1243 – Ren Faire With Ray
Ray recaps a Ren Faire while Scooter meets a new friend named Alan.
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Episode 1243 – Ren Faire With Ray
[START OF RECORDING]
SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls…oh boy, there was a band that once said it’s time to…I think they said it’s time to slow it down…it’s time to cool it down and slow it down and warm it up. So, I’m gonna cool it down, I’m gonna slow it down…you don’t have to watch out because it’s gonna be full of pointless meanders and superfluous tangents. But yeah, I’m gonna be slowing things down here 'cause you’re…this…oh, this is Sleep With Me, the podcast that’s here to put you to sleep. I was thinking about old eighties music. Then all of a sudden, when I said ‘old eighties music’, Menudo popped in my head, but not the food Menudo. But anyway, so, welcome to Sleep With Me.
If you’re new, it’s a podcast to put you to sleep, but really it’s a podcast that takes your mind off of stuff and keeps you company, that cuts through whatever’s keeping you awake, that’s your friend in the deep, dark night, that takes away some of that loneliness or creates a friendly atmosphere where you could kinda relax. I’m like your boring…a little bit odd friend, obviously. For some of you, I have ref…pop-culture references that are obscure at best and definitely dated. I would say that music probably has aged like a wine has. I don't know, maybe like fine wine. I’ve not listened to Menudo in a while, but I will try to listen to some soon. But anyway, yeah, if you’re new, by the way, this is…this show is very different.
It does take a few episodes to get used to 'cause I’m like a friend, a new friend, but first…rarely do you become some…friends with someone right away, especially in the context of me telling you a story to put you to sleep. So, I’m more here to apply for the role. So, you say, okay, well, kinda…yeah, I’m not sure about you. I say, that’s exactly right. So, maybe I’ll talk about the genesis of my nickname, Uncle Baby, and how that applies to a sleep podcast coming up, 'cause I did tell my niece…I’m sure I’ve talked about how my nieces and nephews call me Uncle Baby. But she just started listening to the podcast. I don't want to keep her up, though. But Daniel, Teddy, Anita, Alex…I just spent time with them. So, hi, Anita. Make sure to fall asleep right after I’m done talking about this. But so, welcome to Sleep With Me.
Structurally I’ll be…oh, but first I gotta…I’ll be back, Anita. First I gotta talk about some other stuff. So, this is a podcast that’s here to take your mind off of stuff. Structurally this show is very different. It does take some getting used to, like I said. It is very intentional, which I’ll explain later, and if you’re looking for a different version of the show, we have a great subscription at Sleep With Me+, we have a referral program where you could earn ad-free episodes by referring people to the show. You can also subscribe right in most podcast apps, or in Apple Podcasts they have their own subscription. But for most people, they like the structure of this show as it is, but you could kinda see as you become a regular listener what’s gonna work best for you.
But at first, yeah, this is our little welcoming part, then there’s gonna be support. That’s…means that there’s over 600 episodes that you could listen to that are ad-supported, no cost to you. But then after the support is a long, meandering intro — which this is almost becoming of itself — where I go on and on and on, then there’s support, then there will be a bedtime story about staying cool in theme parks and listening to…watching…attending live performances, and some thank-yous at the end. So, that’s the structure of the show. I’m really glad you’re here. Give it a few tries. See how it goes. But I’m so happy to help you, and all my regular listeners, I’m so glad you’re back. Welcome to Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. Thanks for the support, my bore-friends.
INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, welcome. This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press Play. I’m gonna do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake, whether that’s thoughts, like things on your mind that you’re thinking about, thoughts about the past, the present, the future, feelings, anything coming up for you emotionally related to those thoughts or feelings that are just there, it could be physical sensations, changes in time, temperature, routine, you could be traveling, you could have guests coming, you could work a different shift than a lot of people, your work shift could have changed.
Whatever it is that’s keeping you awake, the only reason I go through that stuff is to let you know you’re not alone. That’s really the most important part about this show, and not everybody feels lonely in the deep, dark night, so…I mean, I also want to say…I don't know, ‘validated’ doesn’t feel like the right word, though. I just want to talk about your importance and the importance of you getting the sleep you need and you deserve, but some sort of acknowledgement, right, that we’re here together. Whatever it is that’s keeping you awake, I want to acknowledge that that’s important and that I can probably relate to how it feels. I might not have been through the exact thing that’s keeping you awake, but I may have been through something that feels similar.
