Event report on St. Louis RenFaire
Janet D. Miles
(jmi...@usit.net) have glanced through alt.fairs.renaissance and alt.ren-faire
and have read the AFR FAQ at <http://members.aol.com/jmcathcart/afr.html>; I
believe this post is within newsgroup guidelines.
Greater St. Louis Renaissance Faire May 20
This weekend I attended the Greater St. Louis Renaissance Faire in
Wentzville, Missouri as presented by Renaissance St. Louis, Inc. I was invited
by the members of the Elvendrums band, who played the Faire this year and last.
This was described as a small, new Faire in its second year so I was expecting a
pretty modest display. Instead it turned out to be a rollicking grand adventure
and I can't remember the last time I had that much sheer *fun* at a historical
re-enactment event. More on this later. This Faire is an ideal size to see in
one day if you want a mix of shopping and entertainment; if you want to catch
all of both, make it a weekend trip. For more information, check out their
Website at: <http://stlrenfaire.com>.
The site is Wentzville's Rotary Park, a delightful blend of sunny and shady
spots tucked into the woods. Broad gravel and woodchip paths wind through the
forest, with little glens and meadows housing sundry attractions. Each branch
or turn of the path takes you somewhere new and interesting. I found this a
delightful contrast to the swarming bustle of a large established event like the
Bristol Renaissance Faire up in Wisconsin. You can't see all of the St. Louis
Faire in one glance; you have to investigate all the nooks and crannies. This
creates a rustic atmosphere that doesn't rush you through the experience. The
main part of the Faire including the jousting arena stands at the top of the
hill in a large open meadow but there are still patches of shade. The only
significant flaw in the site is the aggravating prevalence of poison ivy, even
in high-traffic areas, but that's such a common nuisance that I'm not inclined
to deduct points for it. Just wear IvyBlock if your clothes don't cover you
thoroughly. The rest of the forest is quite intriguing -- I spotted a lot of
wildflowers including roses and beebalm, plus a tiny neon green spider with
yellow racing stripes. It's a wonderful setting.
My partner Doug and I made it to the Faire just after opening ceremonies at
10 A.M. on Saturday. We both wore Renaissance garb; having worked the Bristol
Faire for years, we rarely attend any Renaissance event in street clothes. I
also loaned a spare set of my garb to my cousin Andrea, who said that really
enhanced her experience of the event -- this was her first Faire. (The rest of
our group made it to the gate within an hour and caught up to us later.) This is
a great Faire if you like to dress the part. (Special note: Faire staff all
wear a gold fleur-de-lis pin near their left shoulder, thus distinguishing them
from folks like us who may be garbed but not working this Faire. Three cheers
for whoever thought of this helpful trick -- it's downright brilliant.) It was a
beautiful day, too: warm enough to feel like summer, cool enough not to cook us
in two layers of garb; partly sunny for that sparkly-but-not-broiling effect.
We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather.
Unlike most Renaissance events, this one takes place not in England but in
*France*. The organizers chose to locate their event in Lyon -- actually in a
small village nearby, called Petite Lyon, since they're just getting started.
The year is 1533 and the village rejoices to host the court of King Francois I
(played by Sam Handlang) and Queen Eleanor of Austria (played by Stacey McDade).
They and the courtiers move through the Faire bringing a touch of regal grace
wherever they go. We weren't sure how much of a difference the setting would
make, but it turned out to add a lot of charm in some unexpected ways. Just
hearing a different accent than the typical Renaissance English was fun. So if
you're used to attending English events, the St. Louis Faire makes a terrific
change of pace. I think they did a good job with local color, particularly
since all the structures are temporary.
