didnt make it this past weekend, i had to work, going this sunday though. the wife is only off sundays on the weekend and this year just seems to be full of wet sundays. i guess i will be shopping for and buying a cloak for both of us. hope to see you there, just look for the kilted pirate sunday :)
Hey now!!!
How would the Pirates ships get in, without the rain water??? ???
;D
Its rather depressing actually. We've not had many good weather days this year so far. If the rain is as bad as predicted (like 2 Sat. ago), it will probably be a general wash-out for the weekend. I am really hoping the forecast changes between now and then.
yeah i know what you mean, i was there that saturday. we did the renewal of vows that day and the rain pretty much ruined everything. i usually ride my motorcycles to work and this year i have only done that a half dozen times. even my garden looks terrible this year due to excessive rain and cool temps.
Well we're coming up from VA to see Sterling for the first time so I'm really hoping it doesn't rain that heavily. A little rain I can deal with, a downpour is a bummer!
I dunno. Other than the short burst of heavy rain the one day, I think we have had absolutely perfect weather. I would much rather have nice cool breezy days than the 80's and 90's and high humidity. Wearing proper garb in the heat is a drag. Especially if you are pulling the queens carriage or dunking people lol.
People have been scared away by weather forecasts I think. Our attendance this year is down and I think people are looking at the weather and deciding to spend their money on a day that they can get the most out of it. Which makes sense. Problem is, the forecasts either come from Rochester which is 2 hours west or Syracuse which is an hour south. With the NY terrain and Lake Ontario influence, you can never really trust those forecasts. I would like a dollar for every time I have looked across the street and seen rain falling at the neighbors but not in my yard or vice versa. I live 15 minutes west of Faire and quite often see a hue difference in weather on my journey there.
All I can says is that if you plan to come out a certain day. Just do it. Brave the weather. Dress and prepare appropriately. Out of all the years I have been going, I can only remember one day that the rain lasted the majority of the day. We still had plenty of people there that day too. This phrase is pretty common around this area...."If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes, it will change"
QuoteThis phrase is pretty common around this area...."If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes, it will change"
I can remember when rain didn't matter. I think its a manifestation of the insular, iPod, cellphone, laptop, home theater existance that America now leads. Opening day of the '98 season, first year in our permanent booth, it began raining at 8 AM, it rained literally all day, by the end so much that faire closed 1/2 hour early. We were there till 7:15 taking care of all the customers we had and there were still patrons milling around. I noticed the forcast begining to be a factor around '02 or so. There were many a day by '05 where we might just as well have been there by our sleves because rain had been forcast and ner a drop had been seen at the show. I was in Pulaski all weekend about 25 minutes away at a weekend long event. On and off rain was forcast all weekend. We never saw a drop. In fact I got sunburned. I didn't see a drop of rain until I was back in Rochester yesterday. Ignore the forcast and just go, like Brett said, wait a minute it'll change.
I don't care if it snows, I'll be there Sunday
we go every chance we can and it pretty much rains every time. maybe its just bad luck, but the rain doesnt stop us.
Hopefully it doesn't stop many mundanes either. Pirate weekend tends to be a big draw. At least, that's the weekend I hear mundanes talk about going.
*sigh*
Alas, this will be ANOTHER weekend I don't think we'll make thanks to my (recently) sprained foot. I just can't imagine navigating those lanes on crutches :(
Quote from: Tygrkat on July 22, 2009, 03:56:51 PM
*sigh*
Alas, this will be ANOTHER weekend I don't think we'll make thanks to my (recently) sprained foot. I just can't imagine navigating those lanes on crutches :(
we can wheel yah to the bad dog and leave yah there till closing time ;D
{puts Tygrkat in an empty Rum barrel.... ::)......"Roll out Tygrkat ........rolling in a barrel that had Rum"} ;D
Quote from: Tazworth on July 22, 2009, 12:38:11 PM
People have been scared away by weather forecasts I think. Our attendance this year is down and I think people are looking at the weather and deciding to spend their money on a day that they can get the most out of it.
I've done this. I typically only go once a year, so I definitely try to pick a day when the weather will be as cooperative as possible. It ain't easy, but it beats being stuck in either relentless downpours or sweltering heat.
If you can get to Sterling just go! Like Taz said " if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes".
After your wet to the bone it just don't matter much anymore, we have still had wonderful
wet faire days. And sometimes it is ever more fun in the rain.
It's Harbor Fest weekend also, usually the busiest weekend at Sterling.