Even if I haven’t, there’s enough people listening that there’s someone else listening right now, leaning in, who knows how it feels and has been through something closely similar, and they feel for you. That’s an important thing to recognize and acknowledge, even if most part of us…we say, whoa, whoa, keep that over there. Or, a part of me is still rolling its eyes at stuff like that, unfortunately, and alls I can do is pat that part of me on the back and say, it’ll be okay. I realize you’re…it’s not easy for you to accept that…yeah, we know how it feels, and…so, that’s one thing. The other thing is you deserve a good night's sleep.
You deserve a bedtime where you could get some rest, the rest you need so your life is more manageable, so you have a bedtime and a bedtime routine where you have something like a bore-friend or something…you say, well, at least this…I got that sleep podcast to listen to, a friend in the deep, dark night. So, yeah. Because when you get the rest you need, your life is better and that means the whole world is better, and that is the truth because everything…you deserve that and you deserve that…you know what I mean. I’m stumbling over my words now 'cause I’m feeling a little bit…whatever, of intimacy, and it’s not easy to talk about this stuff. That’s why I try to do it in a respectful way, but it’s still important because you’re important. So, what I’ll do here is I’ll send my voice across the deep, dark night.
I’m gonna use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, and superfluous tangents, all to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff so you could drift off. As I said earlier, this show is very different, and probably if you’ve been having trouble sleeping, you’re probably skeptical or doubtful that this show would even work for you, or you’ve gotten here and you’re like, this doesn't meet my…this is very strange. It wasn’t what I expected. That’s normal. For most people, that’s their first experience of the show, is…dismay, I think, is a way to generalize it. No one’s ever called it the spectrum of dismay, but there’s a lot of…I’ve received e-mails of so many flavors of dismay, including this morning. The Far Side…The Far Side of Dismay might be nice just 'cause I like The Far Side.
But yeah, this was coming from the shadier side of dismay. Holy moly. But everybody experiences dismay when they get here. Not everybody, but a lot of people, the majority of people, 'cause you…this show is different and you’ve been struggling to sleep and you’re probably fed up a bit. So, that’s normal. Just give it a few tries and see how it goes. Now, if there’s some reason…like the person that e-mailed me, they…that you are 100% sure this podcast is not gonna work for you or that you just don’t like me, sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou has other sleep podcasts and sleepy stuff on there that you could check out.
So, then maybe one of those shows…maybe one of the other sleep podcasts out there or some audiobooks or some noise, whatever it is…or a daytime…chill, daytime podcast; maybe that could be what helps you get to sleep. So, your sleep is still important to me because I know how it feels. Even when those people…yeah, even when you have strong dismay…yeah. So, what else? The show’s very different, it takes some getting used to…one of the things that takes some getting used to is this is a podcast you don’t really listen to. So, a lot of people, they say, this show never starts until like forty minutes into the show. I say, okay, well, just give it a few tries. See how it goes, because this is a podcast you just barely listen to.
It follows structure that I’ll explain in a second, but it’s meant to kinda ease you into bedtime, but that you’re kinda just barely following along. Now, the intro’s…believe it or not, the intro’s a bit more…well, the story’s still coherent, too, but it’s a loose coherence. So, just…kinda just listen like a out-of-focus picture or sand in your hands. You say, I can't really hold onto it. I don't know, you’ll kinda see. This is also a podcast that doesn't put you to sleep, believe it or not. I’ve been making the show over ten years now. I don't know if there was any sleep podcasts…I don't think there was when I first started, but even though this was…I kinda started this thing, it’s not meant to put you to sleep. I’m here to keep you company while you fall asleep, to take your mind off of stuff and be a distraction so you could fall asleep.
What does that mean? It means that I’m here to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your bore-bud, your bore-bestie, your neigh-bore, your bore-bor, your Borbie, your bores, your bore-bruh. I’m here to be your friend and just kinda talk to you while you drift off or if you can't sleep, 'cause the episodes are over an hour because there’s no pressure to fall asleep. I’m here to keep you company if you need it. I’m here to keep you company if you’re awake or asleep, because there’s people who are listening who can't sleep or who need a break during the day. They’re having a really tough day or maybe they just need to listen right now, or they woke up. Whatever it is, I’m here for you to the very end whether you’re awake or asleep, so you don’t have to fall asleep.