Starting at the front gate, we made our way up the hill and into the Faire,
stopping to browse various attractions along the way. Over the course of the
day we went back and forth several times. Here, then, is a somewhat chaotic
tour of the fun we found (or vice versa):
*Aalim Dance Company* -- We saw them first on the Saint Louis stage. Drawn
up the path by the sound of drumming, we found a troupe of traditional Middle
Eastern dancers shimmying their way across the stage. They displayed a bright
array of different costumes and a notable talent for ensemble dance moves. Most
Middle Eastern dancers tend to work as soloists and thus it's rare to see a
troupe who can really work together well. I was also greatly impressed by their
sword dance routine. Some of the veil work and general dancing stood out too --
they've got moves I can't even name. Yes, I'm into this style of dance myself,
and I had a wonderful time when they pulled me and my mother and a bunch of
other audience members up on the stage. I even learned a spiffy new move, a
very eye-catching ribcage thrust, always a highlight for a dancer. (I'm about
intermediate level, which is to say I can do more than one thing at once and not
trip over my feet; an expert can do four or five.) Aside from the ladies
dancing, this troupe also boasted a fellow who did amazing things with a flaming
devilstick, juggled sharp knives, and also juggled lit torches. Most notable
was his ability to do part of his act while balanced atop a large ball set on
the very period (read: uneven boards with a pronounced slope) stage.
For a subsequent set, they got to dance to a more elaborate accompaniment
as Elvendrums showed up to join the drumming, to quite spectacular effect; later
in the day, Aalim Dance also showed up at the second Elvendrums set where they
added a lot of flash to the visual component of that performance. For
interested folks in the area, this group teaches Middle Eastern dancing
(beginner, intermediate, and advanced) at the St. Louis Academy of Dance; prices
sound reasonable and hey, I picked up a new move just from the audience
participation routine. For more information, call: 576-6935.
*Knights of the Timeless Realm* -- A local historical re- enactment group,
these gentlemen put on a highly entertaining combat demonstration. Like the
SCA, they use padded weapons to provide a safe and fun way for energetic young
folks to beat each other up. However, these Knights had the most incredible
armory of padded weapons I've ever seen. Usually all you find are short and
long swords, occasionally a dagger or ax. This selection included daggers,
basic short and long swords, claymores and other fancy longswords, basket-hilts
and other fancy short swords, maces and flails, battle axes and hammers, pikes
and halberds, composite polearms whose proper names I couldn't recall, even a
crossbow. Plus some stuff I didn't even recognize. Fighters of various ranks
engaged in grand melee, team battles, individual duels, and other mayhem.
Audience members were invited to select fighters and weapons, call for
battles to begin, and so forth. At one point, the ringmaster invited me to
select a fighter for a duel. I surveyed the ranks of perky gentlemen and picked
out a likely vict -- er, champion. He was then armed with a dagger. My partner
Doug got to choose an opponent, to whom the ringmaster handed a battle-ax. When
I pointed out that a dagger against an ax hardly seemed like a fair match, the
ringmaster agreed -- and replaced the ax with an even more ominous two-handed
broadsword. (/Touche'/.) My champion fought with great skill and valor, but
alas, the odds weighed against him and he eventually fell to his opponent's
blade. Silly me, I should have brought something small and detachable to offer
as a favor, since a knight always fights better when wearing a lady's favor into
mortal combat. There's always next year. For the nonce, I must say that if you
enjoy arena sports this is definitely a show to catch; and anyone interested in
this type of mock combat should investigate the group if you live close enough.
They meet at O'Fallon's Civic Park behind the pool from 12:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
on Sundays, and this includes not only combat but also other activities like
crafts and music.
*Elvendrums* -- One of my favorite bands, three members of Elvendrums
played at the Ozark Avalon "Faeriestruck Beltane" event recently which is where
I first saw them live, that time as a ritual band. (Yes, I spelled that right:
Elvendrums, not Eleven Drums. They are elves who play drums. Really. Well.)
This time they played as a stage band and with four members, performing original
ballads and other material. We caught part of their first set, their impromptu
drumming for Aalim Dance Company, and then their second set. I wore out my
smile muscles.
