Impressions of the Florida Renaissance Festival

Mimi the Mermaid

Why am I writing about the Florida Renaissance Festival twice this year?  My last posting hit a half a thousand views, my Flickr photos are getting 500+ views a day, and I’ve attended four and a half times with one weekend yet to go. World shattering records for my blog and myself.  With this kind of interest, I thought I would take a deeper look.

When asked what my attraction is to this event, my quick and easy answer is the people. Not only the performers but the costumed characters, the vendors, and the fans. This year I made a real effort to do more than gawk and shoot photos. Now several performers know my name. I've met a couple of fellow photographers in person who’s work I’ve admired for years. I’ve hung out with some awesome performers and their over the top fans. I've learned to eat fire. I don’t really recommend that last one. Not that anyone besides me has fire eating on their top 100 list.

So what does this little faire have to offer? I attended four full days before I saw every act (so I thought) and each time was a truly unique experience. There is something for everyone who enjoys live entertainment.

Celtic Mayhem

The Harper & the Minstrel

Iron Hill Vagabonds

Music is everywhere. If you look hard enough and listen close enough you will find some of the most beautiful, hand made music on earth. The Glass Harp which is singing water bowls or a harpist by the water for those who like their music quiet. The juxtaposition of cannon fire in the background may upset the purists but there is no shortage of CDs for sale so you can take it with you and listen in the cocoon of your car on the way home.

 Somewhere in the middle are the loud and bawdy bands belting out anything from Irish drinking songs to comedy and pirate tunes.

Cast in Bronze

If you would rather feel your music more than hear it, stand in the front row at the Cast in Bronze performance and get your bones rattled and fillings loosened. This has to be the most unique musical instrument I've ever seen. All four tons of it. It takes quite an athlete to play this collection of church bells on a truck bed but he never misses a beat.

Masala Gypsy Dancer

Irish Step Dance

How about dance. Plenty of that. No matter how many times I visit, the Irish Step Dancers and Masala Gypsy Dancers dance their hearts out for the audience. I'm constantly amazed by the attendance these performers draw. They can't all be parents and relatives like when I watched my daughter's shows way back when. Every time I attend there are large and enthusiastic audiences. I think that speaks to the type of visitors the Ren Fest attracts as much as to the quality of the acts.













What would a Renaissance Festival be without the knights? These guys take quite a pounding every weekend for our entertainment. I don't care how scripted the show may appear. You fall off a galloping horse in full armour and it's going to hurt somewhere between limp and 911. I've been going to Renaissance festivals for 15 years and I've only seen one real injury but I'm sure these guys put their career and health on the line every time they suit up. The audience knows it too and the Field of Dreams is always the Field of Loudest Cheers.

Washer Woman

Commedia Del Sol

I Want My Mommy!

My favorite - the comedy. I don't really think there are enough opportunities to laugh in this life. TV just does not have the same effect on me as live comedy. I've seen the same acts plenty of times over the years so are they still funny? Oh Hell Yeah! This is a live show with a volatile audience and performers who might just change the act in mid stream if it suits them. Then there's the classic jokes I just can't get enough of and look forward to hearing time and time again. One thing every act has in common is audience participation. That means they grab someone from the audience and toss them on stage. Every once in a while someone goes crying for their Mommy. Ninety-nine percent of the time the uncanny skill of the performer to pick the perfect victim enhances the enjoyment of the audience and in the end makes a hero out of the chosen one. Something they will remember fondly for a long time and possibly re-live through the photos of their friends who were thanking their gods they were not picked. This year the Mud Show is back. A show where there is a good chance you will be sprayed with mud in the first twenty rows. This is the only show I sit in the back row with my long lens. Not so much to protect my camera as people fight for those front row seats. Now that's what I call audience participation.

Mud Show - Splattertime Players

Jana Lee and Adam Lowe

What's left? Acrobats, RenFairies, beautiful woman, games of skill, and turkey legs. You can't see everything all in one day, that's for sure. I was looking at some of my new friend's photos and found a couple of acts hiding in the woods that I missed. Good thing there is one last weekend.

At the end of the day, when the closing cannon blasts letting everyone know it's time to leave, there is no mad rush to play bumper cars on the way out. Five times with oodles of people leaving at once, the very first driver I came upon waived me onto the road. I, in turn, did the same all the way to the exit. Merging into traffic leaving a concert or ball game in Miami is more of a Gladiator sport. The folks who attend the Ren Fest this year have braved the elements, the cold, the wind, the rain, and blazing sun for a full day and still are polite enough to drive with courtesy. Like I said at the beginning, the best part of this event for me is the people.

RenFairies

Beauty 1

Beauty 2

Beauty 3 (on the inside)

Fire Eating? - Why the Hell Not?

South Florida Guy Eating Fire

If there is one thing that has always fascinated me it's the art of fire eating.  An art that is high risk, extremely dangerous, and in no way something to learn at home from YouTube videos. Doing it right will likely burn you. Doing it wrong will surely require medical intervention. The secret art of fire eating is usually passed down from one artist to another. A literal passing of the torch.

