2012's Renaissance Faire

"Let the game begin!"  The woman, dressed as Queen Elizabeth I of England, presided over the first weekend of the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire. 

As we entered the "castle" grounds, my girlfriend Janet, leaned over and whispered, "What's with all the fairy wings?" 

Since this was her first exposure to such an event, I told her "renfaires" aren't known for their historical accuracy in portraying the historical post-medieval world.  Instead, these events are more open to fanciful re-interpretation of the period. 

 

 

Fairy wings weren't limited to humans in costumes...

 

Nor was the fair limited to courtly activities, intrigues and celebrations.  Pirates always manage to crash the party.

There was even some "pre-Renaissance" players.  We walked by the bivouac of the 2nd Cohort of the 7th Legion. 

Greek and Roman arms and armor were on display.  Since our visit to the fair, this group renamed itself Castra Ferrata. 

 

It was hot that day.  For those of us living in western Washington, "hot" is defined as anytime the air temperature is higher than 79 degrees Fahrenheit.  We stumbled across a game tent, under which were several tables with several marble-and-board games we were unfamiliar with.  One table had a chess board on it, so we spent a pleasant hour under the shade, playing chess and people watching.

 

There were several food vendors within the fairgrounds, along with a couple 21-and-older pavilions.  We spotted several people walking around and chowing-down on turkey legs, which seemed to be a favorite "comfort food."  The Pickle Lady could be heard all the way to the far end of the parking area, hawking her wares...

 

 

The main event was the joust, held twice each day. 

Our emcee was a Johnny Depp/Captain Jack Sparrow understudy. 

 

 

The knights gather...

There were four sets of bleachers, designated fan areas for:  England, France, Hungary, Germany and Italy.  We ended up sitting in the German section, so we tried to cheer our noble knight on to victory.  Unfortunately, he was eliminated in the first round.

 

I'm still not skilled at taking action photos.  Janet managed to snap these last two pictures, just prior to impact.

 

 

There faire will be running for one more weekend at Kelly Farm.