And on July 19th, they’ll be going together right well. At that time, the Brethern of the Great Lakes will host the Port O’ Call Rum Tasting from 9pm-11pm at the Black Pearl Pub in Spring Lake, Michigan. It’ll cost you $20 to get in but for that you’ll get 6 shots of top shelf rums, entertainment, rum cake, and a chance at prizes and awards. The Admiral is even opening her private stock cache.
This is a fundraiser for the upcoming Michigan Pirate Festival scheduled for August 9 & 10 in Muskegon, Michigan. They’ll be recruitin’ new pirates, so all you pirates, privateers, scallywags, wenches, rogues, brigands and the like don your best, get out there, and show ‘em what you’ve got!
July 4th, 2008
Posted by
Escarlata |
Proclamations |
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California
The Long Beach Pirate Invasion added a bit of excitement to a 10k Marathon Swim being held at the same time. To start the event, the Pirate chased the swimmers in to the surf with cutlasses waving and many a shout and snarl. Jeff Gritchen of the Press-Telegraph posted some great pictures of the event.
The Fair Oaks Tudor Faire this past weekend was hot and still a bit smoky, but fun for those who attended. Some great photos of the weekend have already shown up on Flickr.
Colorado
It’s Children’s Weekend at the Colorado Renaissance Festival with all children 12 and under admitted free with a paying adult. Curtis of CCIMages posted some of his pictures on Flickr for our enjoyment. Area King Soopers locations have discount tickets available for purchase and discount coupons are available at participating Wendy’s and Diamond Shamrock Corner Stores.
The Mancos Faire was, in the words of the organizers, spectacular! They had over three thousand in attendance and everyone had a good time. Thirty-three vendors hawking their wares joined mover than thirty performers and Mancos’ own Madrigal Singers. Fire Dancers concluded Saturday’s festivities with an amazing show. Of course, the SCA was there as were King Duncan and Queen Mary. Children participated in Page school, in addition to the demonstrations of all kinds and fantastic “battles” staged. I found a few pictures on FeVaPhoto’s Blog.
Illinois
The management of the Illinois Renaissance Festival has decided to cancel this year’s event, originally scheduled for August 24 & 25. They are committed to holding a festival in 2009 the weekend of August 29 & 30.
Kentucky
It’s a Red, White, and Blue weekend at the Kentucky Highlands Renaissance Festival. This is a three-day weekend for them, they’ll be open on Friday, July 4th. Discount tickets are still available if ordered online through the ClickNPrint link on KHRF’s homepage. Erin added a second post to her Thurday Pass blog, full of more pictures from the masquerade weekend.
Louisiana
Early bird discount tickets are on sale for the Louisiana Renaissance Festival through the end of July. They’ve already decided and posted their Weekend Themes, take a look and get your garb ready.
Michigan
Derbyshire Renaissance Faire has closed it’s gates for the season with many kudos sent to the cast from the Street Theatre managment. Phrooge Designs Photography has finished posting pictures, including some of the Archery Competition.
Silver Leaf Renaissance Faire opens this weekend in Battle Creek with their Knights in Service weekend. Military personnel and children 12 and under will get it for ½ price. The falconry demonstration by Kitty Carroll and Birds of the Gauntlet is always interesting.
Missouri
It’s closing weekend for the White Hart Renaissance Faire. This weekend only you can see Sonic Sidhe Tribe and their unique blend of drums and vocals.
New Jersey
Jeff Mach’s Totally Normal Event was a blast if the reports that I’ve seen are any indication.
New York
The New York Renaissance Faire is running their early bird discount ticket sale now through midnight July 23rd. Faire doesn’t for a couple more weeks, but with the Buy-Two-Get-One, the Queen’s Pass for all season, and the Mayor’s Pass for a single weekend, it looks like they’ve got all the bases covered. If you purchase by the July 23rd deadline, the passes include some free tickets.
Ohio
This weekend the gates of the Avaloch will again swing wide as the Great Lakes Medieval Faire and Marketplace welcome visitors. There will be a grand celebration of Her Majesty Princess Mary Elizabeth’s 16th birthday with a A Mid-Summer Knight’s Dream and birthday cake for everyone.
Pennsylvania
In spite of some rain, the Celtic Fling on the grounds of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival the music was great. I found Danielle_blue’s Flickr photos to share with you.
Tennessee
The Tennessee Renaissance Festival has posted the 2009 cast audition information.
Washington
Ye Merrie Greenwood Renaissance Faire was a success. Congratulations and thanks are being posted by vendors and cast on the Yahoo group and pictures are being posted at the Faire’s Flickr group pool.
