West Texas
Renaissance Faire 1997

Eventually Frank and I found the village of Somerset, England. Following an official looking person on horseback, we were shown to our parking place on a patch of dirt that looked solid enough to support the weight of a car. Then I did something I never do at a Renaissance Faire. I left my costume in the trunk of the car and attended as a simple patron! Hey, I'm not going to ruin an expensive court dress by wearing it in the rain and the west Texas red mud!

Although the crowd was thin (bad weather will do that), the people who were there had a good time. We danced and sang along with the performers. We got to meet Her Majesty, Elizabeth Tudor, Queen of England (that's a portrait of Her Majesty above). We got wet and filthy ... along with the performers. And I only ruined an old pair of jeans!

Remember, click on the small images to see the full size picture.

The Queen doesn't come to town every day, so, despite the rain, everyone was in a festive mood. There weren't too many slips or slides when everyone took to the field, er, mud pit, for a lively set of country dances.

The Corsairs, being pirates, seemed to be quite in their element. They were all wet. (No! Captain, I swear I didn't mean anything by that! I was just trying for a little humor. Pirates, water ... you know. Put the pistol away, please. Thank you!) Everytime Joshua banged the staff on the stage, water would fly. And when all 7 of these lusty men of the sea stomped in unison, not only would the water fly everywhere, but the entire stage would bounce! From left to right the Corsairs are Will Teach (gone scottish for the day), Robert "Boats" Blackmoor, BilgeRat Kaelin, the late James Peregrin, Captain Alexander Morgan, Joshua Jenkins the Shanteyman, and Captain Abelard Roach. Don't forget to visit The Corsairs home page.

During one of the lighter showers of the day, The Corsairs, Queen Anne's Lace and quite a few of the other performers braved the elements by joining together in an impromptu sing-along. It all started with the guys under one tent, and the women under another, singing alternate choruses at each other, much to the entertainment of the Queen and patrons. A few pratfalls and mud slides later, and they were all out in the rain, singing sea chanties.

Not even The Queen was afraid of getting wet. The parade of the local gentry and the Court through the village of Somerset went as scheduled, with an umbrella (of royal purple, of course) being provided for Her Majesty. I believe that is the Lord High Sheriff of Somerset, Christopher Pike (Jim Jarrett), escorting Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth (Cindy Mundschenk).

There were a few places in Somerset where one could stay relatively dry. These two members of Larkspur found one of them. This was one of the more centrally located tents, and you could reach it without trudging through standing water. It also had a good view of the human chess board. Yes, the chess game did go on as schedules, but no, I don't have any pictures.

It's a Mud Show! No, it's the Highland Games! What happens when you mix men in kilts, swords and mud? I don't know, but The Scottish Caledonian Gamers do! In this particular game, the boys are attempting to knock their swords over by hitting it with their sporan. Yes. Some interesting hip action here. Speaking of interesting action, if Trotter keeps sliding in the mud, he's going to be doing the splits! Of course, there is the obligatory fight. Check out the swing of those kilts! Put a man with a good pair of legs in a kilt, and I just can't seem to tear my eyes away.

Vocal Point is a choral group from McMurray University in Abilene. Under the direction of Dr. Dawn Willis, they performed a selection of Medieval and Renaissance songs. I wonder if there are any songs about singing in the rain?

During a lull in the rain, Queen Anne's Lace was able to take the stage. The crowd was very appreciative. Both of the singing and the fact that the rain had let up for a short while. And yes, there was a crowd. More people showed up later in the day. Some faire fans will tolerate any conditions in order to be were the fun is!

One of the few crafters who drew a big crowd was the blacksmith. The reason was quite clear ... he had a large tent and was able to accommodate quite a few people. And, he was always working on something.

Pirates tend to have a reputation for bawdy antics, ale swigging, and fighting for any reason at all. But give a pirate, particularly a handsome, singing, pirate such as the late James Peregrin, a fair maiden and a rose, and his romantic side is sure to appear. Does this romantic swain have a girl in every port? Only he knows!

These guys are the Taylor County Sheriff's Posse. They provided security for the Faire and helped with the parking. They had rain slickers. They were on horseback, so they didn't have to tromp through the mud. Of course, I don't know what the horses thought about it, but these guys seemed to be having a pretty good time in spite of the weather!