Spellbound. We're going to go ahead and go with the "better late than never" mentality here, or else we'll pretend that I'm not eight months late in writing about my first renaiassance festival, okay? For real though, the when I found out Jared's parents were coming to Texas to go to the Scarborough Ren Fest just south of Dallas, and had bought us tickets to meet them there as well, I couldn't have been more excited! I'd never been to a ren fest before, though I have several friends who have and they always came back with awesome pictures and merchandise. I mean, who wouldn't want to spend a day or two dressed up as someone else, along with a ton of other people also dressed up as someone else, all while eating, drinking, attending shows, and shopping? I had some idea of what to expect, including people dressed up in period costumes and some dressed up as mythical creatures, Olde Timey buildings and decor, and some jousting. I was not disappointed, but there was also so much more.
As it was my very first ren fest and I didn't have much time to prepare, I unfortunately did not go dressed up as anything other than a human icicle. It was freezing, given that it was mid-April in the south, and despite the multiple layers I was wearing, I couldn't stop shivering. We remedied my problem within the first hour by finding me my very own cloak, something I've wanted ever since I watched Lord of the Rings. And what better place to channel my inner Tolkien nerd than a ren fest? Aside from keep me deliciously warm, the cloak did an excellent job of hiding my street clothes and I felt more at ease surrounded by fair staff and guests, most of whom were dressed up somehow or another. Including Jared and his parents. Did you know Jared owns a kilt? Like, A real one, not one of the ones you buy off the rack for Halloween. Becase why wouldn't he? And my in-laws looked fantastic in their ensembles as well, with Renee's dress making me just a bit envious. Now I want something like it for the next time we go to a ren fest!
We wandered through the village buildings all weekend, pausing at any shop that caught our somewhat-divided attention, with Renee and I stopping at jewelry and scent stores and Jared and Chuck stopping at metal-working and weapons shops. We also couldn't help but to stop at the food stalls, where Renee and I shared a crepe called "The Princess" - a gigantic crepe smothered in strawberries, chocolate, and whipped cream. It was so good we got it twice. Of course, beer and wine flowed in every direction, and although I had begun our adventure with the impression that ren fests might be geared a little bit more towards kids I quickly adjusted that assumption as the day progressed. Sure, there were kids around, but more than anything the ren fest was a way for adults to relax and forget about the real world in favor of a magical one for a short while.
Quite a few of the shows we visited were definitely not for children. Aside from the bad language, the raunchy topics brought up had us all in tears of laughter, and likely (hopefully) would have gone over the heads of any kids who happened to be present. And guess what!! There was jousting!! I was stoked when we viewed the schedule and saw a jousting competition on our first morning there and all but ran over to watch. Was it the as-seen-on-TV knocking each other off of horses? No. But it was still gallopping towards each other to get rings on their giant poles, which was rather impressive regardless. I certainly couldn't have done it.
I'm still not entirely sure if we even made it all the way around the village by the time we left on the second day. The place was huge and I got turned around more than once, overwhelmed by the people and colors and activites around us. Of course, you all know I avoid crowds like the plague so going to a ren fest in the first place is a huge step for me; it was only a matter of time before I became a little smothered. I would probably still be wandering the place right now if I hadn't had Jared with me. We walked away with several treasures to call our own, including some spice cream, jewelry, and my cloak. I absolutely can't wait until next year, where I'm bound and determined to buy myself a costume! I'm thinking maybe a dark navy dress, and perhaps another cloak? I guess we'll see!
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