|
As the 2001 Midwest festival season passes the halfway mark, John-Paul
takes a moment to introduce his new festival rating system.
In the future it is hoped that AtTheFaire will offer an index of faire
reviews done in a similar manner and allow our readers to submit their
own rankings. Once in place, this system will let you get summaries of
events based on criteria such as entertainment, ambiance, and merchants.
Since many of us go to festivals for different reasons, this method
should allow you to find all the faires ranked high by people who like
the same things you like.
|
ATF'S FAIRE RECAP
by John-Paul, ATF Staff Writer
Our 2001 Midwest renaissance festival season is now more than halfway
done. As of this writing, AtTheFaire has attended six different events.
After the passing of summer we will have only a few more to visit before
we shut down and wait for the frigid Iowa winter to pass. Let's take a
quick look at the events we have attended so far as I present a brand
new multi-category ratings system.
A rating scale of 1 to 4 will be used to simplify results. Since the
desire is to find out if an event is good or bad in certain areas, no
"neutral" rating is available. A 1 to 5 scale would let us slide
by without leaning one way or the other and, frankly, there's not
much point in doing a review or rating if you can't walk away thinking
"oh, they liked it more than they hated it".
To make the review more useful, a set of categories has been defined.
For instance, someone who really hates events that are in the middle
of the city with power lines might find a remote park event much more
interesting even if it lacked in other categories. Likewise, some may
find small, cute and quaint events in the middle of nowhere absolutely
wonderful and detests the big corporate events that have everything you
could imagine. If you go to events to shop or eat, all the entertainment
in the world won't make you happy if there are only twelve vendors present
and half of them are selling weaved baskets.
Categories are defined as follows: Location relates to where the
event is physically located. Is it easy to find and get to? Ambiance
describes the event grounds. Is it a nasty concrete jungle, or a refreshing
forested area free from power lines? Food/Drink gives you an idea
of the availability of those items. Merchants relates to the quality
and amount of vendors present. Were there cheap carnival booths selling
corn dogs, or were there more authentic period tents offering a variety
of handcrafted quality items? Entertainment relates to how much
and how good the performers were. Some festivals are full of rough local
acts, while others bring in polished professionals. Lastly, Streetmosphere
relates to roaming street characters, evolving story lines, and the general
ability for an event to bring a visitor into the fun. After Hours
attempts to reflect how friendly and fun the event is after hours for
participants. Is it easy to find folks to hang out with or does the event
feel sterile and "cliquish"?
Ratings Guide: 1=Bad, 2=Lacking, 3=Good, 4=Great
Salisbury Faire (2001) - Des Moines, Iowa
| Location: |
3 |
Water Works Park is fairly easy to get to from almost
anywhere in Des Moines. They provide proper signage to point the way,
but the actual location is a bit off the main roads. |
| Ambiance: |
4 |
The park location is a wonderful spot for an event.
The area is completely wooded and natural without a power line in
sight (once you cross the river bridge and walk across the surrounding
bike trail). |
| Food/Drink: |
3 |
This is a dry event (no alcohol). A small non-period
looking food court area served everything from hot dogs and hamburgers
to turkey legs. |
| Merchants: |
4 |
A very wide variety of merchants with quite a bit of
overlap. Like to shop and browse? |
| Entertainment: |
3 |
The Hanlon-Lees jousting troupe along with a plethora
of other musical acts make for alot to see and hear at this event. |
| Streetmosphere: |
3 |
Rufus the Rude, Sauboo the War Trolle and a handful
of other characters roam around, but nothing too special. |
| After Hours: |
2 |
There probably is alot of fun to be had here, but we
basically organized all the activity we got involved in by arranging
an after hour dinner and distributing flyers to friends we already
had. |
Waterloo Renaissance Festival (2001) - Waterloo, Iowa
| Location: |
4 |
The park location was easy to find. |
| Ambiance: |
3 |
Nothing special here, but attempts were made to decorate
the area. There are shade trees and such, but you can always see the
surrounding roads and city. |
| Food/Drink: |
2 |
Most of the food vendors consisted of carnival food
stands serving corn dogs and pizza. A good selection of carny food,
but far from a renaissance festival. Blah. |
| Merchants: |
2 |
There were only a handful of merchants at this one-day
six hour event. The ones that were there, though, fit right in and
were very good. Still, this is not an event I would recommend to a
shopper. |
| Entertainment: |
3 |
There was more entertainment to see than the time allowed
which should give this event a 4, but that logic would also mean a
one hour festival with four performers might justify a 4 as well.
