Connecticut Renaissance Faire

This weekend I attended the Connecticut Renaissance Faire. The faire is located at the Lebanon County Fairgrounds at 122 Mack Road in Lebanon, CT.  I have attended this faire several times, and it is one of my favorites, so I encourage you to check out and read some reviews from previous posts.  This is also the 20^th annual edition of the faire.

Each weekend there is a themed weekend.  This particular weekend was the Fantasy and Romance theme.

The following is just a small listing of all the wonderful artists, performers, re-enactors, and vendors which were at the faire.  I encourage you to check out the Faire Shows, Food and Drink, and Market sections of their website to see a more complete listing.

There Was a Star Danced-Sellers of some incredible lamps and glass products. Truly an amazing vendor. Also, its name is a wonderful Shakespearian reference.

Knightly Endeavors- Always a pleasure to speak to this vendor. He sells numerous styles of renaissance garments.

Medieval Maiden Soaps- makes natural bar soaps, lip balms and bath bombs. Truly a wonderful supplier of all of your natural soap needs.

Tintagel’s Gate Swords (and forge)- This is one of my go-to vendors. I always enjoy the products they have, not to mention seeing the blacksmith working his trade.

Bawdy Buccaneers- A great pair of performances who will entertain you singing songs of pillage and pirating.

Face Candy Facepainting- Your entire family can get your face painted in almost any kind of creation you want.

Dragon Ice Cream Cart- If you are hot, there is nothing better than getting some ice cream from a dragon!

Fairie Tailor-Sells some pretty neat cloaks and other specialty items. Definitely check them out.

Festival Fotos- You can get your photo taken (if you are in period attire), or they can provide you with some of their costumes. A really great vendor.

Emazanti Creations- shirts, tunics, vests, trousers and leggings and so much more are available here.

Das Geld Fähnlein- Had a demonstration and a living history encampment.  This group is a Landsknecht reenactment unit, you can learn more about the lanshsknecht origins and development from one of my previous posts or checking out their website.

Warlord’s Crusade- Handmade leather armor, bracers and belts. Truly amazing products sold by this vendor.

The Penniless Jacks- A great group.  They are a staple at many faires I attend, and they never disappoint in any of their performances.

You can get a donkey ride! Curtesy of Tripledale Farms

Whipperwil Archery- Handcrafted bows and arrows; a truly amazing and talented craftsman.

Dragon’s Nest Designs-here you can find outstanding handcrafted pewter jewelry, pendants and more.

The Graces- this group of lovely ladies can sing, and will entertain you during their entire performance.

Black Swan Armoury- Purchase a wooden sword or shield with a variety of designs.

They had a wonderful parade.

Zoltan the Adequate-to call himself adequate is being humble. He will amaze you with his death defying stunts and magic tricks.

Hitting and Stabbing Emporium-Try your hand at archery, or throwing an axe or dagger, you can also smite a knight.

Shelli Buttons- If you have read a few of my posts about medieval/renaissance faires, you know how impressed I am with her act. Not only will she amaze you with her juggling, balancing act, or when she is high above the crowd on the aerial silk; she will entertaining you with her humor.

Joust- I truly enjoy the jousting competition (Hastilude) they have here. Brought to you by Spur of the Moment Jousting. They perform not only the typical combat joust, but also one using their skills on horseback ("tilting at the ring" or peace joust) by striking or catching objects with their sword or lance.

Mad Mailer-If you want some custom-made chainmail, this is the place to buy it.

Stone Sisters- sellers of some wonderful artisan-created jewelry and gemstones. I also got a baby dragon charm from them.

Justin Aucoin- A wonderful author of the Hope & Steel series. It was a pleasure to speak to him at this faire. Check out each of his books. Each day of the faire, they feature a different author, so check out their Meet the Author page to find out more.

Blackthorn Prints- Producers of some excellent high quality screen-printed tee-shirts, hoodies and paper prints.

The Lords of Adventure- These sword welding brothers will entertain, and make you laugh. This is truly a remarkable show, so take any opportunity to see them.

Fairy Hop Gift Shop- You can get all your fairy needs in one place. This is actually a pretty cool vendor to visit.

Cara Finch Fine Art-Massachusetts artist Cara Finch sells some great artwork of hers. She does incredible, beautiful work.

The Trouvères- this talented group will get you stomping your feet and clapping your hands in no time.

Knights of Gore- Had a fighting/weapons demonstration, and also an encampment. Very Knowledgeable living history group.

Sheriff Bracken- the law of the land.  You better take care and not to cross his path, you might get a citation; but if you do, it’s a whole lot of fun.

Cornerstone Creations- Another vendor I always like to speak to at these faires. He sells some impressive high quality concrete products such as benches, birdbaths, stepping stones, planters, wall & fence hangings.

Hip-Notic-This duo will amaze you whether they are belly dancing or with a crystal ball, scarves or a hula hoop.  They were very entertaining, lovely, talented and alluring. Do not miss an opportunity to see them perform.

Mandrake’s Mystery- There has been a crime in our kingdom.  She needs your help to find clues, and to solve it.

Faire Gift Shop- Get yourself a souvenir of the faire.  I bought a wonderful glass mug to remember my visit.

As I stated earlier, this is one of my favorite faires; it encompasses everything that is good about a medieval/renaissance faire. Here, you can learn about history, be entertained by artists and performers, or buy some great goods from wonderful vendors.

The Connecticut Renaissance Faire runs until October 14^th, so you still have time to visit this great faire. The only problem I have with the Connecticut Renaissance Faire is that it is so far away from where I live; if it was closer I would attend this faire every weekend.

Thank for coming by and reading by blog. If you want, please leave a comment below. I like seeing the feedback from my readers.

W.A. Rusho is a professional wrestler, author and historian. You can contact him via his email, or website.

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