Renaissance faires

Renaissance Faires I have visited FAIRE                                         WHERE Renaissance Pleasure Faire             S. California                   1998-2001, 2009, 2011-2012 Bristol Renaissance Faire                Bristol, WI                                               Aug. 2002 King Richard's Faire                       Carver, MA                                       Sept-Oct. 2003 Kansas City Renaissance Faire         Bonner Springs, KS                 Sept. 2003 & Sept 2004 Minnesota Renaissance Faire           Shakopee, MN                                         Sept. 2003 North Carolina Renaissance Faire    Raleigh, NC                                       March 27, 2004 The Escondido Renaissance Faire    Escondido, CA        April 3, 2004, Nov. 1, 2008, May 2, 2009 Sterling Renaissance Festival          Sterling, NY                                               July 2004 Vermont Renaissance Festival                VT                                                            2004 California City Renaissance Faire   Calif. City, CA                              October 2008, 2011  We are in truth the people who use up all of our vacation time and much of our savings to attend Renaissance Festivals.  We rise hours before dawn and travel hundreds of miles just to step back in time for a few hours.  We are the people who lovingly work on our garb all year long until it matches the image in our minds eye.  In some cases our footwear may be more costly than the vehicles that we drive!   We are the people surfing the web in the dark and dead of a winters night, trying to capture a little warmth out of a Renaissance site.  We are the so called "grown-ups" who squeal like children when the parade goes by. We are the men who, in our hearts, see ourselves as Knights, defending the virtues of chivalry and valor in a modern age so often lacking in honor. We are the Wizards and the Fairies who insist that there is still some magic to be found in this tired old world. We are the dedicated artisans who know that they must create with their hands in order to truly feel alive. We are the performers who've forsaken the security of 9-5 for the pure joy of standing before a roaring crowd. We are the kids, who've known all along that this is how life is supposed to be lived anyhow. We are the bawdy Scots.  The carefree Gypsies.  The mischievous Goblins.  The naughty Wenches. We are in short, the people, the Renfolk, the very lifeblood of the Renaissance experience.     Masuggah the Trader - used with permission