Fest of Thornes 2019

I had a special adventure, going to the Fest ofThornes, a medieval fantasy faire held at the Blackthorne Resort, 348 Sunside Rd. East Durham, NY.  There is a rich history of this resort, read about it here.

This was the first time this faire was held, there was another reason it was so special, but we will get to that later.


Even being the first faire, this one had many acts, vendors and activities, so let’s get right to it. I do apologize as always as not being able to list all the vendors and performers.

Mermaid Lagoon- Sells costumes, accessories, art and not just mermaids, but also dragons too. It's a one stop shop for fantastical beings.  New items include crystal crowns and combs and coated quarts hair pieces that make them shine and sparkle.







Everyone knows how much of a fan of blacksmithing I am.  Well, this was a huge treat.  Some of them were contestants from the History Channel’s Forged in Fire (an incredibly awesome show).

Clean Slate Forge, Crosby Handmade Knives, Heather HeartsForge, and Blacksmith’s Wife all were showing their great skills and selling their wears.

Speaking of the History Channel, there were also contestants who competed on Knight Fight. These groups, Of the Armed Combat League, Northeast Executions and Atlantic First Swords competed against each other. They are truly amazing, they engage in combat with each other in full knight gear. Trust me when I say they went all out in their combat.

Static Entertainment- Get a photo of yourself at the faire, or hire them for a private party. This family run business can do most any event you want, check them out.

Elemental Allies- They sell crystals and other new age gifts. They have a huge selections so see if some of their products are what you are looking for.

Dara Gallery Masquerade- Incredible masquerade masks. I have seen them at other faires and their custom masks are truly amazing.

You’re a Gem, Handcrafted Jewelry by Melissa Mizell- As the name says, beautiful handcrafted jewelry.

Helderberg Meadworks- I am such a big fan of this producer of mead.  They have a new mead hall at 6144 Route 30, Esperance, NY. Here you can sample some of their award winning mead. The picture above is of my own bottle I recently purchased at a faire.

A video I made for the Fest of Thrones. Do not forget to Like and also Subscribe to my channel!!!

Face Painting by Crystal- Want to look different for one day, here is the place to go. A truly talented self-taught artist.

You could try your hand at archery, or axe throwing

Quasimodo- Different is good, is their motto. Wonderful unique items. The booth was being run by Kristini Sarfari.

You could also get a commemorative shirt for the faire, I did.

Bands and Music- Throughout the day there were numerous bands and singers playing, this included Kyle Trocolla and the Strangers, Jennie Angel, Pitchfork Militia, Red Neckromancer, Ramona Lane, Mopar Cams.

The Mad Crafterz- Arts and crafts where you can buy bottles, mugs, jewelry, flasks and so much more.  Really great products, check them out.

LoLa Roe- Tricia Pipitone and Leanne Kiwan- LuLa Roe is a California-based clothing manufacturer that sells cormfortable clothing for men, women and children, through Independent Consultants.

Big Bob Knives- He sold some very impressive knives and swords. Check out his entire prodcut line.

Legit Skin- Sold wonderful artisan skincare products to make your skin radiant and youthful looking.  I enjoyed my talk with her at the faire.

Lady Guinevere’s Hair Jewels- It is Lilla Rose rep Michele Gaskell. Hair stylist selling some wonderful hair accessories. 

Now for the extra special thing I mentioned earlier. They had a wrestling show, so I was invited to attend since I make my own medieval armor, and a professional wrestler. With some extra clothing and armor I was able to put some of the wrestlers into medieval gear.  It was nice to get the wrestling gear out again, and wrestle as War. There was a great group of wrestlers, some of which I had never worked with before.  These wrestlers made this event fun, which was why I became a wrestler in the first place.

I got to wear my new armor.

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Also, we will call it an after dark activities, were held at the resorts pub and grill. There was music, and also a medieval themed burlesque show, this included some impressive display of fire handling.   



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I will admit, being a first faire, it was well managed. The location is perfect, because the resort and surrounding area is beautiful.  The vendor selection was outstanding, and the performers and activities were very entertaining. If this faire continues growing (and as much effort and dedication put into it as they have with this first one) you will be reading about this faire as being one of the major faires on the east coast.

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