Quest for the VARF
First, go ye hence out of Fredericksburg, toward the south and west by Route the First. Continue on through the hamlets of Spotsylvania and Massaponax. Continue onward, across the river Ni ("What kind of world is it that ruffians can go about saying Ni to old ladies at will...") until one sees the signs of the grape. Follow those signs to the vineyard of Lake Anna, and there, past the venerable vines, find ye these five weeks the gate to the village of Staffordshire...
Annual Miles 2009: 7595
The weekend at the Virginia Renaissance Festival went much better than I anticipated. The weather was sunny, and even for as small a fair as it is, they had a good crowd. Folks were friendly, and we did fine financially, even though there weren't as many people through the gate as at most venues we frequent. If the schedule allows it we will definitely return in future years!
The faire here is absolutely wonderful. The staff is friendly and helpful. It is a young faire, only in its fifth year, but they have made good use of the limited resources they have. It is nicely laid out, and they've done a fantastic job at making sure there are lots of interactive and kid-friendly activities. It is much more a "family" show than some others I've attended. Instead of doing a parade with vendors carrying signs behind the royals and cast, they integrated the patrons, goading volunteers (especially kids) to carry dowel-polearms as a makeshift honor guard for her majesty. They don't have a proper joust, but they do have a few volunteers doing an equestrian show, which ends with them leading the horses up to the fence so the patrons could pet them and get a very personal experience. They have SCA folks doing greyhound coursing, and hosting an open pavilion where patrons can meet and mix with the dogs, and learn about them. They have demonstration areas on medieval life and a maypole dance. They even have a special kids area with scheduled craft demos and puppet theater the kids are encouraged to partake in. They don't have the "big name" entertainment, but the groups they had were good. They only had two real food vendors, but the cast took pains to be distracting and entertaining when the lines got long.
I completely enjoyed the weekend, and highly recommend any who can do so visit!
We packed up the booth today, and we'll head into D.C. tomorrow and Wednesday to play tourist a little bit before we head to our next destination.
Annual Miles 2009: 7595
The weekend at the Virginia Renaissance Festival went much better than I anticipated. The weather was sunny, and even for as small a fair as it is, they had a good crowd. Folks were friendly, and we did fine financially, even though there weren't as many people through the gate as at most venues we frequent. If the schedule allows it we will definitely return in future years!
The faire here is absolutely wonderful. The staff is friendly and helpful. It is a young faire, only in its fifth year, but they have made good use of the limited resources they have. It is nicely laid out, and they've done a fantastic job at making sure there are lots of interactive and kid-friendly activities. It is much more a "family" show than some others I've attended. Instead of doing a parade with vendors carrying signs behind the royals and cast, they integrated the patrons, goading volunteers (especially kids) to carry dowel-polearms as a makeshift honor guard for her majesty. They don't have a proper joust, but they do have a few volunteers doing an equestrian show, which ends with them leading the horses up to the fence so the patrons could pet them and get a very personal experience. They have SCA folks doing greyhound coursing, and hosting an open pavilion where patrons can meet and mix with the dogs, and learn about them. They have demonstration areas on medieval life and a maypole dance. They even have a special kids area with scheduled craft demos and puppet theater the kids are encouraged to partake in. They don't have the "big name" entertainment, but the groups they had were good. They only had two real food vendors, but the cast took pains to be distracting and entertaining when the lines got long.
I completely enjoyed the weekend, and highly recommend any who can do so visit!
We packed up the booth today, and we'll head into D.C. tomorrow and Wednesday to play tourist a little bit before we head to our next destination.