That’s why there’s 601 episodes ready to go, and you could kinda…as you become a regular listener, kinda pick your favorites. So, those are important things to point out. The other thing I’ll point out is…well, the show takes some getting used to…and I’ll talk about the structure last. So, I just…you’re hearing this episode a while after I recorded it, but I just spent some time with family. You know, my younger nieces and nephews…maybe I only see them once or twice a year if I’m lucky. As I said, I just got to spend some time with Anita, Teddy, Daniel, and Alex, and we were kinda talking. They call me Uncle Baby, which is both meant to be a little bit of a non…it’s a bit of a joke but it sounds cool, too.
It’s like, Uncle Baby…to me, it sounds cool. I’m pretty good at playing it up, so then when they call me Uncle Baby, I act like Uncle Baby. But I only became Uncle Baby 'cause I used to be ‘that guy’ or ‘the guy’ or ‘that guy over there’, and I was never…I never had a t-shirt like Your Favorite Uncle or whatever. It was like, hey, is that guy coming with us? Or, you want to sit next to that guy? Yeah, I could sit next to that guy. He’s kinda silly. Then, just like the podcast…and that’s what people…some people say ‘that boring guy’ to their partners or people in their life, or…I don't think I’ve ever become Uncle Baby to anybody listening, but I could. Uncle Baby’s more of a daytime…it’s more of a non-sleep-time nickname.
‘Cause I mean, there’s the real-world Uncle Baby that just tries to make kids laugh by my over-the-top behavior or my natural behavior, then there’s a Uncle Baby…the imaginary Uncle Baby that’s…there’s acoustic bass playing and I’m walking down the street, and people…you know, doing some point…hey, hey, Uncle Baby’s in town. That’s right, that’s right. Uncle Baby is here. So, I mean, that’s just…but no one knows about that Uncle Baby’s life. It’s like my own fanfiction. So, it took my…just like it takes some time for a lot of people to get used to the podcast, that’s a natural process for everything, right?
I don't just become your bore-friend; I have to kinda slowly go through the trust-building process or by boring you and going off topic and just barely…you say, you’re not quite boring me; you’re just not…I say, yeah, I’ve done…I do it during the day, too. I went from being ‘that guy’ to Uncle Baby. So, that’s the Uncle Baby genesis story I promised. What else? Oh, structure of the show. The show is designed in a very specific way, and that’s just because…based on feedback over the past ten years of what works best, and…but you can adjust the show, so I’ll kinda tell you. The show starts off with a greeting; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, then I kinda go on a tangent. But that’s, again, the ‘that guy’…you say, okay, I could check that podcast out, maybe.
Like, I don't know…I don't want to…I’m not totally a fan of it yet, but I’ll keep listening. Then there’s support so paying for the podcast is optional. For people that want a ad-free version, they sign up for Sleep With Me+ or the referral program. But for most people, the sponsor support works great for them. So, then there’s a intro after the support, and the intro is…it’s separate from the support and it start…I don't know, the intro’s about fifteen to twenty minutes long, and the intro is where I explain what the podcast is ineffectively like I did tonight, but you get a general idea of what the show is gonna be like.
For regular listeners, it follows a similar structure but it’s different every time so you have something new to look forward to, whatever keeps you awake can't quite adjust because it doesn't know what’s coming, didn’t know I’d be talking about Uncle Baby, and for some of you…I mean, for regular listeners, they would say, that’s probably the nick…I would have never guessed your nickname was Uncle Baby, but it makes perfect sense. So, they’re kinda barely giggling. But so, what was the point? Oh, so the intro…though you say, well, why would a podcast have a fifteen to twenty-minute intro? Shouldn’t it just be the…? I say, well, the intro serves another purpose which is to ease you into bedtime. The intro is not really here to put you to sleep. It does put a small percentage of people to sleep.
There’s a small percentage of people that skip the intro, there’s people who just listen to the intros or people that just listen to story-only versions of the show, but for most people, the intro is the wind down. So, it’s not really here to put you to sleep. You could be in bed getting comfortable or you could be getting ready for bed or winding down. That’s just what works for me and the majority of people, is having a bedtime routine to ease you into bedtime, to have some transition. So, that’s what the intro’s there for. Then there’s support, then there will be our bedtime story.
