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Here are some shots of my visit to the New
York State Renaissance Faire. It runs from August through the middle
of September in Sterling Forest, NY.
The people organizing the event dress in period costumes and act out
a series of day-long plot-driven skits, culminating in a joust at the
end of the day. Visitors are encouraged to dress in costume. If you do,
you can't help but feel drawn into the festivities.
You get to be somebody else for a day, which is a nice way to get away
from the strains of everyday life. It seems to be especially fun for kids.
Little boys ran around with wooden swords. Girls wore flowers in their
hair. And all wanted to help rescue Robin Hood from clutches of the evil
Sheriff of Nottingham.
Click on the thumbnail to see the larger image. The images on this page
are low resolution. High resolution shots (8 megapixel) are available.
E-mail me. All are copyrighted according
to the Creative Commons license described on my main
photo page. |
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The front gate just before the arrival of the Queen's entourage.
The special event this year was to the execution of Will Scarlet, one of Robin Hood's men. (Those familiar with the dates of English history – don't spoil the fun.) |
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Some nobles arriving for the execution. |
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There is an underlying pirate theme most years. It was not emphasized this year. So I'm not sure if these fellows are pirates or just evil Lords. |
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The men under the command of the Sherriff of Nottingham bring Will Scarlet to his final destination. |
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Any event with a Queen, Lords, and Ladies must be marked with endless speeches. This, of course, gives Robin Hood ample time to put into motion his plan to rescue poor Will. Can you guess which of these individuals is really Robin Hood in clever disguise? |
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Oops. That wasn't in the script. Again, Robin Hood makes a fool of the evil Sherriff. You'd think this guy woould learn his lesson. The most disappointed where the assembled rabble who missed out on seeing a head roll. They didn't have social networking back then. So one had to look for entertainment where one could get it. |
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Will Scarlet with one of the Ladies of the Court, post rescue, but pre quick get-away. The rebels were the ones now giving the speeches. |
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After that bit of ugliness about torture, severed heads and such, a welcome greeting from one of the many musical performers that grace the Faire grounds. |
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And more musical performers. You might recognize the lovely lass on the right |
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Here is one of Robin Hood's men, musically setting the scene for the introduction of Friar Tuck. |
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And here he is. Friar Tuck. |
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One of Robin's men hiding from Friar Tuck and plotting a little mischief. |
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The Sherriff shows up and throws his weight around. Obviously a man of poor judgment who could have easily dispatched the nettlesome Robin Hood once and for all, but had to take the moment to gloat and no doubt plan how the situation would best enhance his power in the realm. |
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More of the bow, yield, kneel stuff. |
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Performers at a social gathering of the Lords and Ladies of the Realm. If you look closely, you will still not be able to tell which of the performers is actually the erstwhile Robin Hood hatching a plot to relieve the assembled of their wealth. And he didn't even work on Wall Street! |
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A Lady of the Court with the Sherriff. Apparently one impressed by the pure sexiness of evil. |
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More Lords. One might speculate that not a one of them put in an honest day's labor in an entire life. So whatever Robin had planned? They had it coming to them. |
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The Mayor of Nottingham. Apparently selected for office due to royal connections rather than possession a small town administrative skill set. |
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Meanwhile, the Queen, utterly oblivious to the invidious evil acts brought to bear on her suffering subjects, has tea with soon-to-be Lords and Ladies. |
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These things always seem to end in violence. How sad. But at least the assembled masses – disappointed at missing the morning's execution – get a bit of satisfaction. |
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More jousting. |
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It was starting to rain. So it looks like they double-teamed in order to move things along. |
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One of the knights close up. |
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And they're still going after poor Will Scarlet. The guy just can't catch a break. |
