With the exception of the years when I lived in Alaska, I have attended the Michigan Renaissance Festival in Holly, MI, at least once a year since 1989, when I was first introduced to it. While I have a few complaints about the way the fair is run, the experience is more than enjoyable enough to have us come back year after year. We usually bring other friends along with us, and since 1997, we have dressed in Renaissance fashion and encouraged those friends to do the same.
This year's Renaissance festival in Holly was quite enjoyable with a few minor bumps. Overall, I had a good time. My favorite part of the festival is the live entertainment. While I enjoy the various musicians who are scattered about the fair, my favorite shows are the comedy routines. Unfortunately, many of my favorite acts through the years have retired, and I have yet to find an act that can be deemed as a "favorite." It's been over a decade since Don Juan and Miguel, or Byte and Bannister. Gone now too are the Zucchini Brothers. While Rick Roc is still going strong, his act, though entertaining, never quite hit the height of the others I mentioned. Rogue Blades is over a decade old, and while they steal elements from some of the earlier acts ("a mortal wound"), they are missing an element of authenticity and timing that the other acts had. I also avoid a large number of acts due to either their bawdy or outright disgusting nature of their shows as I am usually tied to the stroller and my youngest sons. I look forward to the day when I can freely roam the festival with another like-minded person without having to spend hours of my time there at the children's play-land.
My largest complaint about the festival is the lack of watering holes. This past weekend was sunny and hot (though not the hottest festival that we've been to) and I had to spend entirely too much money on cold drinks (usually around $4 for 12 oz.) and bottled water ($2 for 12 oz.). The experience has made us want to bring in a stroller in the future, even when we don't have children of stroller age, just to cart a pack of bottled water around with us. Maybe I can get one of those backpack water containers instead.
My second largest complaint is that the event isn't smoke-free. Most disturbing to me were those morons who chose to smoke at the children's play-area. One white-trash mother actually had a lit cigarette in her mouth as she took her two-year old girl up into the playground and went down the slide with her. Still, even those complaints didn't eclipse the enjoyable experience that I had.
This year, Katrina brought three friends (including her boyfriend) who all dressed up and seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves. Surprisingly, we didn't run into them all day until our appointed time (when attending with a group, always set at least an end time and place for everyone to get back together). Alex spent much of the day going to acts (especially Tartanic, where she got a hug from the lead drummer) on her own, and my mother (who usually attends with us) was able to explore on her own while still meeting up with Janelle, me, and the boys.
I didn't get to see many acts, let alone new ones, but I did enjoy the new group (at least to me), Sirena the Sirens. This musical trio had fantastic aquatic make-up, synchronized choreography, and enjoyable (if disturbing) music. They also went through the audience and played with men's (or girls' who kind of looked like men's) hair. To paraphrase Garth, they made me feel kind of funny, like when I used to climb the rope in gym class. Unfortunately, that made me feel a bit like the dirty old man as they were all at least a decade younger than me.
My family had a good time. Alex and Trevor both got new hats, my mother got a hip flask with a leather holder, Janelle picked up her yearly mug, and Connor got a new wooden sword. Rowen got pushed around be a little girl while at the playground, and Trevor was taken onstage at the beginning of the Rogue Blades' act. No one was arrested from our group, but Rowen was terrified of the jail. And while camels were available to ride for the first time that I can remember (there have been elephants a couple of times in the past), no one from my group wanted to ride them in the hot sun.
All in all, we were there from about eleven (we had a late start) to six and had a great time.
This year's Renaissance festival in Holly was quite enjoyable with a few minor bumps. Overall, I had a good time. My favorite part of the festival is the live entertainment. While I enjoy the various musicians who are scattered about the fair, my favorite shows are the comedy routines. Unfortunately, many of my favorite acts through the years have retired, and I have yet to find an act that can be deemed as a "favorite." It's been over a decade since Don Juan and Miguel, or Byte and Bannister. Gone now too are the Zucchini Brothers. While Rick Roc is still going strong, his act, though entertaining, never quite hit the height of the others I mentioned. Rogue Blades is over a decade old, and while they steal elements from some of the earlier acts ("a mortal wound"), they are missing an element of authenticity and timing that the other acts had. I also avoid a large number of acts due to either their bawdy or outright disgusting nature of their shows as I am usually tied to the stroller and my youngest sons. I look forward to the day when I can freely roam the festival with another like-minded person without having to spend hours of my time there at the children's play-land.
My largest complaint about the festival is the lack of watering holes. This past weekend was sunny and hot (though not the hottest festival that we've been to) and I had to spend entirely too much money on cold drinks (usually around $4 for 12 oz.) and bottled water ($2 for 12 oz.). The experience has made us want to bring in a stroller in the future, even when we don't have children of stroller age, just to cart a pack of bottled water around with us. Maybe I can get one of those backpack water containers instead.
My second largest complaint is that the event isn't smoke-free. Most disturbing to me were those morons who chose to smoke at the children's play-area. One white-trash mother actually had a lit cigarette in her mouth as she took her two-year old girl up into the playground and went down the slide with her. Still, even those complaints didn't eclipse the enjoyable experience that I had.
This year, Katrina brought three friends (including her boyfriend) who all dressed up and seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves. Surprisingly, we didn't run into them all day until our appointed time (when attending with a group, always set at least an end time and place for everyone to get back together). Alex spent much of the day going to acts (especially Tartanic, where she got a hug from the lead drummer) on her own, and my mother (who usually attends with us) was able to explore on her own while still meeting up with Janelle, me, and the boys.
I didn't get to see many acts, let alone new ones, but I did enjoy the new group (at least to me), Sirena the Sirens. This musical trio had fantastic aquatic make-up, synchronized choreography, and enjoyable (if disturbing) music. They also went through the audience and played with men's (or girls' who kind of looked like men's) hair. To paraphrase Garth, they made me feel kind of funny, like when I used to climb the rope in gym class. Unfortunately, that made me feel a bit like the dirty old man as they were all at least a decade younger than me.
My family had a good time. Alex and Trevor both got new hats, my mother got a hip flask with a leather holder, Janelle picked up her yearly mug, and Connor got a new wooden sword. Rowen got pushed around be a little girl while at the playground, and Trevor was taken onstage at the beginning of the Rogue Blades' act. No one was arrested from our group, but Rowen was terrified of the jail. And while camels were available to ride for the first time that I can remember (there have been elephants a couple of times in the past), no one from my group wanted to ride them in the hot sun.
All in all, we were there from about eleven (we had a late start) to six and had a great time.
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