This year I chose to purchase a season pass to the Florida Renaissance Festival.  There are several performers who eat fire - some only feet away from my camera. I've seen some dozen or so exhibitions in the four weekends I've attended the festival. After a little soul searching, I decided I wanted to take the leap and follow my dreams. Now where to find a qualified teacher.

Eating Fire

It is my good fortune that my close personal friend Jana Colgin just so happens to be touring this year at FLaRF. A ten year fire eating veteran, she graciously offered to give me the beginners lesson and I immediately accepted.

I'm sure you have some questions.

Am I crazy? - Just a little.

Is the fire hot? - Hot as fire - the cold stuff has not yet been invented.

Did it hurt? - I stuck burning hot fire on a stick in my mouth so yeah, pretty much.

Will I do it again? - What, are you kidding? I'm shopping for a kit right now.

 I am hooked. I don't know if I will ever be at a performing level but after several hours of intense training, I managed to transfer a flame to my tongue then light another torch with the flame coming out of my mouth. That is certainly a show stopper at any family gathering. Huge thanks to all the performers that inspired me and a gigantic heap of appreciation to Jana who enabled me.

75th Annual Orange Blossom Parade - Davie

75th Annual Orange Blossom Parade

Sometimes I like to "Live Like a Tourist" in my own back yard and what better event to do that then the 75th Annual Orange Blossom Parade in Davie. I could easily ride my bicycle to this one. 

The Orange Blossom Festival is a decidedly local Town of Davie event and attendance this year was phenomenal. If you are a Davie resident and were not at the festival this weekend...why not? Everyone else you know was there it seemed. 

In typical Davie parade style, this one was long. About two hours and two miles long. Not so typical, there were no large gaps in the parade. When you mix monster mud trucks and racing motorcycles with itty bitty tiny baton twirlers, you sometimes have a parade flow problem. Not this year. The organizers should get a huge round of applause for keeping this gigantic parade on track. 

After the parade there were plenty of booths to rummage through, two stages with continuous entertainment, bounce houses and rock walls for the kids, and a football field sized food court. I spent the better part of the day there but I could not stay for the rodeo. Reports on my Facebook indicate that was mistake. I have not been to the Davie Rodeo in several years so I think it's time to correct that oversight. Even though Davie has grown up from it's humble farming beginnings, they still take their rodeo seriously. 

The best way for me to describe this event is with photos. I have 80 posted on my Flickr page. If you were in the parade, there is a good chance I caught one of you. Click on the word Flickr above to head over and see. Also be sure to check out the Old Davie School and Museum just across the street to see a little Davie history from the time when this festival was just starting out. 

.

Florida Renaissance Festival 2012 - Deerfield

Jana Lee

Adam Lowe

Anyone who knows me knows I am a big fan of the Florida Renaissance Festival. To prove it, I bought a season ticket for the 20th Anniversary event.

Albannach

Every year I ask my friends if they are going to the Ren Fest. A common response, "It's not my thing". Well if your thing is sitting on your couch with the TV remote stuck in your hand, flipping through your 500 channels and finding nothing to watch - you may be right. If your thing is to enjoy amazing, exciting, innovative, live performances or laugh until your face hurts -the Ren Fest might be a good fit. You may want to check it out.

I personally have dragged many of my family and friends to the fair over the years and no one has ever said they didn't like it. Usually it's more "I had no idea how great this was" and then I see them there year after year.

BrooN

So what can you expect. For one thing, all the performers are extremely professional and yet will take all the time in the world to talk to you after the show. No matter how many times you see an act - it's different every time. This is live theater. The stunts are dangerous and the performers do get hurt sometimes. The shows for the most part are very kid friendly. The choices are endless. I have yet to see every act in a given season.

MooNie

 All you need to do is provide $20.00 to get in, throw a buck or two into a hat after each performance if you are so inclined, laugh and clap. Not as easy as sitting on the couch but seriously not that tough. Where else can you watch a performance then decide if you want to pay for it. Just keep in mind, these performers make their living this way. I do and I'm pretty generous about tipping.

Oh - and sometimes, you may be asked to participate in a show. I've been up twice and it was a blast both times. Acts are constantly changing from year to year and this year I am happy to report BrooN and MooNie are back.

MooNie and BrooN

The BrooN show is fast paced monologue with fire eating and extreme juggling thrown in for good measure.

The first time I saw MooNie a few years ago I was astounded that a performer of his caliber was doing a Ren Fest.

MooNie and BrooN team up for the final show of the night and it's a little different. In my opinion not for the young ones but how you raise your kids is your business. Unlike the regular shows, this one is unscripted improv. Unique to my fair experiences and more high energy than any stage show I've seen. I saw both finale shows this weekend and I can tell you they were completely different and hilarious. I'm going again next weekend for more!!

I have a lot more photos on my Flickr site so click over and take a look.

