I did the Iowa Renaissance Festival in Amana, IA today. This event is quite toned down when compared to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, but that makes a lot of sense. The Minnesota RenFest has been in the same place for 50+ years, it runs every weekend from approximately Memorial Day to the end of September, and it's in one of the top 20 metro areas by population. By way of comparison, the Iowa Renaissance Festival has been around for about 30 years, doesn't occur every weekend, and travels around the state, going to the people. As a result the vibe is unique to each place.
The Minnesota Renfest has some awesome artisans. Over the years, I purchased my boots, jerkin, hat, and a leather mug at the Minnesota Renfest. I paid a premium, but the work was done by highly skilled experts in their crafts. With these items alone, my constantly-evolving costume would retail today for well over $750. Fun story about the leather mug... I bought it over 20 years ago. When I went back the next year, a vendor -- yes, a VENDOR -- asked me where I got the mug. When I told him that I'd bought it from a vendor at the MN RenFest, he asked me the purchase price, and when I told him, he offered double on the spot. I politely declined. He then said I need to hold on to the mug, because the original artisan had passed away, and the mugs were quickly skyrocketing in price. He stamped each mug with a serial number, so you knew it was him. To put this in perspective, leather mugs ran over $100 this year. Mine is less ornate but superior quality. But I'm digressing...
The Iowa Renfest has local artisans, and it's a bit more eclectic. It caters a bit less to stereotypical tourist crowd, and more toward your average nerd. Some of the vendors obviously purchase stuff online and sell at a markup, but there are others who are up-and-coming craftsmen, or who make crafts just for the love of it. My favorite vendor today had a huge selection of cloaks and capes that were hand made and upcycled from remnant fabric such as curtains or old blankets. At past Iowa Renfest events, I purchased my leather belt and a mug belt holder. I also purchased a dice rolling tower.
Both events have mandatory things, such as bawdy comedy shows, smoked turkey legs, live jousting and sword fighting, and mead, which is one of my favorite indulgences. I'm learning to make mead with my best friend James, so it's almost my duty to sample professional mead when the opportunity arises. Today I tasted an apple pie mead, which was phenomenal. It cost $25 for an 8 oz bottle, but I happily absorbed that cost in the name of professional research.
Oh, I should mention that I wore peace tied weapons. I have a dagger, which is technically my oldest renfest attire item. I purchased it when I visited Medieval Times in Buena Park, CA sometime in the late 80's or early 90's. It's a cheap cast dagger, but it's fun to carry. My other weapon is my official USMC issue NCO sword, which is technically a saber. Some people may cringe at the fact that I use my USMC NCO sword as part of my renfest costume, but I would rather bring it out and play with it than let it simply sit on my wall, collect dust, and tarnish over time.
I took my dog Lainie with me, just like I did for the Minnesota Renfest. Per usual, she was a hit. She enjoys the outings, and loves the attention. For my part, I enjoy watching people interact with her. It makes them happy; it makes her happy; and that brings me happiness.
While shopping today, I was on the lookout for four possible purchases for my ever-evolving costume: 1) I was looking for a better frog for my USMC NCO Sword. The frog I have is too big. I didn't find what I was looking for, so when I got home I bit the bullet and purchased a dagger holster from Amazon, because it's the perfect size. 2) I'm looking for a leather cavalier hat with an ostrich feather. My lovely bride got one this year, and when I tried it on, I thought Oh, I need this for my costume! 3) I'm looking for a wool cloak with a hood. But it was really hot today, and I didn't want to buy a cloak while it's crazy hot outside. I need to find the right item at the right time. 4) I want to upgrade my bracers. I saw a couple of possibilities, but none of them were dark brown, which I need to match my existing costume. I have bracers, but they're thin leather. I want something that's a little less ornamental, and a little thicker. The fun thing about this is the hunt. I've been doing this for a long time, so I can afford to go slow and find exactly what I'm looking for.
The only downside to today is that I had planned to go with my wife and another couple. The other couple is dogsitting a puppy that kept them up all night, so they flaked, and my ride-or-die wife has a chest cold, making her feel more like "die" than "ride." On the good side, this is the first time I've done a renfest totally solo, which allowed me the freedom to come and go completely on my timeline. Additionally, I had purchased wifey's ticket in advance, so I made some random lady's day by giving her the extra ticket at no charge.
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