10 Reasons to Shop at the Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire.

The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire is going on now and it is an event where you can shop at a variety of vendors who sell handmade jewelry, 

stoneware, 

Crystaline Glass by Jon Price

pewter ware and other unique handmade collectibles.  

So here are my 10 Reasons to Shop at the OriginalRenaissance Pleasure Faire:

1)      If you want to experience a unique, entertaining and very interactive shopping experience, then you should think about visiting the Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire.

2)      If you love dressing up in costume, Cosplay and/or role-playing a character from the same time period, then you can gig with the merchants while you shop.  

      It only adds to fun while you search for some unique finds to add your collections.  

      Or some fun items to add to your child's costume like the wooden swords and shields below.

       Plus you can get your picture taking with a variety of other faire goers from different time eras as well.

3)      If you are looking for some themed clothing, then there are also a great selection of clothing vendors who sell renaissance themed clothing 

       and festival wear.  

      Many of their items can be worn to other similar type festivals, Comic Con and other such events. 

4)      If you have ever wanted to shop while eating a Turkey leg, then you will find the Turkey legs are freshly cooked and quite tasty.  If you are a messy eater, bring a bib.  The Turkey legs can be a bit juicy.

5)      If you love handmade jewelry and want to add something unique to your collection then this is the place to be.  Here are some of my favorite merchants:

pale-moon makes jewelry for men and women

a.    Pale-Moon – where customers can find some beautifully hand carved bone pieces by Christopher Miller.  

             You can pick out your favorite pieces and have them strung to 

      create your own one of kind necklaces.  I have a large 

      collection of necklaces that I add a piece to each year.

b.    ArtoFactory – Wearable necklaces and art pieces that are made of old engine parts that are up cycled into beautiful jewelry by the artist Eghan Thompson.

6)      If you have ever wanted to take a shopping break and attend a live “Joust Tournament” while drinking cold ale then you are at the right place.  The Joust takes place several times a day. The ale and food stands are conveniently located nearby to serve you.  Pick a knight you like, and be prepared to cheer him to victory.

7)      If you have wanted to try out archery but just don’t have time, then you can take a break from shopping and for a small fee you can give it a try.  There are also games booths that offer axe throwing, fencing, fishing wells (for the kids) and other fun activities.  There  is also a hidden gem called "Kids Kingdom" where Children can find craft activities, shows geared especially for them and so much more.

8)      If you get tired from shopping you can also find a lovely hay bale to sit on and watch a variety of shows, which vary from belly dance performances to audience interactive shows like “MooNiE the Magnif'Cent”.  

      Where you may be lucky enough to be picked from the audience to be his onstage assistance. 

9)      If you love freshly handmade soaps, oils and creams, there are several vendors at the Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire who offer these types of wares.  You can find lovely herbal soaps and even soaps made with honey and oats. There are also live demonstrations by some of the guilds on the process of making soaps, drying herbs and more.

10)  If you have been searching for that perfect color of yarn to knit something fun and unique.  The Guild of Saint Cuthbert’s has live demonstrations on spinning yarn. They also make available for purchase, some beautifully hand spun and hand dyed yarns for faire goers.  

       If you want to spin at home, they do have hand turned drop spindles for sale too.   And if the experience of going back in time to the Renaissance gives you an urge for a cup of tea, the Guild of Saint Cuthbert’s also offers a daily “Tea with the Queen” experience which can be quite fun to attend. 

      You never know who you might run into.

So all in all, if you like to be entertained while you shop, consider visiting the

Orignal Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale, California and spend the afternoon shopping in an atmosphere of playful fun and entertainment.

These are my ten reasons for shopping at my local Ren Faire. What are yours?

Note: this is not a paid post, I just enjoy going to the faire, meeting new people and above all...shopping.

A Sampling of Costumes From the Renaissance Faire

I thought I would share some fun costume images for those who are looking for Renaissance Faire or Halloween Costume Ideas.  These are just a few of costumes I encountered at my visit to my local Renaissance Faire.  These are only a few examples of some fun renfaire garb ideas.  Personally, I love the one above of a dog dressed as a pirate.  Many of the visitors with service dogs had really fun costumes for them.

There were all types of fun costumes to be found this year at faire. Including the "Three Sisters" who were witches of sorts.  They had a really fun gig they did throughout the faire.

I am not sure what these characters were supposed to be but they are fun costumes.

This zebra costume was an amazing makeup job and held up well during the 100 degree day.

The Fairy was very popular with the kids.

As was this performer who did mime and interacted with the various guests at the faire.

Some folks came dressed in their Wild West Gear.

The tree man was a great addition to the faire this year.  He was about 12 feet high and it was amazing that he could handle the hole filled terrain in those stilts.

Then of course there were more traditional renaissance faire costumes, like the Queens Guard Costumes.

And male and female peasant costumes.

These female Renaissance Faire performers had on more traditional costumes.

