LaRenFest
Today we went to the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. We were going to go with our little cub scout den, but the other boy couldn't go, so just DH, The Kid and I went.
I didn't take pictures. Why do I never think to take my camera until it is too late?
The Festival was in Hammond, about 40 miles away. It seems to be on a permanent site; there are some buildings there that don't look like they would come down easily. We parked way far away from the entrance and so had a nice little hike to the ticket booth.
Stuff we did:
Our first stop was the arena, for the jousting tournament. It was really fun. Three knights doing sword battles on their horses, followed by wooden lance jousts. Afterward, the announcer said, "We do this professionally. This is how we earn our living; our parents are so proud." The knights led the horses out and the audience was able to talk with them (and tip them, too). I was pretty impressed by the armor.
We got something to eat. We sort of watched some duelists while we ate our very inauthentic food. (Philly cheesesteak roll and a funnel cake for me.) Then we wandered back up to the arena to see the falconry show.
On the way to the arena, I stopped and visited with the chandler. She was making beeswax candles. She also had a fire going, and was rendering the wax from wax myrtle berries. She described the process and said it was very time consuming. She gave me two wee candles the size of birthday candles when I asked if they were for sale. "No, these are sold to the baron for the Queen's visit, but there is a chandler at the shops in the village." Then she gave me some little ones.
The falconry show was really neat. Beautiful birds. The falconer (one of only two eagle class falconers in the US who are women) was very informative. The last bit was the best. They played a lure game with a Barbary Falcon. She likened it to playing with a bit of string with a cat (there's a cat reference for you, Phoebe.) The lure was attached to the end of a three-foot cord. She whirled the cord in a vertical circle. The bird flew in a circular pattern higher and higher until it was about at the tree line. When the falconer gave a signal, the bird swooped and caught the twirling lure on the first pass.
On the way out, we stopped at the Carosello and let The Kid go for a ride ($3). It was his favorite part of the day.
Things I liked:
The variety of costumes, the attempts at authentic language, the hammered dulcimer music, the Queen knighting people from 2:15-2:45, the chandler and the other re-enactors in the "village," the demonstration of Scottish strength athletics, the joust.
It was a great way to kill a Saturday.
I didn't take pictures. Why do I never think to take my camera until it is too late?
The Festival was in Hammond, about 40 miles away. It seems to be on a permanent site; there are some buildings there that don't look like they would come down easily. We parked way far away from the entrance and so had a nice little hike to the ticket booth.
Stuff we did:
Our first stop was the arena, for the jousting tournament. It was really fun. Three knights doing sword battles on their horses, followed by wooden lance jousts. Afterward, the announcer said, "We do this professionally. This is how we earn our living; our parents are so proud." The knights led the horses out and the audience was able to talk with them (and tip them, too). I was pretty impressed by the armor.
We got something to eat. We sort of watched some duelists while we ate our very inauthentic food. (Philly cheesesteak roll and a funnel cake for me.) Then we wandered back up to the arena to see the falconry show.
On the way to the arena, I stopped and visited with the chandler. She was making beeswax candles. She also had a fire going, and was rendering the wax from wax myrtle berries. She described the process and said it was very time consuming. She gave me two wee candles the size of birthday candles when I asked if they were for sale. "No, these are sold to the baron for the Queen's visit, but there is a chandler at the shops in the village." Then she gave me some little ones.
The falconry show was really neat. Beautiful birds. The falconer (one of only two eagle class falconers in the US who are women) was very informative. The last bit was the best. They played a lure game with a Barbary Falcon. She likened it to playing with a bit of string with a cat (there's a cat reference for you, Phoebe.) The lure was attached to the end of a three-foot cord. She whirled the cord in a vertical circle. The bird flew in a circular pattern higher and higher until it was about at the tree line. When the falconer gave a signal, the bird swooped and caught the twirling lure on the first pass.
On the way out, we stopped at the Carosello and let The Kid go for a ride ($3). It was his favorite part of the day.
Things I liked:
The variety of costumes, the attempts at authentic language, the hammered dulcimer music, the Queen knighting people from 2:15-2:45, the chandler and the other re-enactors in the "village," the demonstration of Scottish strength athletics, the joust.
It was a great way to kill a Saturday.
2 Comments:
Think you guys will do costumes next year? (or did you have them this time?)
I go to ren fests nearly every year. They are a lot of fun. I don't dress up but I have friends who do.
The candle thing sounds totally cool to have seen.
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