Instead, let it be known that Minstrosity, Shattock, and several other
well known performers were onhand (as well as the Washer Well Wenches)
and I doubt anyone would walk away thinking "I saw it all"... |
| Streetmosphere: |
3 |
A handful of street characters roamed around, including
royalty and Rufus the Rude. Many of the performers also wandered and
interacted with patrons. |
| After Hours: |
1 |
Being a short one-day event on Sunday, there was no
after hours to really have since most of us had to drive home that
evening. |
Renaissance Faire of the Midlands - Council Bluffs,
Iowa
| Location: |
4 |
The Iowa Western College is only a few short minutes
away from Council Bluffs and it is easily found right off the main
Interstate with only a few turns. |
| Ambiance: |
1 |
The event location has virtually no shaded areas and
it is surrounded by buildings. To make matters worse, theater set
backdrops are placed around the event giving a rather cheesy look
to the whole thing. The corporate sponsors are announced before and
after every performance, and logos are found everywhere. The only
good area is the shaded spot between the bridges. Oddly, this area
is almost completely unused! |
| Food/Drink: |
3 |
Another dry event. I wanted to give this festival a
1 here because of the complete lack of free water and the expense
of purchased drinks. A large lemonade was $4, while most sodas started
at $2! During such a hot event we went through alot of money
just trying to keep hydrated. They didn't even offer water coolers
or drink discounts for performers! I suppose the festival runs all
the drink stands... Ahem, I do give the event a 3 overall for having
a large selection of food items to choose from. Most try to blend
in with cute signs. |
| Merchants: |
4 |
A very wide variety of merchants including quite a
few that demonstrate (glass blowing, coin making, pottery). |
| Entertainment: |
4 |
The entertainment has always been one of my favorite
parts about this festival. Sak Theater, the Singing Executioners (even
if they still do the same show year after year), and the Jolly Rogers
are high end professionals and they put on great performances. I miss
the Tortuga Twins, though. |
| Streetmosphere: |
3 |
In past years this event would have gotten a very strong
4, but there seemed to be an almost total lack of street characters.
Where was the feather stick guy? Where were the muddy beggars? Why
was Sauboo only there for a short while on Sunday? |
| After Hours: |
2 |
We didn't seem to blend at this event at all. Maybe
it is because it is so corporate? Someone else suggested that the
long hours make it difficult to have any time to play later in the
evening. Indeed, had we not left several hours before official closing
our own organized lawn party (in Omaha) wouldn't have happened. Still,
having so many performers staying onsite in the dorms (ah, air conditioning
and showers) did make for an easy way to keep in touch with those
you already knew. |
Jubilee College Olde World Faire (2001) - Brimfield,
Illinois
| Location: |
2 |
The location is in a remote state park near a small
town. It was close to a major interstate otherwise I'd have to give
it a 1 rating here. There are several ways to enter the park, and
we took the first one we saw (since the only instructions we had were
from the opposite direction). No signs pointing out which road to
take (once inside the park) were found until we were already close
to the event! Still, we did find it okay without getting lost. |
| Ambiance: |
3 |
There are trees everywhere and an interesting false
castle (near the back of the event). The layout was scattered and
congested, which at first made the event seem much larger than it
was. Real stages are also used, most with interesting period-style
backgrounds. The only reason this event did not receive a 4 was due
to the extensive use of public address systems which could be heard
all the way out to the parking field. Yuck! |
| Food/Drink: |
4 |
Yet another dry event. The festival operated one of
the best food counters I have ever seen. The food selection (hot dogs,
pork chop sandwiches, etc.) was nothing spectacular (and not themed
at all) but the method that they moved people through the line was
amazing. I almost went elsewhere when I saw the long lines
but after seeing how fast they moved people through I soon ended up
going to them just for a $1 ice tea. The only improvement I'd suggest
is a line dedicated just for drink purchases. Prices were very
good, too. Of course, there were other vendors selling kettle corn,
funnel cakes, root beer and an amazing assortment of baked
goods (as well as beef stew). Very impressive! |
| Merchants: |
4 |
Tons. Just tons! Even quite a few we had seen before,
and many we had not. |
| Entertainment: |
4 |
Shattock, Renaissance Sword Theatre, Owain Phyfe, Paco
the whip guy, musicians and a full jousting tournament made there
be far much more to see than possible. The jousting troupe has the
best set up I had seen, but their show was rather boring and slow
moving (to me). The performers are not allowed to ask for tips at
this event, making it even more special that they have so many there. |
| Streetmosphere: |
2 |
Were there any? I saw two odd fellows wandering around
on Sunday with ropes and buckets, but not much else. Was there even
wandering royalty? I didn't have to reverance once all weekend. At
least there was a massive parade (mostly of S.C.A. members, with about
a dozen <actually, Willa counted 23, not counting work boots>
of them in sneakers!). |
| After Hours: |
4 |
This is why people go to Jubilee, I think. It is a
massive get-together for S.C.A. groups and the onsite camping has
to be seen to be believed. Hundreds of tents fill the area and there
is so much going on that anyone staying on site couldn't help but
find something to do. We were hanging out with Shattock (and a few
from RST) so, of course, we had a blast. |
A Renaissance Affair (TBA) - Osceola, Iowa
| Location: |
3 |
This is a first-year event and it was basically organized
by one guy. The city of Osceola is about 45 miles south of Des Moines,
Iowa and the event is in a public park right off Interstate 35. |
| Ambiance: |
3 |
The park has a semi-paved road going through it and
a few shelters. Other than that it has a wonderful green appearance
with beautiful wooded areas all around and no buildings or power lines.
