Renaissance Festival War Stories. August 20/21, 2022

August 20 & 21

It's been 45 weeks since closing day of The Minnesota Renaissance Festival. 320 days. Let's do this. It's Christmas morning. In the Renaissance Festival sense, it is Christmas Morning.

The Consternation of answerers returns, even better friends. Ember, Andrew (pictured above), and Ian return to riddle and answer. They visited frequently last year and it was wonderful to see them again.

Five gentlemen stopped to riddle, all in their mid-twenties, none of them in costume. I tested their measure with a couple basic riddles and they got them on average if not slightly below average pacing and clues. That is totally okay. Not everyone is going to be a sharp shooter. I ask them how the day has been treating them and what they have been doing thus far, they mention axe throwing and having several drinks. They are not visibly intoxicated by any means, not even buzzed-sounding. These are clean cut, casual, young men having a fun time on a nice day. I am inspired to do a riddle where I act more and more intoxicated in the process. At this time, I am the ONLY one riddling at the rope. Nestor and Wilona are not in. Medestar and Thomas are at lunch. Bertram & Jacqueline are back on the benches. I get through the riddle about four times - by now, I am slurring my words, puking in the bushes, doing field sobriety tests and failing. These guys don't get it! I am bashing myself over the head acting like a drunk with my riddle and clues. Jacqueline notices my difficulty and joins me to help. She gives clues I haven't thought of. One of the guys says something close to the answer which is enough for us to pull the actual answer out of him. I breathe a huge, sober sigh of relief. As they begin to walk off, I tell them, "If anyone asks you 'were you good at the riddles?' Tell them I thought you all were very handsome."

While riddling, Medastar and Bertram are in the booth, I am on the front rock. We have a good consternation of answerers. We are at the point we are starting to get into more advance and challenging riddles. Bertram decides to perform 'Europe.' This was a riddle I brought to the booth before I became a riddler. We have gone through most of our typical clues for this riddle and for a moment, I don't think we have any more clues. Then I look up at Medastar and I say, "Is that yours hanging there?" and I point just past him. He grabs the rope we have hanging from the top of the roof as we always do. Bertram looses it laughing when he realizes what I'm doing. "Yeah. That. Is that yours? Not mine or his. Yours." He holds it up and says, "Oh, this rope? Yes!" And someone in the crowd finally shouts 'Europe.'

Aggressively Weaponized Kindness

On my way up to cast call, I was nibbling on a large piece of banana bread; not a little slice, but a large piece, about 2-3 inches thick. One of the gate security personnel asks if it's banana bread. I break it in half and hand the uneaten half to him. He lit up. It's 7:30 AM. I don't know when he got up or if he had the chance to eat or have coffee or anything. I didn't even get his name. But I hope it made his morning a little easier.

We can't always fix or solve everything, but for a moment, we can make things a little better. Had to do a couple of errands. Stopped for a cake pop. They were out. Asked for a brownie. They started to get the order together, in the process, they discovered they were out. Saw the micro-expression of cringe on the woman's face. I asked what was left. She mentioned the pancakes. Offered to take them plain with butter, save the fork as I had my own. I told her to look at my face: big smile, excitement, I like pancakes. At the same time, another family with children were disappointed with the fact they weren't going to have a cake pops or brownies either. I imagine the number of rejections she saw again and again having to say, "no, we're out." and the mutual disappointment, sucks. As I walked away eating them; I gave a loud, clear, hawk of her shop endorsing her product and I am not a paid spokes-deer. I always glimpse back and see the laughter it causes.

I had an exchange to make on the opposite side of the festival from the riddle masters. I went into the shop to ask to exchange the garment I happened to purchase at another festival that I knew was also here. I hadn't worn it and still had the tags on it. The employee brought it to the store manager and as I was browsing, I came upon their conversation. Mary, the manager, let me know that she could not exchange the garment and her reason. I told her I understood and gave her a big smile. I was not going to give her any grief on the subject. I complimented her wares and asked about the other festivals she worked and let her know if she ever gets out of the shop where she could find me. I shook her hand and thanked her for making the style of garment she did - not a lot of people do and do it well. It was my error that I bought the wrong size. I told her though I wasn't buying anything today, this was for free: I did the same loud clear hawking-endorsement of her shop and I am not a paid spokes-deer. As I walked away, a group of four women stopped and went in.

Did the same thing one more time purchasing some earrings. "I am so glad I purchased these dragon earrings from Dragon Hatchery. These dragons are thee must have accessory among all the resident villagers of the renaissance village. I am not a paid spokes deer."

As I headed back to the Riddle Masters, I passed through the Shepherds Green and saw a 'deer cousin,' someone in faun garb with a bunch of other people. I was unaware of the time of day, but it turned out that they were waiting for the fantasy costume contest. I told them and the other awaiting patrons some jokes and some quasi-trivia to make them all laugh. I chit chat with several more people and wish them all luck in the fantasy costume contest, but one of them especially, they know who they are. I truly did not mean any one of them imparticular, but let them all think I meant them.

...Aggressively weaponize your kindness.

Then there was one man who weaponized his talents against me. Samuel is a patron who visited last season. He, his partner Candi, and I shared some laughs and one particular private joke. Samuel said to me after we shared this joke that I inspired him. That the look on my face when I told this joke would be great for a portrait and if he could take a couple of pictures of my expression so he could draw me in the off season. I was touched in that moment. Over the last year, the memory was never distant from my mind. On opening day, before cannon, I saw Samuel and Candi. He had the drawing, but wouldn't show me just yet. I let him know I had waited this long, I could wait a little longer. When he did show up to the Riddle Masters, he had the drawing for me. I warned him, "I'm going to cry. That's just going to happen."

Samuel aggressively weaponized his kindness and talent against me.

...

We here at the Riddle Masters of Hollow Hill take health and safety very seriously. After the first weekend of the MNRF, four of our team members tested positive for COVID, myself included. For the health of our team and the safety of our fans, the Riddle booth will be CLOSED the weekend August 27-28, 2022. Stay safe, and we hope to see you the following weekend.

See you Labor Day weekend