Beer Goddess

Washing Well Wench

Biking the Markham Park Levee

In the realm of "not for everyone" bike rides, this one is right up on the top. It was also on the top of the levee that keeps the Everglades where they belong and the town of Sunrise above water. Where was this ride?

Just north of Markham Park. As you can see from the inviting entrance, it's not all that obvious you are welcome to ride a bike this way. Just past the Danger sign and across the spillway is the ramp to the top of the levee.

Here's the not for everyone part. The ride west is five very straight miles to US 27. The path is crushed rock. No problem for my heavy mountain bike but certainly too much for a street bike. Across the canal is I-595 so this tranquil bike ride is accompanied by the white noise drone of never ending traffic ricocheting across the North New River Canal. I did the full 5 miles out and back and was not quite ready to call it a day. No problem. There is an even longer ride north. Once you get past the pop, pop, Boom of the Markham Park gun range, it's a little quieter. I decided another seven miles out was a good idea. It wasn't until the sixth mile back I decided it was a little too much. Even in February, the Florida sun is brutal.


 So why do this? For the entire 4 hours I was out, I saw 6 people and three were walking. Across the canal I saw a good 50 cyclists all dressed alike and in formation. I always prefer the road less traveled and this is certainly that.

There is not much to see. No gators, a few birds, and one turtle in 24 miles. And the vastness of the Everglades of course. For me it was more of an endurance test, a way to empty my mind, and a certainty I would not get run over on a busy Broward County road.

There are other levee trails in the area that will take you a lot farther from civilization and a lot closer to the nature. I suggest you test yourself on this one first. Bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and a snack. There is no shade at all so be aware of your heat tolerance.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary - Naples

If you are visiting South Florida or if you live here and are interested in seeing what this area looked like a hundred years ago, the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is the place you need to visit. Only 100 years ago South Florida was all about nature. Today, way too much is drained and paved over. In some places we have recognized our mistakes and are returning the Everglades back to nature. This is one place that is virtually untouched.

I've been all over Florida and I am pretty familiar with how things used to look. Here at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, nearly all of natural Florida is represented. From the pine Flatwoods, to the prairie and meadows, to the rivers of grass, and even one of the finest examples of Cypress swamp I've ever stepped foot in. There is a reason I've never ventured far into a Cypress swamp. It's wet, mucky, impossible to navigate by boat, and the wildlife is extremely dangerous.

To make it even remotely possible to enjoy this natural wonder, the sanctuary has installed a 2.25 mile boardwalk. Not just any wood was used. They imported special wood from South America that holds up well in wet conditions and came from verified renewable sources. The only other way to see this area would be noisy airboats, swamp buggies, or slogging (walking in the swamp). The water is not all that deep but muck can easily pull your boots off or the alligators can eat you. When I found out this was prime plumage hunting area at the turn of the century, I really had to wonder what type of person would risk their life to participate in killing millions of birds so that women could wear feathers in their hats. That is the reason the Audubon Society stepped in, bought the swamp, and eventually halted the slaughter. Now the only shooting allowed is with a camera. I was lucky enough to catch a hawk in flight and a few other pretty interesting photos. You can see them all on my Flickr site. My favorite is the mamma gator with a baby on it's back. This shot was at the limit of the lens I brought that day but click on the photo below for a larger picture. Hopefully you can make it out.

Koreshan State Historic Site - Estero

Back in 1894, a gentleman by the name of Cyrus Reed Teed brought a few hundred followers down from Chicago and started his idea of a Utopian society in Estero, Florida. The goal was for 10 million true believers to join in his "New Jerusalem". Unfortunately, Cyrus died soon after the settlement was fully established and it slowly declined after that. The site was turned over to the State in 1961 by the last 4 remaining members. It's now known as the Koreshan State Historical Site. 

The interesting thing about this religious based organization (cult) was their core belief. The Koreshans, as they were called, believed the earth was a hollow ball and we all live on the inside. Cyrus and his followers devised some pretty complex math and complicated measuring devices. They even took their equipment and calculations to Fort Myers Beach to prove their theories.

I applaud free thinkers and appreciate those of us who are willing to face ridicule in the following of their beliefs.  It's pretty clear today they might have made the classic "forgot to carry the one" type of mistake in their math but this one theory was not all there was to the sect. They had some very interesting beliefs in social engineering and city master planning. Those might have taken hold even if the hollow earth theory lost out to science.

I found it fascinating they were early adopters of electricity. With Edison just up the road it's understandable. When they cranked up their first generator, the folks in Fort Myers thought electricity would harm the crops and dry up the cows. One hundred years later, those things would come true if electricity stopped flowing. The Koreshans actually supplied electricity to their neighbors until Florida Power and Light was established in the area.

One of the facts you won't find online is that when Cyrus died, he was put into a bath tub and his followers waited for him to rise from the dead until the Fort Myers  health department ordered a burial. He was then put into a concrete coffin on the beach and was attended night and day by the faithful until a hurricane washed him out to sea. I'm still not judging but so far he has not returned. My feeling - he's not going to.