Faire Nazis

[Lady de la Warr]

I have to agree with most of what has been said here. I don't enjoy a faire because of what the lanes are made of. I enjoy it for the whole experience. The people, cast, entertainment, vendors, impromtu bits in the lanes - that is what makes faire.

That said I must say that PARF is in the top 5 of my favorite faires (probably #2 or #3). And when it rains I gotta say I much prefer the paved lanes. It's better than dragging court gowns that cost $100's or $1,000's of dollars through mud that NO amount of cleaning will ever get out of the skirts again. And trust me - I have been at PARF in some of the heaviest downpours you will ever see (can anyone say closing Saturday last year when they closed faire at 4 pm??)

So yeah - if you are judging a faire by what its lanes are made of you are missing the most important parts of the entire experience.

Sad really.

[BLAKDUKE]

I know this is a long shot, but does anyone know if any of the cast from 1983 is still with the faire??

[McGuinness]

We do have some cast and staff members that have been with the faire for 20+ years. Are you looking for someone in particular? I can probably give you a "yes" or "no" on them.

[kcdcchef]

  And trust me - I have been at PARF in some of the heaviest downpours you will ever see (can anyone say closing Saturday last year when they closed faire at 4 pm??)

we almost came closing saturday, and came closing sunday instead. we always do closing weekend.

but chips or no chips, pavement or no pavement, a downpour ruins anything. even if it is paved. or isnt. downpours just suck.

[Lady de la Warr]

Yes, downpours suck. But downpours with mud ankle deep sucks big rocks! It's the worst thing ever!

[Carl Heinz]

Wet clay can be pretty slick, too.

[Lady de la Warr]

Indeed it is. And I REALLY don't want to slip and fall in one of these gowns. It will take 10 men and a boy to get me back on my feet!

To quote a much overused line from a commercial.........."I've fallen and I can't get up!" LOL!!

[will paisley]

I'm always intrigued by what various people think makes or breaks a faire.  Usually it's a reflection of a person's first experience with faire, which ends up being the gold standard by which other faires are measured.  There was a rather notable thread on the old board where the opinion was voiced that any faire that didn't allow weapons wasn't worth going to, and I have heard similar things said about PARF concerning the paving.

Though I don't care for the asphalt, either aesthetically or physically (it's hell on both my feet and my boots), it's hardly
enough to keep me away from PARF. Much of PARF is in a crowded village setting, and somewhat narrow streets with (some sort of) paving fits.  I also certainly don't miss walking through the mud, or clearing enough dust out of my nose after faire to have voting rights in whatever jurisdiction the faire happens to be in. That said, I would like to raise the question of whether it's possible to do something to make the asphalt at least *look* authentic?  Paint it to look like bricks or cobblestones or something?

Though I understand the idea that all faires shouldn't be identical, one concept I wish I could transplant to PARF is the idea of audience participation at the Finale in Song.  There is always at least one singalong, the words are in the program, and virtually every cast member in the entire village is running up and down the aisles, trying to stir up some enthusiasm, and when I sing along, the local patrons turn around and give me a look like I just broke wind in church.  The show is a spectacle that would make Steven Spielberg green with envy, yet the audience reminds me of the old John Lennon line where he asks the people in the cheap seats to clap and the people in the expensive seats to rattle their jewelry. Unfortunately, this is something over which the faire has little to no control.

[McGuinness]

I would encourage you all to pass your opinions, suggestions, concerns, complaints, compliments, whatever they may be onto the faire itself so they know what you think about it all. PaRF is always changing and they do listen to what people like and don't like. I'm not saying they are going to go ripping out the pavements (because honestly, that is not going to happen), but they do want to know what you think. There is always new stuff going on as a result of what people ask for, from events to shows to features on the grounds (there's a lot more seating areas that have just been made and a new kid's area that is there by patron's request).

You can find contact info on the faire's website at www.parenfaire.com if you would like to let them know what you think.

[Carl Heinz]

To all you PARF folks, the Alfaro Drabbits did well at RPFS.  Thanks for sharing.  Hope they were able to get out of their booth long enough to see our faire.

[BLAKDUKE]

We do have some cast and staff members that have been with the faire for 20+ years. Are you looking for someone in particular? I can probably give you a "yes" or "no" on them.

I have no names that I remember, but in 1983 I attended the faire and met a bunch of people on Saturday evening at an eatery in Manhiem after which a bunch of us loaded up in my 1965 Dodge Dart GT convertible and road around town.  To say the car was overloaded would be putting it mildly, I had riders draped over the fenders like deer from a hunt.  Needless to say the local constabulary pulled me over to see if I had been drinking and when they determined that I had not they let me go.   Went to the faire the next day and had a grand time.

The Blakduke