The Renaissance Faire Junkie visits Scarborough Renaissance Fair!

My favorite faire, and the one closest to where I live, is Scarborough Renaissance Faire in Waxahachie, Texas. Since I have hundreds, no, thousands (literally) of pictures from Scarborough Faire, I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you. Oh, before we start, one final disclaimer. I am not officially associated with Scarborough Faire (tm); I am only a satisified customer. Are you ready? Then let's go ...

Remember to click on the small image to see the full picture.

Step back in time to the village of Scarborough. It's the year 1533 and Henry VIII is the King of England. Anne Boleyn is his Queen. King Henry and Queen Anne have come with their court to the village of Scarborough to enjoy the May festival. There is a Gypsy camp, taverns serving marvelous ales, wonderous artisans and talented entertainers.

The Swordsmen, Dirk Perfect and Guido Crescendo know that poetry and swordplay please the ladies. They try and try to teach other men how to be Bold and Stupid in just the right way. Sometimes they fail, most of the time they succede. But it's always fun watching the show! Also, be sure to visit The Swordsmen Home Page.

Peter Andres and Chris Chapman create functional and beautiful works of art in glass. Here Peter is taking a vase off of the bridging iron; it still has to slow cool for another 24 hours before it can be displayed. I like their art deco pieces. The colors are really rich and the shapes distinctive.

Franc is the sales manager for The Faire Paire Tights and Such (tights, tights and more tights!), but today she's showing her true nature.

The Flaming Idiots, Pyro, Gyro and Walter (he's the one with the hair) amaze the crowd with their acrobatic juggling. I think I like the Idiots best of all the shows. No matter how often I watch them, I always come away snickering. Yes, snicker. I tend to laugh behind my fan, which means that I snicker a lot. Makes people wonder just what it is I'm up to.

Meet Hans Gruber, trader and merchant of the Hanseatic League, and his companion, Barabas. Find out more about Hans & Barabas when you visit the Valentine's Gallery of Rogues.

You can get feathers and beads for your hair, and hand-made cat marionettes, like this adorable tiger, from Debra at Dragon Wings. I've got quite a collection of her hair ornaments, so I finally splurged and bought one of the cat marionettes this year. He's the best behaved cat that I've ever lived with.

You can find ISIS and the Star Dancers performing daily on the Gypsy Stage. This is a family show ... ISIS and her daughters Tara and Mariia entertain the crowds with energetic belly dancing. Their shows are always SRO (standing room only). Isis and the Star Dancers also have their own Home Page.
Louisa and Miabella are Sa'ida Middle Eastern Dance Ensemble. They perform a completely different type of dance; more traditional and, some think, more exotic.
The Minstrals of Mayhem entertain with song and good cheer! Contact the Minstrels

Lady Toni Rowan demonstrates the art of lamplighting, or glass sculpture. My mother collects minature glass figures, so I always get her one every year. This year I got a pair of tiny dinosaurs that I kept for myself (I'm also a dinosaur freak, er, fan). I also got a bubble-fish. That's a small, fish-shaped bottle with a tiny bubble wand filled with liquid soap.

King Henry and some of his courtiers indulge in a romp. Dancing is a popular pastime with the court at Scarborough. So is singing.
Speaking of romps, sometimes Queen Anne forgets her dignity. I don't know what this child did to get the Queen to chase her like this. The Queen can really run fast when she picks up those skirts!
There are some less savory characters here for the May festival. Among them are some very other-worldly characters such as Smash, the Troll. Trolls, like everyone else, are pledged to keep the King's peace within the village during the festival. So although he looks really, really fierce, there is no cause for alarm.

This beautiful eagle was rehabilitated at Last Chance Forever, a facility for birds of prey maintained by the Royal Falconer, John Karger. No, that's not John in the picture; that's one of his assistants.

Don Juan and Miguel entertain with outrageous comedy and fantastic swordplay. Who is the best swordsman in the world? Who is the greatest lover in the world? Just how wierd can a wierd show get? Answers to these and more at 5 PM! They have a t-shirt concession, too! And a website!

Greentree Weaving features beautiful clothing that is comfortable and easy to care for. I have two jackets from Greentree, one blue and one black, and I wear them all the time with jeans. They really look sharp.

Master Stitch at Greanleaf Books is binding another book. True to his name, Stitch stiches the binding of each journal, creating a book that will last longer than books produced today using glue for the binding.

Fans of the finest lace and feathers, softly scented with the finest perfumes, can be found at Fancies Fanne Shoppe. I seem to collect a new fan every year. Don't you know you have to have a fan for every outfit?

Keith Bowman, Ye Olde Cooper practices a craft that dates back to Egyptian times. This has to be one of the best smelling shops; the aroma of cedar shavings is intoxicating!

14 May 1999