Lady Ettie Storyteller and Courtly Manner Expert Lady Ettie is another one of those character performers that you will catch working the lanes at the faire and possible on stage as well.  Telling storys, interacting with the kids and of course performing in her own shows, Lady Ettie is a...

Of Privies and the Privy Monster Where to go when you need to go! If you are planning on making your first visit to a Renaissance Festival you need to understand the subject of privies and the privy monster. The Privy There are very few faires that have contemporary facilities.  Yes, Rennies...

Leatherhelms The Shape of Steel… the Warmth of Leather I am not an armor wearer at the faires I attend but I love looking at armor and I am a huge fan of the leather smith.  Leatherhelms takes the leathersmith trade to another level.  They replicate steel helms with leather versions...

Faire Isles Trading Company Gifts Imported From and Inspired By the Celtic Nations As many of you now I am in search of a kilt.  I think I would dig the freedom and this search led me to a company called the Faire Isles Trading Company.  They are a purveyor of all things Celtic and they have...

10 Rejected Street Performances But it’s a really good idea! So, I am sitting here thinking about all the great street performers that I have seen at the faire over the years:  the street urchin, the sleeping fiddler, The Raven, The Nickel Shakespeare Girls, Christophe the Insultor,...

Scotch Eggs A hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage, breaded and then deep fried – this is the idea behind the Scotch Egg.  Now, my first recommendation is that you don’t look at it before you eat it.  If you see it and think about it you are probably going to chicken out.  This is...

Buckle and Swash Pirate comedy, sword fighting and other… stuff! One of my favorite shows at the Tennessee Renaissance Festival is Buckle and Swash.  Captain Red Swash Rogers and Mr Jiff Buckle take the stage for comedy, high-jinx, sword fighting and much more.  There will be some...

Bodice Burns A sure fire way to spot a Rennie! If you have attended many Renaissance Festivals, you have either seen or experienced the bodice burn.  The bodice burn is the sunburn that happens on the chest of a woman where the bodice she is wearing does not cover as much skin as she is used...

Christophe the Insultor Verbal Mercenary and Comedian Have you ever needed a professional insultor?  I know I have.  If you are a Rennie or if you followthe Ren Faire circuit, you may have seen one of the best professional insultors working today:  Christophe the Insultor!  This...

Stronnghold Leather Item to be Auctioned for RESCU Foundation Unframed Dragon Tooling on leather This auction is being held on ebay and, here is the best part, 100% of the sell price will benefit the RESCU Foundation. The RESCU Foundation is a non-profit organization established to promote...

Black Rock Medieval Summerfest 3 Weekends!  July 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 & 29, 2012 The Black Rock Medieval Summerfest is Michigan’s newest festival.  This faire is summer in Michigan.  This is where they should be having faires in the summer.  It is not too hot and it is not cold...

Nickel Shakespeare Girls Sounds Serious I am a street performer junkie.  There is something about the living scenery that the street performer provides that just gets me in the mood to roam around the faire.  The Nickel Shakespeare Girls are some of the best.  Performing Shakespeare in...

10 Faire Foods You Need to Try I recently asked a question in the Squire’s Tavern on the RenaissanceFestival.com Forums:  What are your top Faire Foods, those foods that you have to have each and every time that you visit a faire.  Here are the reponses that I got back. Top Ten Bread...

Honorable Company of Metalsmiths MADE BY NORMAN GREENE IN BERKELEY, CA If I am honest with myself, one of the merchants that got me hooked on the faires was the Puzzle Rings booth (Honorable Company of Metalsmiths – HCoM) at the Carolina Renaissance Festival.  I am easily distracted by...

Frog One of the best ways to carry a sword. In my hope to widen your vocabulary further, here is a word that you may hear used at the faire or on a website:  frog.  Now, I am not speaking of small greenish amphibians, nor am I using a derogatory term for the French.  I am speaking of the...