We'll definitely be going one of the days this weekend, we just haven't picked which day yet. I would like the day with the cooler weather and least chance of T-Storms and rain all day. As of now that leans me toward Sunday. M'Lady's attire did not come cheaply and we'd hate to have it get ruined by downpours all day. (Mine is more rugged [especially this weekend's pirate gear] so I'm not as worried about the rain.) A light rain, or a rain we can wait out somewhere dry isn't so bad. However, when they are predicting rain all day long, not so much fun.
Quote from: duffy on July 22, 2009, 04:57:09 PM
Quote from: Tygrkat on July 22, 2009, 03:56:51 PM
*sigh*
Alas, this will be ANOTHER weekend I don't think we'll make thanks to my (recently) sprained foot. I just can't imagine navigating those lanes on crutches :(
we can wheel yah to the bad dog and leave yah there till closing time ;D
That's not a bad place to be ~ and we do spend a fair amount of time at the pubs ;)
Quote from: irish on July 22, 2009, 06:06:17 PM
{puts Tygrkat in an empty Rum barrel.... ::)......"Roll out Tygrkat ........rolling in a barrel that had Rum"} ;D
Heeheehee....do we get to drink the rum first? If so, I'm definitely for it! ;D
Well, I guess if you insist, Tygrkat..........hahahaha....... :D
But I shouldn't drink & roll, so we will need a DR...{designated roller} lmao!!! ;D
Maybe SterlingFan will do it..... ::)
Sterling in the rain.........it is always a funtime! Yuppers wait a bit and it will change. Anyways, if there is a downpour the canopy of tree will make a huge umbrella! 8)
Rain, sun, snow or hail I will be there! My first visit was in the rain & I was hooked!
If you don't have a covering there are always the plastic ponchos at almost every booth. (remind me to camp coat my cloak)
For me any time inside the gates is special!
Hope to see you all this weekend!
PhotoMike - Master of the Camera Condom .... for those wet times.... ;D
^ hehehe - awesomeness
Looks like the forecast is improving at least a little. Saturday will be warm and humid with showers developing late afternoon or evening. Sunday looks like maybe some rain. Much better than it looked earlier in the week. Of course they called for rain here all day yesterday and it never hit till after 7pm last night. :-\
As of right now it looks like another great day at fair tomorrow, with rain starting at sunset
tomorrow evening. Of course that is a Syracuse forecast.
Arrr, See ye scalawags anon.
This is from weather.com. It says Sterling, but I don't know how they collect information. It might just be the forecast from the nearest major station.
(http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb69/c-finger/weather.jpg)
The Sterling and Syracuse forecasts are definitely not the same. I've noticed wild differences between the two. Which isn't to say that the Sterling weather forecast may not be identical to Rochester or someplace else.
So as of right now, it's looking like partly cloudy Saturday, and scattered T-storms Sunday. Unfortunately, I will of course be going on Sunday. But I'm super excited to get back up there nonetheless! This will be my last chance at Sterling, and probably my last Ren Faire for a while unless I make it up to Kansas this fall.
Who else is going this weekend?
me me me........... ;D
i will be there the whole weekend!
i will have a green umbrella just in case........
Quote from: Lady Rebecca on July 27, 2009, 03:59:41 PM
So as of right now,
Hahaha! Not everybody realizes that up here the weathermen pretty much guess at any weather more than two days away, and outright lie about anything further out than that. That report will almost surely change and change and change again before the weekend rolls around.
Regardless, have fun at the faire!
Weather Report (s): :o
Rochester: Sat ~ ?Thunder Storms ~ 85
Sun ~ Rain ~ 83
Syracuse: Sat ~ ?Rain ~ 84
Sun ~ ?Rain ~ 84
Weather Channel: Sat ~ ?Rain ? ~ 79
Sun ~ Dry ~ 81
I am going with the Weather Channel.....LOL!! ;D
we plan on being there sunday again.
Quote from: duffy on July 27, 2009, 10:09:06 PM
we plan on being there sunday again.
Oh man! That means rain for sure on Sunday now. LOL ;D
So far this season, I have found the closest to accurate I can find in way of forcasts is from this local site http://www.13wham.com/default.aspx (http://www.13wham.com/default.aspx) . It looks like it will be a great weekend. Last weekend was wonderful. The little bit of rain on Sunday did a great job of cooling things down. It was great to have people waiting out the rain in the booth. Smiles never drooped, laughter never stopped. When it let up, everyone went on there way still smiling and laughing. I don't think the rain stopped the crowds at all. If anything it seemed to boost everyones spirits. Looking forward to seeing you all on the weekend!!