Over the course of what I caught, they played most of my favorite tracks
from _The Dragon_ CD. These include "The Dragon" (acted out in a most evocative
fashion by Dragontina), "Tir nAn Og" (a sweet song about the Land of Youth, and
one of Avatar's better pieces), "Coolavin" (about a warrior leprechaun), and of
course their theme song "Elvendrums." Especially noteworthy was the performance
of "Walking in the Woods" -- I just knew, when I first heard that one on CD,
that it would be even more engaging when done live. It is. Highlights include
the gremlin-egg rattles we used to represent crickets, Dragontina's howling, and
Nerethel's goblin imitation. Oh yes, and the wild glowing forest squid. This
is a fun, bouncy piece somewhere between a song and a story that will really
sweep you off your feet. Another special note: I got to hear Devan and
Dragontina sing the exquisite "Danaan Lullaby," a new song that will be on the
next CD currently in production. Finally, at the end of the second set, the
King and Queen showed up and requested "Rhymer," one of Devan's more powerful
songs. That command performance drummed up a truly awesome amount of energy.
Excellent as their album is, Elvendrums onstage is a mind- altering
experience of epic proportions. This is a must for anyone interested in Faery
music or magic. If this sounds like a good time to you, check out the
Elvendrums Website: <http://www.elvendrums.com>. That site features a schedule
of their upcoming appearances, a description of _The Dragon_ CD, and other
information about the band.
*The Faery Woodland* -- While wandering the shady lanes of the Faire, Doug
and I spied a narrow path winding up into the forest, where tantalizing glimpses
of bright color caught our attention. So we followed the path, and soon found
ourselves in the Faery Woodland. The decorations showed a sense of wonder and
whimsy sure to delight. Everywhere we looked, the trees held surprises: ribbons
of all colors, bells, streamers, wind chimes, dangling pine cones, garlands,
tinsel, silk flowers, mirrors, googly eyes glued to knotholes, all kinds of
stuff. It was magical -- and *accurate*. I've never seen a better rendition of
Faery created in this world. Besides the decorations, there was a grove with a
dancing space and music; there we were met by Titania, Queen of Faery (played by
Allison Sands), who sprinkled us with Faery dust. We also saw flower fairies,
night fairies, and other denizens of this secret realm. Small children frisked
around the grove blowing bubbles.
Behind that grove stood a circle of white stones with some very interesting
arrangements inside. Down another little path we found a hut made of branches
and bedecked with bones, in which sat a fellow with a Book of Answers. He said
he could answer any question, so I put forth my _PanGaia_ favorite: "If the
Earth could say anything, what would She say?" The answer was, "Press for
conclusion." Hmm ... I'll have to think on that one. Then there was the Goblin
Market, a small shop tucked back in the shrubbery, which carried a brief but
incredible selection of odds and ends, art and artifacts. I found it absolutely
maddening. See, I've read a lot of fairytales about the classic "goblin market"
and it's not what you'd call a safe place to shop. So I simply couldn't bring
myself to buy anything under that banner. (What can I say? It *really felt*
like a Goblin Market, full of fascinating trinkets that might turn out to be
more than you bargained for.) I was lamenting this tragic fact when I
encountered the artist whose ethereally beautiful watercolors I was admiring.
She solved the dilemma by fetching them from the booth so that I could buy
directly from her, thus avoiding the ominous Goblin Market. I chose two prints
(one of a fairy with a quote, one of a green-skinned female figure that looks
very Gaia to me) in hand-cut mats. Much fun.
The Faery Woodland turned out to be a most enjoyable diversion. Three
cheers for the directors, Renee Busse and Heather Key, who dreamed up the
out-of-this-world decorations. The kids loved it -- I think almost all the
little ones we saw in Petite Lyon wore a sprinkling of Faery dust. Dark and
light and a breath of enchantment, all woven together in an impressive spell;
you don't see that very often these days. So watch for the path that leads into
Faery ...