It is a camp site, so electrical outlets and water spiggots can be
found, but those could easily be disguised. Consider this a "low
3" since it is far better than Council Bluffs or the old Iowa
Renaissance Festival at the State Fairgrounds. |
| Food/Drink: |
1 |
The only food vendors present were HyVee (grocery store)
and kettle popped sugared corn. HyVee had turkey legs and chips (they
ran out of both), bratts, pork sandwiches, and sodas. That was it.
No water, lemonade, ice tea, or anything else. Blah. |
| Merchants: |
3 |
The selection was very small, but most categories were
present: artwork, weapons, garb, trinkets, kilts, face painting, and
even a place printing the history of your family name. |
| Entertainment: |
1 |
Minstrosity is a great musical group and the Danza
Mystique belly dancers will always be a personal favorite of mine,
but other than them and a live steel demonstration there wasn't much
to see. A "lite" version of the Orckes & Trolles played
a few songs on Saturday, but it just wasn't enough. |
| Streetmosphere: |
3 |
There seemed to be two groups of royalty and tons of
folks in garb at this event. There were no intense characters
(like a Rufus or a Sauboo or a Rigor Mortis) so nothing really stands
out. The only thing saving them from a 2 was the abundance
of garbed folks wandering around. |
| After Hours: |
3 |
The festival area was pretty tame, as to be expected
at such a small event, but two groups did get together for dinner
after the show closing. One went to a buffet at a nearby restaurant,
while the rest of us crossed the highway and had an excellent $11.50
meal at the casino. A few of us even donated some of our retirement
plan to the same casino after eating... |
The following events are scheduled for the fall of 2001 but I wanted
to include something about them in this article. Here are quick
entries taken from the festivals last year.
Iowa Renaissance Festival (2000) - Amana Colonies,
Iowa
| Location: |
3 |
The Amana Colonies is already a major tourist spot
in Iowa so even the somewhat remote location shouldn't count against
the festival. The actual park where the event is held is a bit off
the Interstate otherwise I'd happily give a 4. |
| Ambiance: |
3 |
This is a great and beautiful location but there are
a few buildings around and some power lines. Plenty of shade trees
offer protection from the sun and various banners and amusing signs
can be found scattered around the grounds. |
| Food/Drink: |
3 |
Huzzah! Wine and beer are available here, including
wonderful drinks from a local Amana Colonies winery. The food section
was relatively small but still quite decent. |
| Merchants: |
4 |
A nice selection with just about every category I could
think of represented. |
| Entertainment: |
3 |
The joust was lackluster (as it was in 1999) but there
was a good assortment of other entertainment including magicians,
jugglers, storytellers, belly dancers and Shattock. I almost want
to give this event a 2, though, since I can only recall one
musician at the entire three day event! |
| Streetmosphere: |
3 |
Rigor Mortis was around with his death cart as was
the monk and the living glove (with his pretzel wagon). Storyteller
Doc wandered around and amused the crowds, too. This should probably
be a 2, now that I think about it, since there really needed to be
more, but what was there was certainly good. |
| After Hours: |
2 |
When this event was held in Des Moines at the State
Fairgrounds I found it to have one of the best after hours of any
event I attend. Many would camp out at the site since it provided
electricity, water, and showers. At the Amana Colonies, most seemed
to be staying miles away in hotels so we never found any after hours
activities to get involved in. Since the Clann Tartan was there, I
am quite certain there was some great stuff going on, though.