It appears that Saturday, 08/01, is still supposed to be sunny, high 70's with no rain, and Sunday, 08/02, is low 80's with 30% chance of scattered T-storms, though that could change at any moment. Last year when we went, we got caught in the torrential downpour and hail, which didn't really annoy me since it happened at the end of the day, though the brand new car getting tiny little dents from the hail was bothersome. The wife and I are committed to going Saturday unless really poor weather hits- like what we went through last Saturday here in Rochester; the torrential downpour and flooding. Thankfully we didn't have to worry about the tornado. If that occurs then we will go Sunday no matter what but either way we have decided to forgo the costuming this year.
do you live near corfu were the tornado hit? we live not far from there, just south of batavia. no costuming on highland fling weekend? i have a few extra kilts ;) i saw tazworth last sunday and yes it rained. i will be there again this sunday which is why it will rain.
Ooh, I forgot it was highland weekend! I'm excited for the kilts. :)
QuoteLast weekend was wonderful. The little bit of rain on Sunday did a great job of cooling things down. It was great to have people waiting out the rain in the booth. Smiles never drooped, laughter never stopped. When it let up, everyone went on there way still smiling and laughing. I don't think the rain stopped the crowds at all. If anything it seemed to boost everyones spirits. Looking forward to seeing you all on the weekend!!
Not sure if you could see the show from up the hill, but just below you we had the joy of some faire lasses greatly enjoying dancing in the rain! Definitely made waiting out the rain much more pleasant. :)
Quote from: Lady Rebecca on July 28, 2009, 05:16:44 PM
Ooh, I forgot it was highland weekend! I'm excited for the kilts. :)
You'll definitely get your wish. You may wish to ask the Needle Fairy about a ladies "Kilt Kit". ;)
We don't live near Corfu, we live in the city of Rochester in the Maplewood district, but it was still a little scary. Especially since I had been painting my house all day and came inside for a break and saw every channel with live weather reports.
We've never been to the Highlands weekend, which is kind of interesting since I've been going there for so long and have never seen it, so it should be fun to see. But it shall be sans costumes, even though it is calling for good weather. The main goal this year is to pick up wedding gifts- probably the hand made swings down by the jousting arena- and find interesting things for the house. Though I have been thinking about getting peasant/freeman gear. Everyone goes as a lord/lady and it might be fun to go as a freeman/peasant character. Oops, getting off topic again.
scum have more fun
Still calling for beautiful weather tomorrow, 80's and sunny,which is awesome since we are now committed to going no matter what happens now. Sunday is going to be cooler, 70's, and cloudy but it seems the chance of rain/t-storms has gone up to about 50% later in the day. I checked on this from weather.com using Sterling as the base. It's close to what is happening weather wise all over Western NY.
Geez, getting all excited for tomorrow. How are the grounds by the way? Muddy, dry, damp in spots, etc...
The grounds arefine. Only wet spots are of course on the joust field. Can't wait till they move that field. I know the jousters will rejoice as well.
They're moving the joust field?? Where?
into the parking lot, I expect.
Well, the first time I get horse crap on my new boots while walking to my car, there's going to be trouble.
lol - I think I remember hearing talk of building a theater-type area with real seating that would be large enough to contain a joust. The location would consume part of the current parking lot. I also heard talk of knocking the back hill down & creating some form of pirate village complete with a pirate ship in the water back there. Ambitious, I know. And pure conjecture as far as I'm concerned. So please don't go overboard on something I think I heard rumored might happen someday.
so much for talking about the weather... :P
There is an apple orchard behind the archery booth. You can see it from the Bankside stage. I believe this area is where Doug is planning on putting an arena seating type joust field. I believe I hear it was supposed to sit 5000 people. The current joust field would then be re-developed and at this point, yes, I believe thoughts are towards some sort of Pirate port village. Have you ever been in the Pirates of the Carribbean ride at Disney world? That is my vision of what should be there. Great place to put a stage specifically for wench auctions. This is all based on conversations with Sir Douglas himself last season.
That would be awesome! I hope it happens.
Maybe I have yet to see it...but...does Sterling really have an ongoing theme that they're known for? Sure we have themed weekends but, for example, Scarby is known for their fearies as is a few more faires. Does this mean Sterling might be known for pirates?
I suppose if they actually build a pirate village then it might be, but as of now I can't think of a particular theme beyond the main story of Ol Bess visiting the sylvan village of Warwick.
Yeah, it's hard to picture how a pirate village/ship would fit into the Village of Warwick as it exists today. Putting it at the jousting field would certainly put it in the "center of the action" so to speak.
At the least, a pirate village and a replica pirate ship would be unique and potentially a huge draw for the faire. Hard to picture a pirate ship big enough to hold even a fraction of the people who'd want to be on it, however. Designing attractions for enormous crowds must take a special skill.