Tonight will be my neighbor Ray talking about staying cool and seeing performances at theme parks, and then there’s thank-yous at the end of the show. So, that’s the structure of the show. That’s why I make the show. I’m so glad you’re here. Whether you’re a regular listener — welcome back — or you’re new, I’m glad you’re here. Thank you so much for coming by. I really work…I work hard; so do a bunch of other people, 'cause we yearn and we strive. We really want to help you fall asleep. So, thanks again for coming by, and here’s a couple of ways we’re able to do it for you for free twice a week.
Alright everybody, this is Scoots. I’m just…my neighbor Ray, Ray Perkins, who’s gonna come on and talk about a Renaissance faire we went to this summer, and I wanted to give a shout-out to Alan who Ray and I got to meet at the…oh no, Ray wasn’t with me, actually, but I got to meet Alan, a listener from Sleep With Me who recognized me. I want to thank Alan for saying hi and kinda dedicate this episode to Alan, because it’s very rare, one, that I meet any listeners from Sleep With Me in person, but to meet someone at a place where I’m doing research for the show…and I had just…it was so wild because I had just gotten…there was…this Renaissance faire has really bounced back, so there was long lines for a lot of stuff. We were there for a while. We were really doing the Renaissance faire up, so we needed some coffee.
So, we had gotten cappuccino, maybe they had, not coffee. I had gone to get them and that’s when I ran into Alan and a couple people Alan was with, and it was like…Alan said, are…wait a second, are you the guy that makes…are you Scooter? I was like, holy cow. So, I had three hot coffees in my hands, so I couldn’t…it was kind of…it was just so cool. So, we took some pictures together and, I don't know, it was awesome. So, I really appreciate it and knowing that Alan listens to the show and lives in the area where I grew up in, generally…I don't know, small world. So, it was cool. So, thank you, Alan, for saying hi. Without further ado, here’s my neighbor Ray Perkins.
Hello, hello, hello, everybody. This is your neighbor Ray, Scooter’s neighbor Ray. But in your heart, I’m your neighbor, too. Yeah, so, this is your neighbor, Ray. Scooter, we didn’t do a Father Figure Day, so you think this will be the father figure…? Scooter’s shrugging his ears at me. Shugging his…? Shrugging his ears at me. So, I’m…just in case you’re new, welcome to Sleep With Me. I’m Scooter’s neighbor Ray. Some people say…Scooter, how does…who’s Ray? It sounds…I know I sound a bit like Scooter 'cause I’ve learned from him how to do a sleep podcast. I used to call him the Pod Boy because that’s what he is; he’s my little Pod Boy, though I haven’t called him it in a while. My Pod Boy is all grown up. I would like to pinch his cheeks. But I’m Scooter’s neighbor twice, not removed, but I moved…twice moved.
I met Scooter years ago, before the podcast even, though he wasn’t very…even during the podcast he didn’t really…he doesn’t have a lot to say to people, though he’s working on that. So, we’ll have to see. He’s really trying to grow up. But…so, I ran into him when I was a neighbor. I’m very outgoing and I always like to say ‘just do your best’. I’d like to know you, though. But Scooter was…you could listen to other episodes. I want to get into this…and hello to Alan. I did not get to meet Alan 'cause Scooter had gone off to get us all coffees. We were there with Scooter’s…one of Scooter’s brothers and Scooter’s…she’s not a little one anymore. Once upon a time she was the little one. We’d refer to her as…his daughter as the little one, but no longer.
But what an experience we had at this Renaissance festival in Sterling, New York. I have the…what is this? This is not the brochure, but this is the…I don't know. This has the schedule on here, the map, everything, everything we need. You could find out more at sterlingfestival.com, where excitement reigns. This year or the year…last year, because it’s almost the end of the year…it was July 1 through August 13. I don't know when we went. It was in August, I think, or the end of July. Oh, it says price; fifty cents, though we got these for free when we paid. There’s a 108…800 number. That’s rare, an 800 number. So, I guess I’ll talk about it a little bit because this was…let’s see, how do I talk about it without…?
