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This past weekend, I attended the Silver Kingdom Renaissance Festival, held at 120 Northside Rd. Charlton Ma. This is the 2nd time I have attended the faire, you can read last year’s review here.
The faire is put on by PhinnVolt Enterprises which consists of two great people (Richard "Phinn" Saulnier and Gia Volterra de Saulnier), who also put on the Abbadia Mare Renaissance Festival. You can read more about them on their website.
The following are the vendors, performers and artists I saw this weekend. As usual, I cannot list all the great acts and merchants, check out the Silver Kingdom Renaissance Festival website and see more about the performers and merchants there. Some of these will be familiar, as I have listed them before, others are new.
A demonstration of how fast a bow is compared to a crossbow.
Brotherhood of the Arrow and Sword - Often imitated, never duplicated. They keep the legacy of knighthood alive by both performing and by educating others. I have seen them at numerous faires, and I learn something significant each time I see them. Of all the groups I see doing a demonstration, this is the ONE I never miss.
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| Photography by Donatello |
Photography by Donatello- Saw him at the Massachussetts Renaissance Festival. He has some very unique and lovely phots for sale. Check out his wonderful work on his website.
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| Pillage Idiots |
Pillage Idiots- The makers of mirth and mayhem. If you are not entertained by this group, there is something wrong with you. They were very entertaining and funny.
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| the good people of The Grinning Dwarf |
The Grinning Dwarf- One of my favorite merchants, I always enjoy my conversations with them at the faires. Check out their wonderful merchandise (and a great price) on their website.
The Penniless Jacks- This group consists of members of the formerly named B.A.R.E. Bones. They are a great band who really know how to perform and play their music. If you are at an event with them performing, do not miss them. Check out their Facebook page.
Tintagel's Gate- Tintagel a village in Cornwall, England, but is more associated with Tintagel is a legendary castle related with the King Author Legend. Tintagel’s Gate is a great vendor I have seen at several faires, and I have purchased some items from them.
L.I.A.R.S. ( Ladies of Integrity, Aristocracy, Repute, and Society)- What else can I say about this group other than they have angelic voices to go with their angel faces. This is one of the staples at the faires that I attend, and I never miss an opportunity to hear them.
Myschyffe Managed- I have, for some unknown reason, missed this group in almost every faire I go to; it was worth the wait. I was happy to finally see their whole performance. Their whit is only matched by their talent of their voices. Definentaly check them out at a festival near you. I was lucky enough to win a copy of their CD, which consists of little known medieval/renaissance Christmas music. It is a wonderful CD, check out their Facebook page to see how to order their music.
Just in Tyme Boots- Another vendor I see at many faires. They sell very quality boots at a very resoanable price.
A Faire Minstrel- A great singer and story teller. She will entertain the entire family with historical accounts of legends and myths.
Mike OJ- A magician, who is very talented. He will amaze you with his skill at magic and illusion.
A Primrose Pirate demonstration. You will notice black powder is not reliable, as it was when it was being used in combat.
Primrose Pirates- One of the few organizations I see which does a black powder demonstration of weapons used on ships. You will learn a ton of information when you see this group, so do not miss an opportunity to attend their demonstrations, you will not be disappointed.
Sew Sew Busy- Creators, and makers of some incredible historical living history clothing. You definitely need to check them out on Facebook.
The Singing New England Rose Wench- She will entertain you with her beautiful voice as she sells you roses to give to your love.
I often say, the size of a faire does not mean it’s not a great one; this is the case for the Silver Kingdom Renaissance Festival. If you simply looked at the number of tents for the vendors you would think it was somehow a lesser faire, you would be totally wrong. The Silver Kingdom Renaissance Festival is one of the best faires I attend throughout the year. The promoters hard work made sure there was a well-rounded amount of entertainment, food and education for the entire family to enjoy. I would encourage you to schedule your next year’s vacation around this faire so you can attend.
I often say, the size of a faire does not mean it’s not a great one; this is the case for the Silver Kingdom Renaissance Festival. If you simply looked at the number of tents for the vendors you would think it was somehow a lesser faire, you would be totally wrong. The Silver Kingdom Renaissance Festival is one of the best faires I attend throughout the year. The promoters hard work made sure there was a well-rounded amount of entertainment, food and education for the entire family to enjoy. I would encourage you to schedule your next year’s vacation around this faire so you can attend.
W.A.Rusho is a professional wrestler, author and historian. You can reach him at his website, or via email.
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Aw, thank you so much! We are so glad you had a great time. <3 Gia and Phinn
ReplyDeleteSeems like a rather unusual fair. One doesn't get to see fairs where you can taste the past. Hope you had a great time there :)
ReplyDeleteWilliam- whenever I read your blog posts I am fascinated by the costumes. Do you know if they are hired or bought?
ReplyDeleteInteresting that the American term is faires (which looks like fairies at a quick glance) whilst the British say fares.
Some people buy their costumes, others make them from scratch. Of course, if you go to a faire sometimes they have a booth where you can rent them for the day.
DeleteFair is actually the American Term. I use Faire, which is an old French version. You will se it spelled fare (which you stated), and even fayre.
I was just thinking this morning that I was interested in going to a Ren Fest and I almost feel as if I have with this great breakdown of everything. We have one in our area in Maryland that has people who attend every weekend during the whole season. It's really fantastic and I'm thinking this is my year to jump on in the fun.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the Silver Kingsom renaissance faire. Would be wonderful if a new renaissance would take place in the world to ensure that all human beings have a decent life.
ReplyDeleteLove the name Pillage Idiots and since I love laughing, maybe one of these times I'll get to see them and laugh heartily! I agree that the size of the faire doesn't mean it wouldn't be awesome.
ReplyDeleteHi William. I totally agree with you that size doesn't dictate whether an event will be worthwhile. I've attended many chocolate festivals. Some of the smaller ones have been far better than the one I have attended in large cities. It's all about the quality of the vendors. Not the quantity.
ReplyDeleteYou don't have any idea what happened to the Silver Kingdom Faire and Abbadia Mare? Both were not held last year (Disappointment!!!).... Silver Kingdom has disappeared from FB and Abbadia still has the note on their website about personal reasons... Silver Kingdom especially was something I loved and took the kids to for many years!
ReplyDelete