The Renaissance Festival is a wondrous place to wander about and encounter both the historical and the fanciful. Both girls wore newly sewn princess dresses.
Our day started with an encounter with the Queen of France. When the girls admired her dress, she explained how purple dye was hard to come by and thus reserved for the royalty. Then the Queen of France invited us to join a dance. First the cast members performed a dance, and then we got to join in. Queen Anne Boleyn joined Sparkle, Glitter, and I for a set. The queen gave the girls a mini-history lesson about herself, her husband, and her famous daughter.
We met several good friends and homeschoolers there.
Here a Barbarian made the children swear to behave while at the faire.
Gotta have that turkey leg! One leg is enough to feed three people, or one vulture, as we got to see in the Birds of Prey show.
In addition to the regular shows, there are also performances by school groups. When the rest of our group ran ahead, Glitter and I stopped to listen to some singing by a local high school's choir. One of these kids is our neighbor's student!
To stave off the raging "gimmies" we gave each girl a budget. They bought pink fans, and other assorted treats. When they asked for more later, we pointed out that they had already spent their money. Blissful silence ensued.
Sparkle did manage to get in a few rides. This ride put her in debt, which she had to work off later in the week.
The demonstrations during school days are wonderful. On school days they focus on teaching rather than selling (although there is a good bit of that as well). Here a blacksmith plies his trade. I have no idea what Sparkle is doing in the background.
My favorite demonstration is the Gutenberg Press. We got to watch molten metal turned into moveable type, and then Sparkle got to be the "puller" operating the press.
It was a full day.
Looks like a fun day! Can you believe I've lived here my whole life and never been? Maybe next year!
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