Okay, so this was one of the…our best Renaissance faire experience, and I don't want to point any fingers but…and especially at…not at mother nature, but mother nature in this case did play a factor because mother nature…the weather was warm but not too hot. It was partly sunny, so it wasn’t too sunny. So, that was part one; mother nature…it didn’t rain and it hadn’t rained the night before. ‘Cause the Renaissance faire can get muddy, you know. So, that was one part. The other part was we had a small party. It was just the four of us, and that makes…and we were all pretty flexible.
But we decided we would intentionally go to shows on time and try to pick shows ahead of time and sit through the show to experience some shows fully, because what happens is…or what we found is that if you’re in a group of people, everybody not only has different expectations but the different ability…where they want to go and timing…this was a nice group and we had set the intention; hey, let’s go to some shows for the whole time. Let’s pick them while we’re sitting. We’ll get to the…we’ll try to get to the shows early, and we’ll see if we could go to quite a few shows. Otherwise you kinda just eat and walk around, and you maybe see a couple shows or you separate. Again, this was also…like we talk about with the Six Flags or the Dickens Fair; you’re not gonna be able to do…this is the benefit.
This is…what do they call it? A feature, not a flaw. But you’re not gonna be able to do everything. I guess at this price…I don't know how much it cost. I don't see a price on here. Not inexpensive but not costing as much as these theme parks, understandably. But actually, with the…when you think about it…let’s just say for saying’s sake that it was $50. Maybe we’ll look it up. But pretty easy to get $50 of value out of this, I would say. Again, not everybody’s in a position to do that. I understand that. Now, a couple other things about this specific Renaissance faire; well, one, when Scooter was just a lad, he fell in love with one of the performers at a distance at the Renaissance faire when he was just a high school lad, I believe.
She was performing in one of the…they used to close it…close out the night with a full…a shorter version of a Shakespearean play, so that was one thing, and that was only when Scooter…that was the only time Scooter went I think in his whole life, 'cause it’s just not the kind of thing…with Scooter’s family, not…eight people; that’s pretty expensive…and all the age ranges. But this was a highly-promoted thing in both Syracuse and Rochester, I believe, because it’s kinda placed perfectly in-between those two metro areas and then all the surrounding areas. So, that was one thing. The other thing is this one is…it’s built on its own grounds, so it has permanent structures. It is built into a hill, and they’ve added new structures.
Actually, they even had a new structure this year that we didn’t get to…we walked over to it but we didn’t get to see a performance, like a new stage. So, that is another nice feature. Very much like the Dickens Fair, you do not want…and I think it’ll probably be different next year, but you really want to time your eating or bring food because the lines for food can be very long, especially nowadays in this world, like a Renaissance faire. Particularly this location was remote, so I don't think they had…you could…your phone didn’t always have service and not all the vendors had internet service. So, it was like, some were cash only and some were cashless. No offense; Ray…I’m older than Scooter but I would…I’m just…I prefer cashless transactions. Much easier for everybody in line and for the people working.
But you gotta do what you gotta do. So, you will have to wait in very long lines if you’re eating, though that hasn’t always been the case. So, pre-2020, there were times the lines were long and there were times that they were sparse, 'cause Scooter remembers eating hot dogs and not waiting in line, he said. But I think this was the first year…so, we’ve been going pretty regularly. Not every year, but any time Scooter can convince people to go, he goes. But that doesn't always translate into…it kinda depends on the group of people you’re bringing. I think what we saw with this one is go in with your smallest group possible. But we’ll see next year if we go or not.
Oh, this is in New York State, by the way, where Scooter and I…not far from where Scooter grew up, but also in the…it takes…took us about a hour, forty-five minutes to a hour to get there, you think, Scooter? Scooter thinks so. So, it’s very large. It does involve a lot of walking. It’s a lot of uneven paths, so the last time Scooter went with his father and his mother, it was not easy for his mother to navigate all these paths. Plus, it had been raining, so then it was even slippier. So, you do have to take that into account when you’re planning ahead of time and you’re planning your group. Also, there’s a lot of all-ages shows, but…that appeal to a certain age range of kids, but a smaller age of kids…it’s gonna be tough for them to sit down through shows, I think. Okay, so, let’s see.
