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Editorial
  Official
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Have you ever stared at some
faeries,
watched a joust or a battle,
met a queen, shot some arrows
or watched belly dancers? Or
do you prefer to learn
something about history or get
mocked by the
Puritans? Do you like
exotic costumes? Different
food? Outdoor shows, plays,
juggling, comedy or
Shakespeare? Do shows with
names like "The
Belles of Bedlam", "Broon!",
"MooNiE the Magnif'cent",
"Bold and Stupid Men", "Pye
Powder Court", "Marlowe's
Shadowe!" or "The Poxy
Boggards" sound interesting to
you?
 Do
you like dancing, bagpipes and
revelry? How about getting
your
face painted,
participating in a
theatrical wedding or
having a henna drawn? Do you
want some free Italian Advice
or would you like to ride a
giant
rocking horse with a
pretty lady or handsome
gentleman? Or would you like
to hug
some
pretty wenches. Perhaps
you'd like to watch "Clan
MacColin" or "The
Copali-Copli Aztez Dancers".
  If
so, the Renaissance Faire is
for you. There are many faires
all over the United States,
and one of the best takes
place at Santa Fe Dam in
Irwindale, California. Every
year starting in mid-April and
continuing for seven weekends,
the faire comes to Southern
California. In past years it
was in Agora Hills, and those
days are remembered with much
fondness by many. My first
faire was the year that it
moved to
Glen Helen park in San
Bernardino county, and I
fondly remember that faire as
well. Glen Helen was well
suited to this type of show,
with scenic mountains in the
background, a lake and some
interesting terrain.
 I
love the faire and look
forward with great
anticipation to the event
every single year. Most
of all, I enjoy the costumes.
I enjoy seeing people dress
up, sometimes authentic down
to the style of sewing and
type of buttons, more often a
flamboyant get-up with no
basis in any history of any
nation. The performers
(participants) are all, of
course, wearing clothes and
props from 500 years ago. The
visitors, such as myself, can
wear whatever they want.
I always take great delight
in watching the antics of
characters such as
Bartholomew Barrel, the
May
Queen, the
Mistress of Misrule,
Lady
Phoebe and
Shakespeare. Then there
are more serious characters,
such as
Lord John Lumley and the
Spanish Ambassador.
 The
guests of the faire are also
interesting. Sometimes they
come in street clothes,
sometimes in something they
found in their closet,
occasionally something from a
costume store, and often
wearing, as I do, something
purchased specifically for the
faire by one of the many shops
specializing in such things.
The dancing is always fun
to watch, especially the belly
dancers. This year they were
quite talented and seemed to
wander all over the faire,
doing their dances on stage,
in front of shops and just
about anywhere else they
wanted. I particularly enjoyed
Oojam
because of their colorful
costumes and genuine
friendliness.
 I've
not seen belly dancers outside
of faire, so for me they are
exotic and unknown. Some of
the dancers were covered in
jewelry everywhere; chains
hanging from their nose,
necklaces around their necks,
rings on their fingers and
bracelets on their arms. I
especially enjoyed the sounds
of the dance: the bells, drums
and other instruments.
 In
2005 and 2006 I attended the
faire every weekend, and each
time was the same yet
different. At first, as usual,
the weather was overcast,
drizzly and cool. Later, as
summer approached, the
temperatures grew hot and the
air became more dusty.
The faire has more than
just pretty costumes and cute
dancers: it has sound.
Everywhere there are the
sounds. Bells, drums, horns,
fiddles,
voices and just about every
other sound you can imagine. I
enjoy the
music much more than
today's carefully crafted,
rehearsed, electronically
modified and profitable trash.
In fact, I could listen to the
music at the faire all day
long: in fact, that's what I
spent a lot of my time doing.
I especially enjoyed listening
to
Patrice Ruane as she
played beautiful music on a
small spinet.
 One
of the prime attractions,
something that must be seen,
is the
queen. This lady is the
centerpiece of the faire, the
character around whom all
other characters revolve. The
opening act, which starts
thirty minutes before the
faire opens, sings a song in
honor of the queen. The joists
and mock battles are all done
for the queen and many of the
parades feature this grand
lady. Her costume is
incredible and after attending
faire this year I felt like
this lady would have made a
good queen of England. That's
how well she plays her part.
 In
2006, the faire celebrated
it's second year at the Santa
Fe Dam Recreation Area in
Irwindale. The faire increased
in size dramatically since
2005; I'd estimate it is at
least a third larger. This
makes it the largest faire in
California by far to my
knowledge. I noticed
significant changes in shows,
the layout of the faire in
general and in the number of
performers, vendors and people
in general.
Each time I visit the
faire, I meet many new people
who know me through my web
sites, my faire visits or even
from life in general. I
delight in receiving
emails
from people thanking me for
their pictures or telling me a
little more about their
characters.
 I
like this location. There is a
lake which tends to keep the
temperature down and looks
picturesque. Not to mention
Santa Fe Dam is much closer to
civilization, making it easier
for me (and others) to get
there and enjoy the faire.
I have many fond memories
of a character known as
Mychael Wordsmythe. This
kind and gentle man
entertained me for many an
hour with his wonderful tales.
He passed away in 2006 and is
sorely missed.
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