Charming Karl's Adventures at the NY Renaissance Faire 2010

This year, when it came time to make plans to attend the NY Renaissance Festival, held just an hour's drive from NYC, there was an additional factor for me to consider: my girlfriend Therese. Would she want to come? Would she dress up in period clothes, or go "mundane" as we call those people who wear everyday clothes?

Well, the answers were yes, she would come, and yes, she would get herself some period clothes.

After looking at our schedules, we decided to go three times, twice together and once me by myself, on August 7th, September 4th and September 11th. Therese was dubious at to whether there was enough going on to warrant three visits, but I told her that I went 6 times last summer, and did not repeat too many things.

Well, to start with, after returning from our last visit last Saturday, I have to say I wish I was going more! I had a ball, and Therese enjoyed herself as well. To see what we were doing, take a look at our Facebook albums: http://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622#!/album.php?aid=13519&id=100000846880310 and http://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622#!/album.php?aid=2079463&id=1267851862. I hope to post some of the pictures here as well before too long.

The turkey legs were not as good this year as in the past - dry from sitting on the grill all day. I think they made too many, or people were eating something else. There ARE many other good food options at this Faire. For example, for lunch last Saturday we had Middle Eastern food - gyro, falafel, grape leaves, tabouli, greek salad, calamata olives, with tahini. Mmmmm. Washed down with good beer - Sam Adams Oktoberfest and Sam Adams Cream Stout. Mmmmm again.

The entertainment was great - music from my friends the Royal Pipers, celtic harp played by Kathleen Finnegan, madrigals sung by the stock actors; acrobatics and juggling (some dangerous) by Jayna Lee and Dextre Tripp; knife throwing; comedy by Hey Nunnie Nunnie and the Wacky Chickens and the Washer Wenches; glassblowing demonstrations; etc.

And this past Saturday we explored some of the shopping venues, and found more nice stuff than I realized existed there. I already knew Moresca was first rate, but now I know that House of Dra also makes incredible stuff too! If only they weren't all so expensive!

NY Ren Faire is not cigar-friendly by any means, but I did run into some people partaking. There were two men, for example, watching the celtic harp with us at one of the pubs - one guy was smoking an Oliva Serie V and I'm not sure what the other guy had. But both of them smelled marvelous! I also saw a woman smoking a cigarillo that smelled like vanilla. I've smoked cigars there in the past, either at that pub (called the Blue Boar) or while hanging out in a wooded area they call Forest Walk.

In future years, I hope to travel to some of the other Faires that are cigar-friendly, like Michigan, Bristol and Minnesota and maybe Scarborough in Texas. In just a few weeks we will be at another one that is very cigar-friendly - there's even a club that meets there every weekend to smoke cigars - the Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville, not far from Annapolis.