois on May 29, 2009, 06:46:18 AM
I think it just makes sense - if you own a property that's just sitting idle for 40+ weeks out of the year (still requiring maintenance and other expenses during that time, but producing no revenue) then you're not maximizing its potential. Anything that makes Doug's use of that property more lucrative for him will (hopefully) allow him to spend more money on improvements, keep the ticket prices from rising, and ultimately ensure that the operation stays in business for our enjoyment for the long term. Moreover, it adds attractions to the CNY area that my family and I might enjoy and potentially draws tourists to the region from elsewhere.
If I were the entrepreneur who had bought the Sterling property, I'd certainly be looking for ways to make more money from it, both because that's why businesspeople do business (to make money) and because the money can be reinvested back into the property.
Likewise, there's nothing wrong with folks like us reminding Doug (who may or may not be an expert on the nuances of Renaissance faires, I don't know) what sorts of things add to or detract from the faire from our perspective and based on what we've seen at other faires. We're some of his best customers and spend as much time thinking about faires as anyone. This forum provides a prime opportunity for the "experts" (or at least the enthusiasts) to weigh in with those aspects of the faire they find to be most important, valuable, desirable (or not), etc. to help inform the choices Doug makes in operating the festival to be optimal both from a business perspective AND in terms of patron enjoyment and period authenticity.
Well Said! HUZZAH!
Whoa! I totally called it:
http://sterlingfestival.com/themeweekends/tabid/55/Default.aspx
"A Midsummer Fantasy" Weekend, complete with fantasy costume contest. Bring on the Jedis and Supermen, I guess. :-\
I don't think one weekend of elves and fairies is the end of the world.
I think we'll be ok. They're fun to look at, and can really make you smile. I think most attempts of dressing up as anything at all just adds to the ambiance of fest. Now if Mr Waterbury were to announce Star Wars weekend, which, come on, he WONT, then we would have something to talk about.
While having a planned weekend of
this
(http://www.onlyfunimages.com/images/original/1213102245-imagestooth-20fairy.jpg)
or this
(http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss245/Ttrebtankworthy/Ducttapeknight.jpg)
or even this
(http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss245/Ttrebtankworthy/Stormtrooper.jpg)
are not my idea of a true non-anachronistic Renaissance Festival like Sterling. You have to admit that it does not stop these folks from coming into the gate anyway. Have you ever seen the woman (want to say in her 50's but hate guessing at women's age) that comes as a regular to Sterling dressed in her little schoolgirl costume? LOL!! It may actually be a good idea to just get them over with in one weekend. You have a choice when you go to any Faire. You may choose not to see them.
After a few private and group discussions with Doug last season and this, the last thing he wants is to ruin the integrity of Faire. There are far worse things at Faires I have been to that spoil my perception of a Faire such as blacktopped walkways, visible ATM's, resale items in shops like Magic cards or resin dragon statues, plugged in music, hearing We Will Rock You being sung on stage, armed plain clothes security etc. Yeah we have the last 2 items there at Sterling now but so far we have avoided the rest.
I am making the assumption that decisions on weekend themes are made by a jury of sorts. I know Doug takes to heart what peoples impressions and thoughts are of Faire. Remember, this only the second year of this management team running Sterling and I am pretty sure from what I have heard this team may be mostly new this year. I suggest submitting thoughts like this to such a jury for them to review while deciding on themes. In the long run, we will have to employ the wait and see scenario. But I think in the long run, you will still see Sterling maintain the strict non-anachronistic mindset.
Oh....sorry if any of the above images are representative of any one here...lol
Ohhhhh...Duct Tape Knight must have been sweltering! I haven't seen the school girl but I always see the guy with the Mickey Mouse gloves on. He scares me just a little :-[ (his behavior, not his attyre).
Is there anything to stop duct-tape knight or kilted stormtrooper (I've heard he's a regular at quite a few faires, but I don't know which ones) from coming to Sterling on ANY weekend?
If not, then I don't think the fairy weekend will necessarily make it any worse. The intent of the theme seems to be something in the spirit of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. There were no furries or klingons in AMND, so anybody who wants to dress as such is either going to come or not come irrespective of what the theme of the weekend is.
I'm a big fan of and believer in a reasonably historically accurate Sterling (with allowances made for things like flush toilets and carbonated diet Pepsi, of course), don't get me wrong. I certainly wouldn't WANT to see Batman and Robin in the parade. I just don't think that it's necessarily a slippery slope from "Fairy Weekend" to "GenCon."
I have to say, from the very brief interactions that I've had with Sir Douglas of Waterbury, he has a keen interest in what WE want our faire to be - changes we'd like to see, and things we want to remain the same. I've only seen improvement for the better so far.
The Celtic Rock festival is happing the weekend AFTER Faire closes, not as part of Faire; but as a way to keep the fun going...no harm there, in my opinion.