Now, one of the things…this is on the back of the…whatever, the…I don't know what to call this thing. The thing…a playbill, I guess. So, one of the things that distinguishes the Sterling Renaissance Faire from other Renaissance festivals, a Renaissance festival, is it has a full-time professional core of actors and performers from across the country. Weeks of rehearsal and training go into the varied and colorful citizens of Warwick you see all around you, and they’re called the Wyldewood Players, W-Y-L-D-E-W-O-O-D Players. They’re the citizens of Warwick. So, they had Queen Elizabeth’s Court, they had Queen, Cardinal, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Francis Drake, Lady Dorothy Edmunds, and Lady Margaret Radcliffe. Scooter saw a show with them that was quite good.
Then you have the villagers of Warwick; Lord Mayor, Lady Mayor, Mayor’s Daughter, Mayor’s Nurse, the Sheriff of Warwick, the Constable, the Watchman, the Innkeeper, and the scullery. Scooter, do you know if you saw…? Scooter doesn't think he saw…in the past we’ve gone to the Dunking Show. Oh, then there’s another scullery, a brigand, Enoch the Alchemist and the Alchemist’s Assistant; we saw that show. Gossamer Tangleswirl and then Washers…we saw the Washer Show. Then there’s Rogues and Vagabonds. Scooter, was that Travelers and Thieves or Rogues and Vagabonds, the Blues Traveler Album? I got a laugh out of him with that. That’s a deep-cut joke for all of you. Rogues and Vagabonds or Travelers and Thieves?
Okay, there’s the uptightmen, the cutpurse, the person who takes things, the catching things, someone who’s gallant, someone who’s…so, there’s different people that are rogues and vagabonds. Okay, we didn’t read this part, or at least I didn’t know. Rosettes…if you look closely, you’ll notice all the villagers of Warwick wear unique rosettes in honor of the Queen. Actually, with so many visitors arriving dressed in the garb of the day, we thought you might like a way to tell the villagers from the visitors. So, that is helpful. Then there’s the entertainment staff.
They have a artistic director, assistant artistic director, production stage manager, technical director, historian, music director, action director, costume designer, wardrobe manager, assistant wardrobe, wardrobe intern, and then we have scenario directors, and then workshop instructors, interactive theater technique, director of improvisation, creative development, styles director, and styles instructors. Okay, so now we’re gonna go through…let’s see. We’ll go to the shows last 'cause we got plenty of time here to work our way through. Next up is the Wyldewood Players. You stroll through the beautiful Warwick and you’ll find yourself greeted by the town citizens who warmly welcome you.
This is the oldest full-time professional acting troupe of any Renaissance festival and the inspiration behind many interactive entertainment groups and theme parks across the country. In addition to many lane encounters you’ll experience — I guess that’s like theatre of the atmosphere or whatever — the Wyldewood Players present stage performances throughout the day. Some of the scheduled shows are listed. Some are unannounced events that happen throughout the day, so keep your eye out. Okay, so, we’ll come back to it. Then it has lists of games and rides. So, there’s rides, tomatoes…there’s a slide. We did go down the slide. I think that’s been closed. But when Scooter asked if it had been closed for the past few years, the person said it hadn’t. But we did go down the slide.
I don't know if it’s designed so much for adults. There’s also…you can be…show how strong you are, you can throw things, there’s a pirate ship and a sea friend that you can go…these are wooden, human-powered attractions. There’s a maze…when we went with littler kids, we would go in the maze. You will get out of this maze, unlike the Fish song. Don't worry; you’ll find your way out of the maze, though you probably don’t want to do it very…you probably want to do it every three or four years. Let’s see, there’s camels you could say hi to, there’s a barrel you could go in a ride in, which Scooter and Scooter’s daughter did once, I think. You could go for a horse ride on the roundabout, there’s a hamster wheel where you get your own…where you grind your own snow cone. We watched that one.
There’s tossing of darts…oh, the Crow’s Nest is the one Scooter had gone in. Then there’s…you could throw a cannonball, you can…there’s different other things; archery, ball tossing, carousello…do you…? I don't know if we saw the carousel. There’s even a museum and then there’s a remembrance shop. Okay, then there’s a lot of artisans, fine artisan craft folk from the far corners of the realm. Let’s see, there’s…let’s see, there’s a gift shop; that’s the remembrance shop. There’s people that sell bags, wings…On Glass Wings; stained glass, a heart…hat shop, wooden defensive items from the Black Swan, soap and body products from The Handmaid’s Garden, High Point Crafts; brooms, fans, and walking sticks, fae fancies and elven essentials; that’s from Dusty Wire Fairy Creations.