*The Merchants* -- Another happy surprise; I wasn't expecting such a
generous selection. On average, this is a very good shopping-faire; but
allowing for the fact that it's only the second year, this is downright
phenomenal. It's a perfect place to spend your lunch money on something other
than lunch (although they do have good food, more on that later). One of the
first items I found, a sterling silver Faery (seven-pointed) star, came from a
merchant whose name I can't recall; but most of the others I got cards from so I
can tell you where I got what. You do have to devote real attention to finding
all the merchants, though, because some of them set up shop in obscure little
corners of the Faire. It's easy to miss some, as I'm sure we did. But here are
a few highlights from the ones we caught:
-- Silk Road Traders carry a lively selection of items from China; in
addition to running a shop at this Faire, these folks also lead traditional
Chinese medicine tours. (If that tickles your fancy, visit their Website:
<http://www.tcmtours.com>.) Here I bought a whole bunch of Chinese paper cuts in
brilliant colors. I also mooned over the Chinese Dancing Waters bowl. This is
a large, heavy brass bowl with two handles on top. Rubbing wet hands upon these
handles creates vibrations that make the water do tricks. A vigorous
back-and-forth motion produces a low, loud hum much like a bullroarer (with
similar magical effect) and causes the water to leap up in droplets to a height
of several inches. Hey presto, a hand-powered fountain! A lighter circular
motion produces a high, clear ringing sound and causes the water to ripple in
hypnotic patterns. Putting your hands in the water while someone rubs the
handles is an amazing experience, as the vibrations in water and air convey a
tickly sort of energy. (This bowl would be an unequaled method of summoning
Water spirits in a ritual or spell.) I couldn't get the bowl to sing for me --
I'm too much of a Fire elemental, perhaps -- but Doug had no trouble working it
and most of the kids could do it too.
-- The Garb Shop carries a nice selection of Renaissance clothing for men,
women, and children. I was intrigued by the reversible, dagged bodices with
diagonal lacing at the sides in addition to the usual vertical front lacing, but
alas they were out of my price range. We did buy Doug a new pair of pants,
textured fabric with smart gray and white stripes, lacing at the ankles. This
merchant also has a Website: <http://hometown.aol.com/garbshop/garbshop.html>.
-- Dragon's Flower carries a fabulous array of items for bellydancing such
as bells, coin belts, finger cymbals, and jewelry. This shop also has other
items but that's what most attracted my attention. I started by picking up four
silvertone and two brass folly bells, but then I found the Egyptian zills. Yes,
these are genuine traditional zills from Egypt, cast in brass with an exquisite
bright high tone. They are musical instruments, not the cheap kind you find in
American music stores; they are also quite small, no bigger around than a silver
dollar, just the perfect size for my tiny hands. It will take me a while to
learn how to play them properly, but they sound splendid. Better yet, I got a
full set of four (one for each thumb and forefinger) for a *very* reasonable
price. This merchant sells at a lot of different events -- SCA, science fiction
conventions, small faires, etc. -- and caters to alternative lifestyles and
religions. Fredda Kullman may be reached at: <drgn...@hotmail.com>.
-- Tomas the Lapidary carries all kinds of ornamental metalwork plus some
stones. Particularly noteworthy are his circlets and crowns, ideal for ritual
or living history applications. I also saw cloak clasps, pins, necklaces,
earrings, rings, and sundry other stuff. What grabbed me was a brass hair stick
with bells attached; they're supposed to come in pairs but somebody had bought
just one, so he made me a second to match the one I liked, and I bought the
pair. Doug and I hung around the shop chatting and browsing while we waited for
him to make the matching hairstick, and we found a couple of butterflies stamped
from flat copper. Now, I've been seeking a copper butterfly hair clasp for
about fifteen years, ever since I read about them in Marion Zimmer Bradley's
Darkover stories. After some negotiation and discussion, we determined that
Tomas could make such a thing and commissioned one on the spot. Yippee! Tomas
the Lapidary may be reached at: <Thlap...@aol.com>
-- Nature's Renaissance also carries a nice selection of jewelry. I was
amazed to find several pieces of Polish green amber set in silver. I have heard
of green amber, but previously all the pieces of so-called green amber that I've
seen were yellowish or muddy in color. These are as green as glass with flashy
flecks inside. I bought an oval pendant at quite a reasonable price -- probably
never be able to match it, but I can always just wear it with plain silver
accessories. You can reach Nikie Hobba (Lady Bianca de'Este) at:
<ero...@swbell.net>
-- Vulcan's Forge carries a different selection of jewelry, much of it
original. By the time I made it to this shop at the end of the day, I was
nearly broke and not really intending to buy anything else. But he had a
genuine emerald poison ring worked in sterling silver, which I simply couldn't
resist because the milky quality of the stone brought it down into my price
range. Russell Criswell also makes Faery star rings, though he was all out of
them at the time. I'll have to catch him again sometime when I have more money.
