Meet me at the faire
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Connecticut Yankees in King Arthur”™s Court? Pray tell, do tell.
Part bawdy and part naughty, The Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo, N.Y., has for 31 years been cherry-picking a sturdy (and sturdily anachronistic) clientele from among the shore communities and stone-walled villages of Connecticut and beyond.
Nearly 2 million people have visited Tuxedo”™s Faire since Renaissance Entertainment Productions (www.RenFair.com) took it over in 1990.
The Renaissance Faire is far, far away from the buttoned-down culture of General Foods”™ White Plains, N.Y., offices for Linda McFeters, who chucked corporate apparel and briefcase to become a partner in Renaissance Entertainment Productions in 1983.
“I could never envision myself trapped behind a desk eight to 10 hours a day again,” said McFeters, who flew in from Chicago to take stock of opening weekend of New York”™s Renaissance Faire on Aug. 3. The Faire was having a banner Sunday to open. The sun came out, the crowds came out, and opening weekend prices of $10 per adult brought out the “great opening weekend crowd,” said McFeters.
McFeters and her partners own two other Faires in addition to New York”™s: one in Wisconsin and another in California.
Each year since its inception, the annual summer ritual has grown, not only in the amount of offbeat vendors, events and performers who entertain on 35 of its 62 acres in Tuxedo”™s Sterling Forest PG-13 spectrum ”“ and tidied up just enough to make it a family-fun experience if you”™re bringing someone who qualifies for a child”™s ticket. location, but in crowd appeal. From Massachusetts and Connecticut to as far away as Florida, people have come to join in the fun and frolic ”“ with dress tilting toward the wholesome end of the
With so many attendees coming in costume as buxom barmaids and rogues with Cockney accents in turn-of-the-16th- century apparel, it”™s hard to tell the vendors from the visitors. Fairegoers gobble turkey legs and belly up to barmaids for a pint of mead. Or they join the queen and her entourage as royalty mingles with commoners during the Faire”™s finale, a joust between good and evil knights, complete with horses, cheering hordes of spectators and kids waving flags for their champion. You can even buy a pickle, but it”™s a little more than a nickel these days.
Along with “green” rides (run by manpower, not horsepower), there are games of chance and skill for both children and grownups, and for those who are more daring, palm reading or a consult with Ye Local Teller of Fortunes.
Devon Cameron, owner of Gourdaments, was a first-time vendor at the heavily trafficked fair, where her gourd designs drew buyers. Cameron, who had a shop in Sugar Loaf, N.Y., but closed it, said the economics of having a store just wasn”™t working in today”™s economy. Instead, promoting her wares at the Faire and on line (www.gourdaments.com) is proving to be more viable in today”™s market. “And it”™s fun,” said Devon. “You get a lot more traffic in your shop, and it”™s portable. This is working for me, and even if people don”™t buy, they do pick up my card and have my site to visit.”
“We have several promotions going on where people can take a bus up from the Port Authority and spend the day, as well as partnering with local hotels in the metro area so people can stay overnight,” said Wanda Carr, who takes care of marketing the Faire. “It”™s been very successful, and not only fun to visit but fun to work for,” added Carr, dressed in 16th century costume and who lives on site for five months of the year.
The Faire runs from noon to 7 p.m. through Sept. 21. For more information, visit www.renfair.com and go dig out your Halloween costume. Devils, divas and fairy tale princesses are all welcome. In time of need, you only need ask, “Pray thee, where is thy privy?” to be directed to the restroom. And for everything else? There”™s Ye Olde Master Card.