The Northwest Renaissance Festival continues this weekend. If you missed getting to see Tania Opland and Mike Freeman, you have another chance as they appear again this weekend. In addition to the special guests, other musicians include Hawke the Balladeer, Red Hugh, and Silver Strings. With eight stages of continuous performances throughout the day, there’s plenty to do in addition to their daily Battle Chess, Knightly Games, and Joust events. A $1 discount coupon is on the website.
Wisconsin
It’s Chivalry and Romance Weekend at the Wisconsin Renaissance Festival in Chippewa Falls. For those in love, present yourself to the Queen at the chapel for a Royal Proclamation of Love; for those who are single, there’s a Medieval Mingle Party at Angus’ Pub. Tickets are available at local Mega Pick N Save Food and Liquor stores. Aragorn has shared his pictures of weekend 3 at WiRF on his PhotoBucket account.
Bristol Renaissance Faire opens in Kenosha this weekend and they’re making it a great place to spend your holiday weekend. All children 12 and under get in free, no discount coupon necessary, and adult tickets are 20% off. It’s also Media Weekend so you’ve got a chance at seeing some of your favorite local personalities. RenQuest, a live-action role-play, is a new adventure in lineup this year. Quiet a few of my friends from the “Have you met?” article series are on the entertainment schedule (PDF). Stop by and tell them we said “Hi!” Late update: There’s construction in the area that’s going to affect traffic, check the BristolRenFaire LiveJournal post for alternative traffic patterns detailed routes.
Canada
Casa Loma Renaissance Faire begins Friday on the grounds of Casa Loma in Toronto. Admission to the Faire is included in the price of admittance to Casa Loma.
July 3rd, 2008
Posted by
Escarlata |
Auditions, Discount Coupon Info, Faire Fun |
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Answering questions about the individual pieces of chain mail, the buxom brunette’s pride in her jewelry is evident. Most of the items on the tables are custom made designs which she has developed and include necklaces, rings, earrings, and bracelets, each a work of art. As she adds several links to a bracelet for a customer, the process providing an excellent example of just how “custom” her art is, her smile is quick and her laughter engaging. Let me introduce you to Melissa Starks of Enchanted Chains.
Background
Melissa grew up in Virginia, started performing in theatre productions at a very early age, and continued throughout her college years. She finished college with a degree in teaching and a minor in theatre arts and took a position in Missouri, teaching drama at the Kansas City School district during desegregation. During the five years she worked there, she found that she did not enjoy teaching as much as she enjoyed consistent paychecks and good retirement plans. Feeling a need for change, she entered the corporate world as a financial planner, helping her clients determine and setup plans to achieve their goals. Following her own advice, Melissa took her financial planning lessons to heart and paid off her debts, funded her retirement, and built an emergency fund.
Faire History
In 1991 while in college she attended her first Faire at Peoria Olde English Faire on a date with a boyfriend. The next year, she attended Kansas City Renaissance Faire, taking a class on a field trip. She met and married her husband, “the first man to ever give me a rose at faire,” she laughed and told me and started working with him at faire the next year and hasn’t missed Kansas City yet.
Her husband was a maille armorer who gave demonstrations and sold his creations. She attended with him and learned maile weaving but found that her hands were not strong enough to work with the steel rings. A friend was designing jewelry from sterling silver rings and Melissa tried those. She said it was like a fish to water, the tools and rings just felt right in her hands. She designed and wove a pair of earrings that day and has never looked back.
Sixteen years ago, Melissa started selling her custom pieces at shows in the South and Midwest. She collaborated with another merchant, sharing booths and expenses, at the St Louis Renaissance Faire, the Great Lakes Medieval Faire, and the Florida Renaissance Festival. She and a partner have a booth at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival, her home faire, and she runs the crew for the booth at the site.
Four and a half years ago, she realized that she was at 20 weekend shows as well as working 60-hours a week at the corporate job and making product to sell. She took a look at her life—recently divorced, financially stable, a business that she wanted to try fulltime—and decided that if she was ever going to make her dreams come true, there wouldn’t be a better time. She bought a camper, arranged for a house sitter, took care of all the paperwork necessary for her and her Shelties to be on the road, and made the leap of faith. She quit her job and she’s out there making a living like so many of us sometimes dream about
Being a merchant at a Renaissance Faire is not as easy as it sounds. Merchants don’t work for the faires; they are independent business owners with bills to pay just like everyone else. Selling at Faire is how they make their living. Melissa spends four days a week making products to sell; products that most shows require go through a jury process in which judges review detailed descriptions and photos to determine whether the merchant is a good fit for their faire. There are requirements for certain types of displays, tents which meet “period” standards but which are also safe by modern standards, and clothing requirements. Checking and repairing the displays, tent, clothing, etc., is required in order for it to be in good working condition. Of the other three days in the week, she spends at least two on site while Faire is open; the last is for all the “other” things like banking, laundry, bookkeeping, shopping, etc.
