Annual Trek to the Renaissance Festival!
I spent a good part of the day yesterday wandering around in costume at the local Renaissance / Medieval Festival ("And Fantasy Faire," the signs noted, making certain that those who prefer Gondor to Agincourt or Florence don't feel left out).

The local newspaper was there covering the story, too, which was cool. This was the first year they did, and this was a good year to do it. The festival has grown nicely over the last four years since it started. The first one, three years ago, it was kinda pathetic. Which is terrible to say, since my wife was performing at that one. But this year, the crowds were really turning out, and there was some plenty of fun stuff going on. Magic shows, stunt demonstration, musical performances, dancers, and of course the jousting.

I always love the jousting, though I have yet to see an unhorsing. I'm am always amazed at the size of the horses, and the amount of armor these guys wear. They hit each other with a respectable amount of combined speed and force. The lances take the brunt of the force, often shattering into several pieces that go flying across the field.

And there are plenty of ways to be parted with your money. Back in the 80's, if you were looking for a good morning star, you didn't have many other options besides the Ren Fest or a couple of mail-order places. Now in the Internet age, that's not a problem anymore, but it's still fun to browse the booths and see what's available. I was looking for a good battle-axe for my collection, but I didn't find one I really wanted. Maybe next year.

I did find myself cynically musing a little during the joust as what someone from the middle ages might really think of our modern, idealized, commercialized, edited-for-modern-tastes rendition of medieval life at these festivals. They'd probably find it unrecognizable.

But probably a lot more fun.

Labels: Geek Life

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