I can't wait for the jousting to be moved ! It would be nice to have a clean & dry place to sit lol.
The Jousting area used to be up near the area where the maze is now.
I like the idea of turning the present Joust site into a pirate area ! I've thought for many years now that Sterling Creek should be utilized in some way. Maybe punt boat rides too (like those in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England) link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punt_(boat) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punt_(boat)).
Oh, & the weather is looking pretty good for this upcoming weekend so far - my attempt at keeping this on topic ;) hahahaha ;D
i think to build a pub that looks like a ship on the edge of a man made pond would be the way to go. pirates and rum go hand in hand and you wouldnt have to worry about it having to float. actually building a pub and a bunch of shops all that look like ships would be great. it would make sterling the pirate capital of ren faires and that could only be a good thing.
as for the weather, it rained on us again. been there 3 sundays this year and it rained everyone of them. see you there next sunday, wet of coarse.
Quote from: SterlingFan on August 02, 2009, 04:43:08 PM
The Jousting area used to be up near the area where the maze is now.
:o
No kidding, really?!? Wow - how long ago was that? I've been going since 91 and it's been where it is now that whole time.
I wish I knew where to find more pics of SRF prior to when I started to visit. It was so sylvan and lovely then. Not better, really, just different and, dare I say it, quieter. That's not a good thing for the faire as a business, but as a patron I sure did like the feeling that I had the place to myself.
Keep your collective fingers crossed for great weather next weekend ~ it looks like we will ACTUALLY be there next weekend (probably Saturday) and we'll be bringing another couple with us who have never been to Faire, but get more excited about coming the more we talk about it! ;D
We will also DEFINTELY be there Closing day (Aug, 16)...a happy occasion as it will be my husband's birthday & our 1st wedding anniversary, but bittersweet since it's the last day of Faire.
Oh dear gods...don't move the Trial and Dunke again. Finally, this year us dunkers have shade for the second dunk. We have been waiting so long for this day to come. LOL.
PARF has a replica pirate ship that is used by the swords/weapons sellers. You go inside to a showroom of steel weapons. It's really cool and I think something like that would go over well at Sterling. However I like the idea of having it as another sit down pub style place. The weapons in the PA ship wouldn't fly at Sterling as they are all (except for very few) resale items instead of hand made. Mostly fantasy stuff like LOTR swords and Excalibur...things like that. Not saying anything wrong with them. I have some pieces from there. Just saying they are supposed to be handcrafted by the booth owner at Sterling.
So yeah for topic sakes. Weather was hot but gorgeous on Saturday. Sunday was wet in the morning, beautiful throughout the day after say 11:00. THen a downpour during the final Dunke...about 4:45 or so. But again, it was so great to see they patrons stay put. They took cover during the deluge, and then re-emerged from their shelters smiling and laughing and again enjoying the day. One last rain shower ended our day as pub sing came to a close. A great weekend for sure!!
Ya know...if a moderator wanted to move parts of this discussion to it's own topic in regards to the joust field....I am sure it might be a good thing. Plus Sir Douglas may find it easier and may be interested in what we have to say.....just a thought....suppose we could start our own thread too LOL
Quote from: Aaroncois on August 02, 2009, 07:08:59 PM
Quote from: SterlingFan on August 02, 2009, 04:43:08 PM
The Jousting area used to be up near the area where the maze is now.
:o
No kidding, really?!? Wow - how long ago was that? I've been going since 91 and it's been where it is now that whole time.
I wish I knew where to find more pics of SRF prior to when I started to visit. It was so sylvan and lovely then. Not better, really, just different and, dare I say it, quieter. That's not a good thing for the faire as a business, but as a patron I sure did like the feeling that I had the place to myself.
I began going to Sterling in 1979, two years after it opened & the joust field was up on Caliban's Way. I don't remember what year they moved the joust.
My Mom has a lot of pics of the earlier days that I need to go through. When I find some I'll scan them & post them for you guys ! I know what you mean Aaroncois about the feeling of having the place to yourself. I felt that way the last time I went on July 26th - arriving right at opening then quickly heading down to the lower sections is very quiet & peaceful in the morning !
Personally, I thought the rain yesterday was wonderful. It felt very Scottish to me. I also thought it was interesting that both the earlier rain and the later downpour seemed to be cleared up when people started playing bagpipes...
I don't mind the rain or the heat, but why does it have to be humid this weekend?
Oh well, we will make the most of it just the same.
Quote from: Lady Rebecca on August 03, 2009, 06:12:00 PM
thought it was interesting that both the earlier rain and the later downpour seemed to be cleared up when people started playing bagpipes...
*grin* someone else noticed that....