As to the "Midsummer Fantasy" weekend; my understanding is that the theme is based around Shakespear's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" - which is being performed at Sterling that weekend. The accepted chronology gives the first performance dates to be sometime between 1595-1596, with it's first printings sometime in 1600. Granted, this is later than Warwickshire's 1585, still, it's much more 'in-period' than any food item featuring tomato (Ye Olde Pizza, anyone? ;) )
I'm certainly not saying that everyone will come in 'period-appropriate fantasy' costumes (my garb is appropriate for period-style, but nowhere near accurate ~ I still have fun & recieve loads of compliments; even from the Queen last season), but the folks who are way off base will either wear what they choose no matter what, or will be open to exploring the more period-accurate which Sterling is well-known and well-loved for portraying.
Geez, there have been people running around dressed as elves, faries and wizards as long as we had a booth there from '97 till '05. There was a fella in his i'd guess later 60's who dressed as Robin Hood every year right down to the tights. People going in out of period/fantasy gear is certainly nothing new in my years there as a vendor.
Shakespear's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was based on Queen Elizabeth's stay at Kenilworth Castle in 1575 during one of her summer progresses.
From one of my blog posts:
Queen Elizabeth I visited Robert Dudley at Kenilworth Castle located in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England. in the years 1566, 1568, and 1575. No expense was spared during this final trip, which lasted for 19 days in mid July and cost Dudley £1000 per day. The splendor of the pageantry eclipsed anything that had been seen before in the whole of England.
On arriving at the first castle gate, six massive statues of trumpeters appeared upon the battlements, a fanfare welcomed the Queen, and she was presented with the gate keys. When the queen entered the gate and came into the court, she was met by the legendary Lady of the Lake, who, attended by two nymphs arrayed in silk, floated towards her from the middle of the pool upon a moveable island, blazing with torches. They made a speech to the Queen of the antiquity and the owner's of Kenilworth Castle, linking it's history to the Arthurian legends and offering the castle to the Queen, who was heard to say that she thought it was already hers .
When the Queen entered the base court she was greeted by gentlemen dressed as King Arthur's Knights (like her grandfather Henry VII, Elizabeth made much of her alleged decent from King Arthur, whose legends were a dominant theme in the pageantry of her reign).
According to the report, the sound of drums, fifes, and trumpets, the firing of guns, and a grand display of fireworks were heard twenty miles away !
William Shakespeare (who was from nearby Stratford-upon-Avon) was just 11 years old at the time of the 1575 Kenilworth events. He was likely among the crowd that witnessed the occasion with its expensive and complex arrangements. 20 years later he wrote Midsummer Night's Dream, which according to experts, bears strong evidence of his visit in 1575 to see the festivities.
Since Sterling is a Festival based on Queen Elizabeth I, it gives playtrons an opportunity to wear a myriad of styles from historical , mythical and fictional sources. Due to the Queen's arrival in Warwick, it's been declared that 'The rules of everyday life are suspended for this special day of play and feasting' (from the Festival program). Back in the day, one would have seen people dressed in costumes to entertain the Queen and her court as well as 'everyday' styles of dress.
So, Fairies, elves, wizards, Robin Hood, Arthurian characters, other Medieval and even Roman characters would not be out of place at an Elizabethan Renaissance Festival. You would have seen people dressed in many different types of 'fantasy' costumes to entertain the Queen !
Here's the link to the blog post if you want to read the whole thing: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=406960469&blogId=482960336
I remember the 'older' Robin Hood. He was a very sweet man! The kids loved seeing him. We went to a trade show in Toronto, one year and I was able to bring him back, a button that was from "Nottingham England". He was thrilled!
As far as the way people dress for faire........my cousin always wanted to be a fairy, and that is what I made for her.
People come dressed in what they are comfortable in........it may be period or it may be their fantasy. Afterall, the faire is a place to explore the fantasy and maybe the one, lurking inside.
Now if someone comes dressed as a nudist....... :o.....LOL!!!!
irish
If memory serves me..isn't there still a 'fairy ring' at faire???
I was just reminded of another character from Faire. I almost thing he was part of the Faire perhaps as a food vendor. He always walked around with a rubber frog strapped to his head. He was hilarious.
Quote from: ALS on July 01, 2009, 09:00:44 AM
There was a fella in his i'd guess later 60's who dressed as Robin Hood every year right down to the tights.
He has been sadly missed by many,
I have to agree with SterlingFan here. Even though we are passed the real Midsummer, having a Midsummer Festival at the renaissance fair is not a bad thing. In the days of Elizabeth, Midsummer (even though technically a pagan holiday) was a grand festival day with much drinking, eating, flowers, fire festival events, competitions of all sorts and what many would consider more akin to our modern "Halloween" with costumes and masks of various sorts. For ourselves we won't be going outlandish, preferring to remain anachronistic to some degree. We will however be sporting some of Richard Thompson's wonderful leather masks with our attire for the midsummer festivities.
As for the Off-Season events, I have no problem with them. However, one thing I think Sir Douglas needs to remember is that some of those buildings are personal property of the shop proprietors (not owned by the faire) and that should be taken into account during these events. Certain parts of the grounds should remain off-limits to clients during these events. There are plenty of public areas for these events. JMHO.