Melissa applied to and was accepted as a merchant in her own space for 41 weekend events out of the 52-week 2008 season that started in January at the Lee County Kiwanis Medieval Faire in Ft Myers Florida. She’s booked for shows in Florida, Ohio, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Illinois. During those 41 weeks, she’ll be on the road twenty of them living at campgrounds in her soft-sided pop-up trailer. The rest of the time, she will be at shows that are within a four-hour drive of her home in Kansas, allowing her to stay in a hotel or with friends for the weekend, and then go home during the week.
She thinks it is probably her theatre background that caused her to choose Faire over art shows, though her first answer when I asked the question was a rich chuckle and “I don’t know!” Melissa loves to dress up and has numerous outfits. It’s also the chance to interact with so many people, the merchants and performers that she works with and the customers that come in to her booth. “A young man came in to my booth on school day. He wanted to take a pair of dragonfly earrings home to his mother. He had limited funds and had looked all over Faire for the item. We went through the trays together and found a pair of earrings that met his desire and he was able to take the gift home to his mother. That was gratifying.”
Being on the road alone has been interesting. On the way back to Kansas from Florida in late March, Melissa ended up on the side of the road for several hours with a flat. The first tow truck company wanted to leave her trailer on the side of the road. Since she had product and all her living necessities packed in it, she had to wait for a second company. She’s also met some great people and had some wonderful experiences. She told me that she’s seen and done so many amazing things—had a bald eagle land within 15 feet of her at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park outside Gainesville, Florida; watched some amazing sunsets off the southern most point in the Florida Keys; swum in one of the Great Lakes; watched a turtle lay her eggs in the sand; danced around a fire; and held a monkey. “Well,” she laughed, “really the monkey holds you, not the other way around.” She is dating and hopes to find someone who enjoys the same things she does. “It would be nice to share all this with someone,” she told me.
Each faire holds something special and draws her back for different reasons. St Louis Renaissance Festival has the most creative cast, Great Lakes Medieval Faire has the best campground, and the Florida faires have some of the closest-knit friends. Kansas City Renaissance Festival, where she grew up and the festival she considers her home faire, has great group of friends who help her out in the booth. They go in, clean out, repair, and generally make the booth ready before she gets back in the state. Without them, Melissa says she would have to run the booth all by herself. That’s why she seldom gets to see a show unless friends who are performing—like 3 Pints Gone, WyldeFyre, and The Minstrel and the Harper—stop by occasionally and do a song for her.
Currently
She is still enjoying herself, Melissa tells me. When we originally talked, one of her few regrets was starting off with a vehicle and trailer combination that was too small. The soft-sided pop-up trailer towed fine behind her minivan, but is humid and doesn’t keep out the campground noises. When I talked with her a couple of weeks ago, she told me that she’s replaced the minivan; she’s got a full size van now with enough space to hold most of her product and large enough to tow whatever camper she decides to get. “Making jewelry is still the best part of it,” she told me, “I love designing and weaving the silver, but I get bored easily,” she finished with a chuckle. To combat the boredom, she works on chains a couple of days a week, builds some other things like hair barrettes or stick pins one day, and designs, creates or does whatever is needed for stock the fourth day.
In addition to her own work, Melissa sells pieces made by four other artists. Two are apprentice weavers who are taking lessons from her. The other two are exclusive contributing artists who supply unique items only available through Enchanted Chains. She also has some beads and cast pieces that she uses as accents for the earrings, kilt pins, hair sticks, and such.
Being on the road fulltime has actually had the benefit of allowing her to take a couple of week’s vacation, which Melissa told me she hadn’t done in years. We laughed as she explained that staying home and catching up with friends had been the agenda, as she enjoyed the downtime of not working on the business at all. She’s sure that some people she knew while in the corporate world would be amazed at the changes to her lifestyle. No longer does she have the weekly hair and nail appointments or make the shopping trips. Now she sits at home, works on the jewelry, watches DVDs, and shops at WalMart and she would not trade it.
Now, she is in the midst of her Midwest season. This weekend, she will have her own booth for the first time at the Great Lakes Medieval Faire. Her former partner will have a sign up directing customers and friends to the new location that, last she knew, was to be in the general vicinity of the Pub Stage used by Axel the Sot.
Final thoughts
Melissa told me that she was very scared when she left the corporate world but cannot imagine going back to it. Sometimes it’s scary, like when sales don’t do well or something breaks down; then she’s had to dip in to the emergency money to make ends meet. But it’s a business of her very own, demanding and involved, and so worth it. She’s having a great time.
Websites for Melissa Starks:
Enchanted Chains
Melissa on MySpace
July 1st, 2008
Posted by
Escarlata |
Have You Met? |
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