This year things went better from before the beginning as I had Friday night off and so jmaynard and I could go to Sioux Falls on Friday evening, I could get some sleep, and have a chance of being truly awake for things. After checking into the motel (great location, not so great design) we had supper at HuHot and then visited a comic & games shop I used ( Read more... )

Having had a very good time at the Siouxland Renaissance Festival this past year, even with the tiredness from working Friday night and possible dehydration issues while trying to be an upstanding centaur, I decided to see if there were other faires or festivals that would be workable in terms of calendar timing and driving distance - and appeal. ( Read more... )

It's been several years since I was able to visit the Sioux City 'Riverssance' Renaissance festival. It's perhaps the last of the small Iowa faires not run by a certain organizer who, as soon as I see he involved, causes me to lose any interest. I think I have been there twice before - once driving and once jmaynard and I flew (if you think garb gets you ( Read more... )

I used to go to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival (MnRF)* multiple times per season, and for a few years even sprung for the season pass. Eventually I gave up on that as having the pass made it seem an obligation to "get my money's worth" out of it every weekend that had halfway decent weather. And after seeing all the little Iowa faires that used ( Read more... )

In years past, when there were several small one-weekend or even one-day renaissance faires in Iowa, Jay & I would go to them and relax though often it was more about seeing friends and catching up on things than the faire itself. By around 2006 many of those faires had disappeared. Some, like Salisbury, had served their purpose (raising money for ( Read more... )

Thursday, FridayIt was a couple weekends ago and for various reasons I've not gotten around to writing until now, though the outline took shape much earlier. Things began with the Thursday evening arrival of my mother who got to make the trip to Siouxland and back each in a couple segments rather than one long haul from Wisconsin. My work ( Read more... )

At renaissance faires it's not unusual to find folks dressed as and acting the supposed part of faeries. Some of these use glitter, and not always the nice gel kind. The fine, loose glitter is their "faerie dust." There's a problem, though: it gets everywhere and sticks to garb. Even through washing. A severe encounter can mean finding ( Read more... )

This past Friday I posted to see if anyone would be in in Sioux Falls for a pre-Siouxland supper. I found out that for different reasons the folks I would usually see then and there won't be around this year. My folks travel plans have also changed and rather than returning from Rapid City or points further west this coming weekend, they're still ( Read more... )

Shortly after Midwest FurFest there were a few postings about how many folks were seen around "headless" rather than in full fursuit. This triggered a few arguments and there seem to be two camps: "It's just a costume, big deal." and "Don't spoil the magic." Each has their points. But it occurs to me that while the visible part is the " ( Read more... )

After last year's great Amana Colonies Renaissance Faire, jmaynard and I were looking for to going to ACRF this year. I wanted to go back and Jay wanted to see it for himself as he had to be elsewhere last year.

We won't be going this year, because there is no there to go to:

Due to the excessive recent rain and more in the forecast, the faire has been ( Read more... )