This may be the only event in Arizona with reasonably priced good food. We did learn to stay away from the turkey legs and steak on a stake, but that's because we're from the south and we demand some form of seasoning on our meats. You're just not going to convince me they didn't at least have some salt and pepper during the Renaissance. However, the shrimp and chips were plentiful and cost less than a burger and fries at BK. Affording the food will not be an issue when you go and I want you to GO.
I want you to drop your grown up pants, don a pair of tights and a peasant shirt or something and just GO. Remove that broomstick from your situpon and use it to fly to your local Ren Fest. Truly, your face will not crack into slivers if you smile or actually laugh. I'm sorry, but someone duct taping a bunch of firecrackers to their chest, using a juggling torch to light them, and then having the audience douse the embers with water balloons is funny stuff!
This is not Cirque du Soleil, and if dressing up to go see jugglers is your idea of a grand time I sort of pity you. Ren Fest is earthy, gritty, broad daylight entertainment. There are puffs of smoke, usually from someone lighting their chest on fire with black cats, but no concealment, no dreamscape. The entertainers are real, not ghostly shapes on a stage with no personality. Well, okay the Cast in Bronze guy is kind of weird in his costume, but I'll put up with his somewhat disturbing beak in order to listen to him play the carillon. How many of you have even heard of a carillon, much less seen one being played live?? They're quite rare these days.
Many things at Ren Fest are rare these days. How many harpists do you meet outside your city symphony? Trust me, the harp is best enjoyed in the shade of a tree whose leaves are whispering in a mild breeze. How about listening to a harpsichordist on a patch of soft grass? Think heavy metal gets your heart pounding? Try bagpipes and drums that vibrate your soul. Then again, there is that carillon played as rarely a carillon has been played.
True, the Renaissance Festival has little to do with the actual Renaissance and if you want to be a snobby stuffed shirt about that, stay home, but I can think of little else that would inspire great writing, great thought and great art than some of the music you will find at Ren Fest. Exactly how much fun would it be to sit around and watch people think or pretend to compose, or, god forbid, pretend to carve the statue of David (which would be heresy)?
Rather than people pretending to recreate the great works of the Renaissance, you will instead find much frivolity and excess. They will clap you in irons if you so desire (and indeed some of the costumes did look more like medieval dominatrix garb) but there is jousting, rope ladder climbing, games of skill like axe and knife throwing, great music and entertainment. The street performers and stage performers are all friendly and make you feel part of this 30 acre town. The buildings are beautifully constructed and, if you're a Harry Potter fan, make you feel like you stepped onto the streets of Hogsmeade. This fact alone, well okay and the harp music, had me wondering how I could train one of the horses and volunteer us to wander the festival streets dressed up every weekend next spring. In essence, I wanted to run off and join the circus!
5 comments:
Sounds like lots of fun! I think a trained trick mini would be a show stopper!!
Pleased to meet you Mini Beginning, thanks for stopping by. I have one super small mini that is a real cuddle bunny. She's only about 27 inches tall at 3 years old. I think she'd be GREAT all dolled up with her mane beaded and perhaps a tiara lol. She could be Princess Rowena! I also have another blog you might be interested in. It's all about Miniature horses. You can find it here: http://allaboutminihorses.blogspot.com/
Thanks for the link!
I just got a 27 inch mini gelding 3 years on Sunday and a 30 inch gelding 4 years next month! We are having a blast with them! I just started about a week ago jumping with the little 27 inch mini and he is a natural at it and LOVES to do it! He gets SO excited when I take him into the arena to jump he can hardly contain himself! My 30 inch has a national title that he won with his previous owner and is stunning! He isn't much of a jumper... at least not yet. He just likes to sit and look pretty lol. He is a little over weight so we are working on getting him in shape and getting his energy up. I will look forward to here update and picture of your minis!
I have a B sized miniature stallion who positively loves to jump too! He also seems to love being driven and is shaping up to be a lovely cart pony. Isn't it great when you find something they enjoy so much?
I have lots of photos of the minis over on my other blog. Being a new mini owner (congratulations!) There's some important health info over there that you'll need.
They make me laugh daily, they make me worry frequently, they make me think like a pony, they make me get outside more and although they do give me grey hairs on occasion I wouldn't trade them for all the full sized horses in Kentucky.
Thanks for all the tips you left and you are SO right! We told the stable owner that we would rather increase his level of exercise more that decrease the food intake but she always gives us a look like we don't know what we are talking about. I may not be a savvy stable owner but I do know that rapid weight loss is not good for anyone. He is very hairy still so I make sure to feel his tummy area everyday to make sure that he isn't loosing it too fast, I know he is getting alot more exercise than he was even on his own. He has a much larger pasture area than he had at his previous farm. We are trying to work with her on getting her thinking out of the box a little with these guys. We have started giving them extra grain (like a small hand full) everyday when we have gone out there this week since that is what she decreased slightly with them so they are getting around the same as they were before they came to us and he was much more excited about coming out of the pasture today. My mom grew up with horses and ponies and luckely has a good knowledge of equine and agree with me that she is being too drastic with the food change. Soon we are moving them! They stable owner doesn't know this yet (it's a secret),the whole reason why we choice to house them at a stable was because we wanted full access to an arena, round pens, jumps, and heated indoor wash rack. But now we found in the last few days that having them closer to us is much more important and it was just made offical this afternoon that they will be moving! We are prepping the field this weekend (hopefully it doesn't rain)by knocking down the weeded area and starting a fence! My dad, grandpa, brother, and my husband are planning a wonderful little 4 stalled stable for me! I'm so excited! They are even planning a nice little wash rack that will have warm water for me to wash them with! YAY! LOVE HAVING MEN WHO KNOW HOW TO WORK IN MY LIFE!! If the weather is good we should maybe have them with us at home by the beginning of next month! I tried to follow your other mini blog but for some reason it wouldn't let me so I will keep trying. Thanks! I will keep checking in with your mini blogs! Let me know if you have any blogs about how to turn a mini out into a new pasture. I have been reading up a little on it. I know we are going to have to be very careful when we move them to our place about how much grass access we allow them to have per day in the beginning, I don't want any foundering horses! I wish I knew someone with some goats! I would just borrow them for a week or so before I bring in the horses! That may take care of some of the extra grass the horses don't need! I will be going back to the stables around 5 to finish grooming the boys and I may braid their mane and tails to try to keep them up out of the mud, maybe I'll share the news with them about moving lol!
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