Because of A^2, I decided to post what I did this past Saturday. I'll have to post the pictures I took of the knights that were jousting later.
Saturday, I finally got to take my friend Tami to the Maryland Renaissance Festival. The folks who organize the yearly event really do a great job. I've been four times now and enjoyed it every time.
Tami had never been to the festival. I was looking forward to introducing her to it. The festival is located near Crownsville, Maryland. It has been a yearly event since 1976. It has permanent buildings for all the various shops as well as a permanent jousting field. Price wise, it is very reasonable. The non-discounted ticket is $17 for an adult. I don't know what it costs for a kid. How long it'll take you get there depends on where you live and when you leave. I made it a point to leave around 9 a.m. so that I wouldn't hit a long line of cars trying to get in. This worked as we weren't stuck in traffic for very long. The festival opens its gates at 10 a.m.
There are a number of acts that I particularly like at the festival that I made sure I introduced Tami to. There is the scottish bagpipe group called "The Rogues" who play some awesome scottish bagpipes. They've also tried to create more modern music for this instrument so they can keep it alive. I think they succeed admirably.
Another good act is "The Squire on the Wire." The squire's name is Michael Rosman. He mixes comedy, juggling, and tight-rope walking into an excellent show that keeps the audience roaring.
If you want to see two action heroes, you see the act Hack and Slash. They're a great comedy act at the festival. Their real names are John Davis and Spencer Humm. The two would be heroes do a number of routines that are hilarious. Hack is the one with the green and brown whip. The world's most difficult color combination. Slash is the "big" man. You'll find out what I mean when you see him perform.
Another favorite act of mine is Fight School. This act is noteworthy because it is funny AND you learn something. They actually explain how certain swords and swordfighting techniques developed while cracking various jokes. Fight school is composed of Jim Frank, Mike Martin, Casey Severn, and Geoff Thompson.
Jousting is a staple of the festival and this one was no different. What is interesting about the jousting at the festival vice Medieval Times is the knights wear real plate armor, ride horses whose ancestors would've carried "real" knights, and they don't fall off the horse intentionally. While some of the fighting is obviously fake, the jousting is a lot closer to real jousting vice what you'll see at Medieval Times.
Another nice thing about the festival are all the different shops. A number of them sell very nice merchandise. You can pick up some nice pictures, leather goods, well made renaissance clothes for the festival, or some beautiful hand made glassware. I bought myself a nice renaissance shirt and a satchel. One bad thing about pants that you have to wear with riding boots is often they don't have pockets. That makes it difficult to carry your wallet, keys, etc. The satchel fit the bill perfectly. It was big enough to carry all those things and a camera to boot without being bulky, didn't cause me problems with my cloak, or was exposed to any would-be thieves. It also isn't touristy looking.
The touristy thing is important because when I travel, I don't want to look like a tourist. Tourists are big targets for thieves and people selling junk I don't want to buy. The satchel should be great for carrying my passport, airplane ticket, wallet, camera, and keys. The only complaint I have with the satchel is the three stone buttons you use to secure it. They're not that easy to use.
The last thing I like about the festival is the food. The smoked turkey legs are particularly excellent. I make a point of having one of these every time I go. If you go to the festival, as long as you're not vegetarian, try one. They have lots of other kinds of food including pizza to eat though the only other one I can recommend are the orange ices. They also have a good selection of beers though I would ask you to please don't drink and drive.
The only thing I can fault the festival for is the short time it runs. It starts the third weekend in August and goes to the third weekend in October. I wish it ran longer.
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