Mutton and Mead Festival: One of the Best

This weekend I traveled to Montague, Massachusetts for the Mutton & Mead Festival. To be up front and to show my bias, I may have been to larger, or more historical accurate medieval/renaissance festivals, but this has turned out to be one, if not, my favorite.

I am unsure why this is, perhaps, because it is a local festival, and conducted on one weekend, and so I am impressed by the size of it.  Perhaps, it is because of the uniqueness of the acts and entertainment which is presented there, or maybe the education. For whatever reason, I do enjoy this faire very much.

The drive there and back is very spectacular. Coming from the Albany, NY area, you must drive over or near mountains such as Sugarloaf and Toby, and also along the banks of the Connecticut River. The drive alone is impressive enough to leave you a conservationist when you are done.

The Mutton & Mead Festival, with the help of sponsors it is a community driven organization. It also works to raise money for Community Action,  The Northampton Survival Center,  the Montague Common Hall, and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

As you walk up the road to the entrance to the fair, there are banners on the trees with dates of significant events, such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence or the death of Shakespeare. Further back in time each poster takes you, until you reach the year of 1210, which is the date designated for the fair.

The fairgrounds consisted of more than one field with tents scattered around. There is a Gypsy Glen where you can be entertained by music and shows. There is also the Children’s Glen, which has games and activities for the younger audience members.

One of the creatures wondering around the Enchanted Sherwood Forest

There is part of the Mutton and Mead Festival which is secluded from the rest and called the Enchanted Sherwood Forest. This forest is populated with fairies and other mythical creatures. These fairy-tale beings are performed by the group ROOTED REALMS. 

The entertainment and demonstrations that, as with last year, was more than enjoyable and educational; these included fire jugglers, jesters, and traditional medieval musicians. There were merchants of jewelry, food, armor, trinkets, leather products and all things medieval.

The following is a partial list of the artists, reenactors, or vendors I visited.

Melissa showing one of her "co-workers" to a young fan.

First, I must mention CIRQUE DU SEWER-The Acro-bat with Acro-rats. Melissa Arleth is a very talented acrobat and performer by herself, combine that with rats that do astonishing feats, and you have one amazing show. She also has included, as she calls it, “the world’s most confused cat”. This performer travels around the country with her rodent friends, so if you see her listed somewhere, make sure to attend her performance.

 Some of the lovely ladies of the Vixens En Garde

Vixens En Garde-I mentioned in my last blog I saw them for the first time at the New York Capital District Renaissance Festival. As I mentioned in that blog, this is a very entertaining show which includes fighting performances, jokes and audience participation. Their show includes Shakespeare mixed with modern puns and even references “The Game of Thrones”.  This is a show that should not be missed.

Tatterdemalion- Another vendor who I first saw at the New York Capital District Renaissance Festival. Again, this skilled seamstress only sells her wonderful products at these types of faires. She makes excellent period clothing at a very reasonable price.

The Brotherhood of Arrow and Sword beginning their demonstration

The Brotherhood of the Arrow and Sword- The most knowledgeable group of historians and reenactors I have seen. It is a pleasure to see their demonstrations about weapons, and to listen to them discussing the middle ages. I would encourage anyone, who might be near one of their presentations to take the time to visit them; you will not be disappointed and no matter your level of knowledge, you will learn something new.

Pikemen with his 16 foot pike

Landsknecht Guild- A group based in New England, with members from CT, NH, MA, ME, NY, and RI. They recreate an encampment consisting of the Landsknecht (who were legendary pikemen in the 1600’s) and also their wives and families.

As I did last year, I purchased some leather from Tandy Leather. Go to their website and find a store near you. At this event, the people were from Tandy Leather store located at 119 Webster Square Road, Berlin, CT 06037.

I also purchased a pouch from Made By Hand Leather. He sells his own hand made products and also those by a company called Etsy.

There are so many more groups and entertainers I would like to mention, but space is limited here. Go to the Mutton and Mead Festival website, and see more about them yourself by finding them on the web.

If you are scheduling on being in this area next year, make plans to come to this festival. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. If you are an organizer who is planning on creating a new, or responsible for an existing medieval faire, take notice of this one to see how it is done right.

W.A. Rusho is a professional wrestler and author of the novel “Legend of the Mystic Knights”. The previous publisher of this novel is no longer in business, and so he is actively seeking a literary agent or publisher. If you wish to contact him, email him, or visit his website.