Meanwhile, drop by his Website at: <http://www.vulcans-forge.com>
*Other Attractions* -- We didn't get to see quite everything because of my
tendency to gravitate towards Elvendrums. The St. Louis Faire boasts a number
of other spiffy attractions that we hope to see more of when we go back next
year, and which you might catch Memorial Day weekend if you go. There are
several folks doing face or body painting of various types. Starr does henna
body art at this Faire, and she also does children's mythical dress-up theme
parties for which we got to see some very cute photos. Wild Mountain Thyme
plays traditional Celtic music; we heard them from afar several times. Captains
Outrageous put on a swashbuckling pirate show, of which we saw a couple of
fragments and would love to see more; we got to meet these folks when we went
out to dinner with Elvendrums and a bunch of other Faire workers. Seelie Court
plays Celtic and other traditional folk music; again, I think we heard them from
a distance. The layout of this Faire means you can hear different kinds of
music as you move along, and it doesn't turn into audio hash as sometimes
happens at more open events. Jousting matches by the Noble Cause Productions
Jousting Troupe take place at the Field of Honor several times a day, involving
feats of equestrian and martial skill. If you've never seen a live joust, you
really should; it beats the heck out of watered-down modern sports like
wrestling or football. Another option of this sort is the Joan of Arc Live
Steel Theatre. Pony rides for children are available in the Queen's Corner.
*Sustenance* -- An important aspect of any event is its selection of food
and beverages. Here the size and youth of the St. Louis Faire do show in the
modest range of offerings, but we had no trouble finding tasty things to
consume, and some of the prices were rather better than average. Options
include lemonade (very tasty, with a discount on refills), soft drinks, and
water for beverages; turkey legs (excellent), meat pies (good), barbecued pork,
sausages, funnel cakes, and sugared almonds for food. Happily you can find
Trail's End Foods in several different locations: Rue de Saint Louis, Queen's
Corner, and Lion's Head Hill.
*Overall Impressions* -- Several things about the St. Louis Faire stand out
in my mind as primary reasons for its success. Consider factor 1) A sense of
whimsy. This is by far the most playful atmosphere I have encountered at a
historical re-enactment event. In particular, the larger established events
tend to suffer from one of two flaws: either they become anal-retentive about
their idea of "genuine period costuming" etc. or they become obsessed with the
profit margin. Both of these tend to degrade the Faire experience for patrons
and staff alike. Here we found a refreshing change; I managed to catch the King
briefly after hours, and he explained that their primary goal is to make sure
Faire attendees have fun. Three cheers for His Majesty: it works. The people
of Petite Lyon do a splendid job of entertaining the guests, and you can plainly
see how much they enjoy it. Nobody wants to work at a Faire that's a real drag;
this one I'd consider working myself. While the staff do put real and effective
effort into creating a historical mood, they aren't in the habit of screeching
"We can't do that -- it's not *period*!" all the time. This allows for things
like the phantasmagoric decorations of the Faery Woodland.