This child's Renaissance Faire costume was very meticulously made and held up well throughout the season filled with daily performances.

There were all types of interesting faire garb to be found at this event. I hope you enjoy this sampling.
Leave a comment below and let me know what types of costumes you see at your local faire or event.

50 Years of Renaissance Faire History on Display

This year the 50th year that the Southern California Renaissance Faire has been open.  The faire began in 1963 as a result of the efforts of Ron and Phyllis Patterson.

Renaissance Faire History

It honor of its 50th actual year in the business of entertaining the public and providing information on the Renaissance period,  the owners of the faire set up a museum at the Renaissance Faire

site this year. The Museum  had a greeter at the door, to entertain and delight the guests as they came in.  There was also a series of entertainers throughout the day.

There was a miniature wooden reproduction of the  Mayflower Stage (photo below).  The Mayflower Stage was the central stage for the Renaissance Faire (held at the Paramount Ranch in Aguora, California) in the sixties and seventies.  While the faire is no longer held at the Paramount Ranch location, its does still exist, thanks to many individuals who worked to have it declared a California State Park.

The Mayflower Stage was the central entertainment center for the Renaissance Faire and could be seen from anywhere on the faire site. It was a tall wooden two story stage.  The open hexagon shape was designed like the the famous Shakespeare Globe Theater in England.   

You can see the stage clearly depicted on the map of the Paramount Ranch faire site below.

The display of various costumes worn by previous actresses depicting Queen Elizabeth I,

was interesting to see in person.

There was so much beading detail in each piece.

Some of the jewelry worn by the actresses throughout the years, were also on display.

They also had pictures of past "Royal Queens Court" depictions.

One could see the work of over 100 talented and skilled artists who had displayed and sold their artwork throughout the years at the local Renaissance Faire (some still do).

Wardell's Pottery Green Man

Skull Plate - Wardell's Pottery

Potters to the People

Wheat Goddess by Cora Hendershot

Spirit of the Forest Leather Masks by Mitchell Walker

Angel

Wooden Miniature Tudor Village

Pewter Dragon

Hagerman/Jaeger/Beede

The pillory below has been on display and available for photo opportunities for guest and participants alike throughout the years.  It is maintained by the construction crew of the "Friends of Faire" organization.

A Pillory that has been maintained by the Friends of Faire

The museum also displayed props and other ephemeral that celebrated the anniversary of the faire. The Giant below is made of paper mache and has been in service throughout the years as a prop for use during the "Morning Opening Parade" and various other parades throughout the day.

Kristina Iodice (far left) and Sarah Shaw (far right)

The Renaissance Faire Museum also had some dioramas on display that depicted different scenes from the Renaissance Faire during the early sixties.  Artist Julie Meredith, who was a vendor during the sixties, made these amazingly detailed paper mache Renaissance Faire dioramas. In the photo below

Renaissance Faire Entrance Diorama

you can also see a depiction of the original entrance of the Renaissance Faire. FOF members have also added a display of the membership FOF (Friends of Faire) medals from various years for all to view.

Below is a picture of a diorama that depicts some of the entertainment that was available at the time. This particular diorama shows figures dancing and musicians playing various instruments (also made from paper).

Figures Depicting The Dancers at Faire Diorama

    Over the years these dioramas have been displayed in various locations, including the Natural History Museum during the mid 1970s. Unfortantly, five years ago, the dioramas suffered extreme damage from a storm.  Being that the figures were made from paper mache,  some of the figures were permanently destroyed by the water damage from that storm.
      Below is what the musicians looked like before they were damaged.  We lost three figures. the original tree and some props from this diorama.  The other three dioramas lost some figures and props, however the loss from this particular diorama was much more significant.

The figures and decor pieces that survived were restored by Paper Artist, Maria Del Pinto, from the "Friends of Faire" organization.  Below is what the diorama looks like today.

Musician Diorama

Friends of Faire (FOF) is staffed by volunteers who donate their time and their talents to make the faire experience better for everyone.

Maria Del Pinto who restores and maintains the dioramas

Each one of these pieces has tremendous details, like in the photo below where the figure is

spinning.  The spindle is made of paper but the wool is actually wool.  You can see wooden knitting needles in the bottom center of the picture with a knitted project that is in progress (it takes a lot longer when working in this scale).  

In the photo above you can see that the bells, head wreaths, faux leather purses,

and faux Tudor plaques are all made from paper.  The workmanship by the original artist was amazing, especially considering the limited materials available to her at that time period.  They did not have the paper punches in the 60s that are readily available today.

 There was also a wide selection of pottery, jewelry, costuming, signage, and props on display in the museum. This included the fun gypsy cart below that was used for shows during the early years of the faire.

Over the years, the faire has been survived more than its share of challenges to survive and grow.  For past cast members and visitors, this was a glorious time to celebrate and share memories with each.  As for those who were new to the faire experience, they had a chance to learn about some of the history of the event and the general purpose of this particular event.

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