We just didn't see it. |
Kansas City Renaissance Festival (2000) - Bonner Springs,
Kansas
| Location: |
4 |
How can you go wrong when you are so close to a major
city? The route to the event has a few turns here and there, and the
traffic can be a mess, but what else can you do with an event of this
size? |
| Ambiance: |
3 |
Most would rate this festival a 4 and so would I except
for the fact that this event screams corporate. There are ATM machines
and logos and every soda place seems to be run by the festival and
sells the same sodas. On the extreme plus (for some/most/all?) It
gives the appearance of a permanent village with houses and shops
and stages everywhere. There aren't really any tented merchants as
most have actual buildings for their shops or carts. Think theme
park here. Since I love theme parks, I really enjoy the ambiance
at this event, but since I enjoy the friendship at festivals
I can't quite give the ambiance a strong 4. For "appearance"
it would score a 4 easily if it were not for the corporate presence. |
| Food/Drink: |
4 |
Everything you can think of, including alcohol. There
are soups, turkey legs, imported beers, ice cream, coffee, mead, and
even water fountains. This is one big food court, folkes! |
| Merchants: |
4 |
Tons! Just tons. Mega mall tons. You don't see many
of the small mom and pop type people since it is apparently rather
expensive to vend at this festival. |
| Entertainment: |
4 |
You name it and they have it. The majority of the acts
are high paid professionals. Like magic? There is a tower stage with
nothing but magic acts throughout the day. Need music? The pirate's
stage almost always has something going on, such as the Jolly Rogers.
|
| Streetmosphere: |
4 |
There are tons of street characters and I have been
interacted with each time I've gone, which is a big accomplishment
considering how many thousands of people attend. Many of the KCRF
performers actually are the ones that fill up the Faire of the Midlands
in Council Bluffs, Iowa, as that event makes for a great dress rehearsal
for them. |
| After Hours: |
1 |
Too big. Too corporate. I got to hang out with a wenches
guild after hours and it was somewhat fun but still a mess. Security
walks around all the time and there are tons of restrictions (since
it is more like being in a mall after hours than out at a public park
or campground). Consider this event like going to Borders (which has
every book you can imagine) as opposed to a smaller event which is
like going to a local mom and pop bookshop where the selection is
be smaller but the friendliness is much greater. |
Wybreg Village Renaissance Festivals (Spring &
Fall 2000) - Bonaparte, Iowa
| Location: |
1 |
This event is literally in the middle of nowhere and
an hour away from any large city. It is fairly easy to find (once
you find Bonaparte) but more signage would be useful. The Villages
of Van Buren County are well known for their antique shops and numerous
Bed and Breakfasts so perhaps some already know of this area and find
its location easier than I do. |
| Ambiance: |
4 |
This is it, folks. As you walk up to the top of the
hill after parking you car, you enter in through the ticket tent and
gaze down into a natural amphitheater valley surrounded by trees.
No power lines. No airplanes. No highway. It's just one of the most
beautiful things you'll see at any event. The only down side is that
most of the festival is in this basin and there are no shade trees.
To compensate, the festival has many tents and covered areas. Of course,
Fall of 2000 was so cold (including snow flurries one afternoon!)
that we would have loved more sun. |
| Food/Drink: |
2 |
Champagne and beer, anyone? Sadly the entire food line
consisted of turkey legs, soup, and buffalo hot dogs from the Taverne.
The Taverne was exceptionally fun and great, and there was plenty
of free water, otherwise I'd be tempted to list a 1 here. Hopefully
the 2001 event can increase the amount of food and drink. |
| Merchants: |
2 |
Those who were there were very good, but there just
was not enough to keep someone shopping all day. Fortunately, most
were quite period with their tents and such otherwise it might have
been possible to list a 1 here. |
| Entertainment: |
3 |
The spring 2000 event had the most amazing assortment
of music, while the fall 2000 event seemed almost lacking in that
area (but still far more than most small faires). There were a few
big name groups, such as the excellent Hanlon-Lees jousting company,
and music from Ethan James (brought in from California) as well as
bagpipers, belly dancers, storytellers, Naughty Nobles, a children's
area, juggler (Dean Franzen) and a magician. Actually, bringing back
all the music on top of this assortment would easily push this to
a 4. |
| Streetmosphere: |
4 |
Rufus the Rude and Sauboo took turns with the whip
while a plethora of local volunteers wandered around playing roles
of poets, fools, fairies and many more. There were three washer well
wenches flirting and joking and everyone seemed to go out of their
way to make patrons feel part of the fun. I have never been
to an event where so much interaction was going on. |
| After Hours: |
4 |
This is now my home faire even though it is several
hours farther away than my previous home faire. I had a blast here
with groups of us going out to eat at local restaurants or just sitting
around a fire on the festival grounds. It was a total blast. |
I know what some of you are thinking... "John-Paul is so full
of mead. He doesn't have a clue about what makes a good festival!"