Then of course there was the occasion on which Doug and I approached the
jail just as the Court arrived to pass judgment on a hapless prisoner. Menaced
by his own sword, the prisoner lamented to the King that he was being held
unfairly. At first it was suggested that in order to go free, the prisoner
should regale us with "I'm Too Sexy for My Shirt" but he allowed that he would
indeed rather die by his own blade. Mercifully the King granted that he might
go free after singing -- loudly enough to be heard in the Gypsy Grove, some
distance away -- "I'm a Little Teapot." Oh, and his dastardly crime? Murder.
Specifically, he murdered a French accent. On top of this, we later heard
another poor victim singing the Barney theme song to get out of jail.
Next comes factor 2) Entertainer interaction. Most historical events do
not encourage the various entertainers to team up with each other, and some
actively forbid it. Here it seems to be the order of the day. I saw Elvendrums
go down and play for Aalim Dance; I saw Aalim Dance come up and shimmy around
the audience during an Elvendrums set; and I saw several other drummers hop up
on stage and add their charm to Elvendrums on a number of occasions. A few
times I've seen separate acts team up at the Bristol Faire, but nowhere near
this often -- usually for special reasons like a singer losing her voice. This
general tendency to blend adds a great deal to the local color of Petite Lyon
because you get the feeling that these folks pretty much all know and like each
other; they show a similar willingness to help each other with their work that
actual villagers do, and that sense of community and camaraderie is really
charming.
Finally there's factor 3) Audience participation. This Faire offers an
unprecedented amount of things that patrons can actually *do* themselves.
Attending this event is not a spectator sport. All the entertainment we saw was
strongly interactive. Aalim Dance sent troupe members out into the audience to
tease the watchers and also brought a bunch of audience women up on the stage to
learn some Middle Eastern Dance moves. Elvendrums passed out rattles to the
audience during "Walking in the Woods" so that we could join in as crickets.
Knights of the Timeless Realm invited viewers to select weapons or fighters and
to start combat. We distinctly heard two separate and very lively cheering
sections over at the joust. There was a booth where patrons could throw
hatchets at targets, a popular game at many Faires. At the Faery Woodland,
Queen Titania dispensed blessings and Faery dust to all visitors. So if you
come to this Faire, come prepared to play.
On a more personal note, you may have noticed me calling attention to
things I've never seen before or things I have been hunting for some time. This
is not a very common experience for me anymore. I like new things and have to
go out of my way to find them. I've worked the Bristol Renaissance Faire and
attended a number of smaller living history festivals, including other periods
like Civil War and Colonial ones. So Petite Lyon gets a big handful of bonus
points for sheer diversity and originality -- if they can show me this many new
things, there should be something for everyone. I also found this an unexpected
opportunity to network for _PanGaia_ and _SageWoman_ magazines, finding several
artists and writers who might someday appear in our pages. I almost ran out of
business cards, which I've never done at a Faire before.
*Recommendations* -- A trip to the Greater St. Louis Renaissance Faire is
an ideal vacation highlight. If you can't make it for Memorial Day weekend this
year, mark your calendar for next year: May 12-13, 19-20, and 26-28 in 2001.
You can do this Faire conveniently as a daytrip or as a weekend event; in fact,
they offer a weekend pass which costs less than two one-day tickets, another
nifty feature I haven't seen at many events. Most highly recommended, five
stars, three cheers for the whole staff, and a cherry on top.
* * *
Cindi Porter
faire? They do leather stuff, mostly. I really need to get in contact
with Michael, the owner.
Can anyone help?
--
Idone de Clare
(a.k.a. Idone a' MacDobhran - Nutsolicious Noble of the Clan MacDobhran)
Purveyor of Bizarre Hats
Brazen Chocolate Briber
Diva to the "I iron my clothes while I'm wearing them" Club
Noble Nutcase
Tour Guide to the Wild Side ...Please keep your arms and legs inside the
vehicle and
Do not feed the animals...
Certified RenGeek
96% Freak 60% Ren faire folk corrupt 62.1818181818% Insane
True Neutral
Minnesota home faire
Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
Live with the knowledge that your character is your destiny.
Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.
Thou must adjust my email addy to reply