Fort Myers Medieval Faire 1st weekend 2012

Our first weekend of faire was a wonderful one, with the opening day rather brisk and blustery, with pennants snapping, jousters shiny, gypsies jingly and vendors being hopeful.

It's a fun faire and a mixed ground if there ever was one, and quite enjoyable to watch and participate in!

Trekies, Steam Punk, Pirates, Faries, Vikings did abound...oh yes, and wenches, knights, and rogues were there. I see that Steam Punk has really invaded the renaissance faires lately. Before this it was pirates, and I have to say it is interesting to say the least. Kind of unnerving for die hard rennies, but kind of creative in a fun costumey sort of way. League of Extrordinary Gentlemen to Braveheart.  It's like Sheldon at the faire as Spock sometimes. I've seen Scarlett O'Hara, at least 3 Captain Jack Sparrows and a Beowulf.
Here is where gypsies dance and face-tattooed pirates fill the pub.

Our days were magickal in so many ways.

What I really love, is when a song affects a person emotionally.
You can be playing a simple song for someone...and all of a sudden...they are crying. Crying with happiness or loneliness or with memories of past lost loves. It always amazes me about the emotion that is evoked with melody.

 Hard hearted men are melted and stubborn women can be turned into weepy dear hearts.

It is a magickal thing. Grown men dance and act out Johnny Jump Up at the pub and then leave YOU a tip of a gold coin. (they already "paid" me by dancing! :) Groups of garbed pirates, wenches and fiddlers appeared to sing and pound on tables and yell "Huzzah!" and buy you pints.

A bar wench came by and laid two pints of hard cider on the table in front of us. Me, being the good minstrel, thanked them in between songs (oh my mouth was so dry to sing :) and started pouring it from the taboo plastic cup into my ren mug...and my guitar was SO excited it "jumped up" and spilled the Johnny Jump Up all over my guitar body, strings. I wiped the hard cider off the strings with the hem of my skirt and kept playing!

Wondrous happenings included some snowbirds flying south to this faire and join us! Our friends, Lori, Chris and Maria all came down to play. Maria joined us on "Katie Sings" and we did an amazing "Auld Lang Syne" at the Manna booth.

I love the Manna Booth! A large tent filled with gypsies, readers and drummers.

Both evenings at faire we played for pubsing and it was a blast. Saturday night, The Harper and the Minstrel
joined us for a rendition of "Our Mother the Mountain". Sunday, while Lorie was here for the weekend
she and Ravyn started a dancers line for "Celtic Circle Dance" which is always fun! Except this night, Will the fiddler and Darin Graves jumped in as extra fiddlers, so it was a full band and dance extravaganza!

And if you REALLY want a treat....

check out this clip! We are in the news and you might recognize a few of us! :)
http://www.fox4now.com/news/local/137364268.html

Aye! Nothing like the traditional fare of "chicken legs" at the faire :)

LOVE this clip! The faire is just like this, a sweet little magickal faire!

Anon my loves!