Renaissance Festival War Stories: September 10/11, 2022

...Previously during weekend 3

September 10/11, 2022

This weekend featured the return of Jacqueline and Bertram. They had fallen ill the last two weeks and we were glad to have them back. There is a love, joy, and passion I have for this show for doing it going on three years; these two have done it for twenty years. I consciously made an effort to take the back seat to them. After missing two weekends, I wanted to watch them shine as much as the audience wanted to see them. I have learned much from these two.

...

Saturday marked the fourth annual "Unoffical PRIDE Day at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival." Once again hundreds if not thousands of patrons, vendors, and cast members embraced the loving spirit of PRIDE. People displayed rainbows, flags, signs, and fashions of their personal truths. Two gentlemen who saw the event online who are regulars at the Bristol Renaissance Festival stopped me to say how happy they were to see that the LGBTQ+ community is embraced here and are so glad they made the trek from Eastern Wisconsin to our festival for the first time. They loved the community put forth by cast, vendors, and patrons who could see all the love and joy we wanted to spread. We made them feel at home away from home.

...

One of my favorite parts of the festival that has developed as a member of the Riddle Master team is the perspective change from patron to cast member. It might be something that has combined with age, the mentorship of our leaders, different company I keep each day, but it's different than how I experienced the festival even my first year on cast in 2019 and the years prior as a patron. I observe differently. I react differently. I put up with different levels of bullshit and let less bother me. While I have prided myself on my sensitivity to people, both as someone who feels things strongly and cares strongly for other people, there are certain individuals who show up in our lives and for a reason.

In 2021, it was Nestor, he became my brother. In the last week, Ember, a member of our 'consternation of answerers,' an 'irregular' became a real life friend in the last week. Nestor and I have both embraced Ember as a new friend. It's a new journey. Ember's journey as a friend of ours is only beginning.

I'm glad we were able to make Saturday your best day at festival ever. I can't wait for all the rest we are going to have.

...

Sometimes the perfect words come and they lie in wait. Because Tinka is a deer, there is a huge opportunity for deer and animal puns and jokes. I often joke about talking to animals and being hunted. Sometimes words come up and I forget they existed.

During our morning song with the Dregs, one of the song lines asks, "Had any lately?" Most of the time I shuffle my feet embarrassed. For the first time I put my shoulders back, puffed out my chest and loudly stated, "I've been in a rut!" Some people got the joke, some didn't. Bertram laughed so hard he forgot the next line of the song.

...

This final tale of the weekend was months in the making. On Saturday July 2nd, I made my way back to Newbourne Village to work the next day, Sunday. I took advantage of my time getting there early and walked around in plain clothes. I knew for a fact Nestor was across the state with his family, but it didn't stop me from doing a double-take when I saw a doppelganger of him. Being the weirdo I am, I had to take a picture.

Suffice to say, you can't see exactly the specifics of who I am seeing in this picture. I am seeing who I think is Nestor's twin. I know that Nestor doesn't have any brothers besides me. Besides knowing he's 200 miles away, I know Nestor would never play a paladin. But this guy has plausible-family resemblance and it freaks me out! I'm so freaked out, this was the picture I took and while I am basically shameless, yet I couldn't bring myself to say anything to him about how he looked.

...three weeks later.

Sunday July 31, Nestor and I visit Ren in the Glen in Glenwood Wisconsin as patrons. We get to wear our non-cast garb for a mini-road trip. We spend the day socializing and seeing people we don't normally get to see, shopping where we don't normally get to shop. We are getting close to wrapping up the day and I see him, the Paladin.

What happens next goes something like this, "Nestor, you're not going to believe it. That doppelganger I told you about is here."

Nestor turns, looks, starts marching across the field to him, "Hey Paladin!"

I usually am fearless when it comes to introductions when it comes to costumes because that is something a person chose, it's easy to talk about. I realize now I was shy about saying something because his looks were inherently his - it's too personal, it's awkward. I'm awkward, but I'm not going to approach a total stranger, ask to take a picture of them to show someone else, that's too weird...Yes I see the irony of my creepy selfie before, moving on!

I truly didn't know this was how Nestor was going to react like that when he saw the doppelganger paladin. I followed behind and we make introductions of ourselves to this paladin knight and his friends. His name is Greg and he sees the passable likeness, as do his friends. We all chat for a few minutes and we're on our way.

...six weeks later.

Sunday afternoon working the riddle booth as usual, I see a familiar paladin knight enter the Fairywing Forest. I didn't get a chance to jump out of the booth or flag him down, I figured he would be passing by again. When he does, he passes on the far side of the path nearly missing us. We shout for him but he doesn't notice us. Thankfully our friend Master Black the Scribe hears us, sees us, and gets his attention and points him in our attention. Here he comes again: The paladin knight doppelganger Greg. Bertram is in a conversation with people and doesn't see Greg approach with his friends. I approach him, apologize for interrupting and say, "I'm going to need you to turn around right now."

"How can this be?" Bertram says with a stunned face.

Nestor did the best thing he could think of: He brought Greg to the stage and performed a riddle.

Thank you Greg for being such a good sport.

See you in weekend five...