Well, we've already thought about that. A review is only important
to you if the reviewer likes the same things you do. A war movie fan might
give Star Wars a lousy rating while a big sci-fi buf might have surgery
just to give it a "three thumbs up" rating. So, let's take a
moment and do something that I've not seen done in too many places. Let's
find out what John-Paul likes. If you agree with his priorities,
then these reviews may be accurate. If you completely disagree, you will
have a better understanding of why you should not always trust JP. In
the future we hope to have a community rating system (see the side bar,
top left) that will let you find reviews by people who are like you with
regards to festival likes and dislikes.
John-Paul's Ranking Profile:
1=Don't Care, 2=Not Really Important, 3=Somewhat Important,
4=Very Important
| Location: |
1 |
Remote faires can be a pain in the arse but as long
as I can find them without too much trouble I don't mind the long
drives. The way I see it, it could be three hours to get to a huge
festival and still not be worth it. I have yet to drive to a remote
event that I didn't think was worth a few hours in the car (though
a few have come close). |
| Ambiance: |
4 |
This is very important to me. Buildings and power lines
turn me off, and corporate logos should never be seen at a renaissance
festival. If you gotta be sponsored, at least theme things! Go away,
Pepsi. I'm trying to watch the joust. |
| Food/Drink: |
2 |
I'm not too picky here. Basically, if there are turkey
legs and ice tea or lemonade, it's a festival. I don't even mind corn
dogs (since I like them) as long as they try to theme them somehow
with a cute name. Access to liquids, though, is crucial. Alcohol is
a big plus since I enjoy walking around with a mug of wine from time
to time. If the only drink stands are soda I'd have a problem with
it since cola on a hot day is not the best thing for someone in 6
layers of clothing. |
| Merchants: |
2 |
I'm not a big shopper. I don't need fifteen different
belt shops to make a choice. As long as there is one merchant with
what I am looking for, I am happy. A handful of quality merchants
is better, to me, than a hundred merchants with many duplicate items.
|
| Entertainment: |
4 |
When I go to play, I want to be entertained. If I go
to participate, this is not as important since I'm going to be too
busy to see the shows anyway. People don't pay to shop—they pay
to be entertained. |
| Streetmosphere: |
4 |
Make me part of the show or I'm not happy I just spent
$12 to walk around a mediaeval shopping mall. An event with no roaming
characters just seems... |
| After Hours: |
3 |
I wouldn't go to an event strictly to party, but knowing
that such activities do happen might encourage me to make a weekend
out of something that I would normally day trip. I find that the events
I like the best are the ones that I can get most involved with and
hang out with the most people (even if, in general, I don't like hanging
out with people). |
That's it, folkes. Now you know what John-Paul thinks about these events
and why he thinks that way. If you are interested in completing a profile
about your likes and dislikes when it comes to faires, feel free to contact
us. Until we have the automated system figured out we plan to continue
to run micro rating reviews such as these. Also, if you think there are
other categories we should add to the rankings, drop us a note about that
as well. Lastly, if you are a beautiful wench who would like to have a
wild time with official Rogue #641 (that would be me, John-Paul), please
let him know at once. (Now we'll see if Willa catches that and edits it
out . . . -- JP)
< Willa's note: Nothing gets past me. Duh, rose boy. None of
the wenches will dally with you because they fear my wrath. Just
ask Fae ;) >
And remember... The only opinion that truly matters is your own. Before
you sell your wife and jump in the car for a 16 hour drive to a festival
just because you read a review here, take a moment to find a few other
opinions and see if they all line up with what you expect. The only time
we'd want you to go to a faire that you haven't researched is when we
are asking for special favors to help build attendance at events we believe
in (such as Wybreg Village).
If you have enjoyed this article, please let
John-Paul know by sending him an e-mail.
|
Help keep us online. Book your
travel here, or patronize some of these folke:
|