Horn vessels…oh, Valhalla horns; that’s a horn you drink out of. But so, this is, I guess a tangent. There was a gentleman who bought a horn that you blow, and he had overindulged. He was just parading through and blowing the horn, but it was so irritating that even the group he was with, they were walking like fifteen feet in front of them. He blew it…every time he blew it, he was full of joy and…but no one else was. But he was oblivious to that fact 'cause he thought each time he blew it that it was very unique. Scooter was not annoyed because he said, I was…I’ve been that guy before. Scooter said…he couldn’t judge but he said, I would have been out of my loop. I don't know if…you know, you can…the Renaissance faire, I think you have to have a shirt, but maybe you don’t.
Or maybe he just had some sort of shirt…like, low-coverage shirt on with braces and those kind of things. But Scooter said, I would have been the guy walking around blowing the horn and being left behind. But it was just funny in a sense because he just kept blowing it. Like, he would walk ten feet and then he’d blow it again. He would look around like he was waiting for applause. I think in his head he was hearing some encouragement, but I don't think anyone was encouraging him. Maybe the first two times he blew it after he bought it he got encouraged. But we don’t…like Scooter said, that was Scooter.
Okay, then we have fairy wings and unicorn horns from Fairy Haven, children’s clothing from Bella’s Baubles and Babes in the Woods, sculptures by Jason, another sculpture by Bob, rainbow weaving by Stacy, art glass, silver mail…silver mail makes me want to sing. Silver mail, silver mail, it might be under your armor going jing-a-ling. Starfire; new world mugs and wood, flutes from Wild Rose Creations, pottery by Jason, henna body art by Maha, fiber weaving; Inch by Inch, pottery; Middle Earthen Wares, fairy doors by Blue Toucan Fairy Doors, book binding by Greenleafe Books with an E, wings at the Hatchery…oh, Threads of Time; clothing, Catskill Mountain Shoes, Madergan’s Maile; that’s another one for chainmail.
Hair sticks at KJ Craftworks, handcrafted things at Scapa, moon phase pendants by Moonchild Designs; I think that’s the one where they stamp the things. They do that at the Dickens Fair. You got tarot, tea leaf readings, palmistry and mediums by appointment, pewter-smithing by Ballena Bay Pewter, hollow Earth stuff to practice with, herbs, olfactory lavender farm…Little Wing Studios; jewelry, Crystal Visions; lampwork glass, Linda’s Heirlooms; garlands and flowers…oh boy, do…are those nice. Royal Rags by Laura, clothing by Morseca, the Coinmint…oh, maybe that’s the one where they mint coins. Maha’s henna, hair-braiding, games and novelties at the Realm, Flowers by Jennifer, woodworking and candles; Elder Earth, beeswax candles, honey tincture, and salves by the Pixie Traveling Medicine Show…beekeepers.
They do alchemy and beekeeping talks. Shoulder puppets by Imaginarium Galleries, face-painting by Face and Body Art by Liza, flute and songbooks by Ocarinas…oh, drinking horns, wassail horns, metal sculpture; Castille Galleries, painted ladies face-painting, woven hammocks by Chrysalis Hammocks, wood carving at the Wooden Unicorn, walking sticks at Renaissance Hiking Sticks…hidden watches, Clip Clocks…Dossian Fox, Heart’s Delight Clothing, and Shepherd’s Moon; jewelry. Alright, so, that’s…covers the artisans. Now let’s get to the shows, alright? Okay, this one we failed to go to. We tried to go to the Antics of the Wylde…this is all the stage antics of the Wyldewood Players. Maybe I’ll just…huh, some of these I’m gonna have to skip because…I don't know…let’s see here.
Well, we’ll have to…we could recap some times, but I don't want to go through the shows we went to. But we did try to go to this Warwick Inn show. It was supposed to be 11:15, 1:30, and 5:00. A faulty-tower style show of fun. Inside the inn is a intimate pub with a interior balcony…oh, where unscheduled antics take place. On the outside you’ll find these hysterical adventures. But we tried to see that; we were unsuccessful, so, I don't know. We sat down, I think, at 11:15. Maybe not. I don't know. Then they said, no. Well, 1:30 or 5:00; that’s what Scheduled Antics are. Or maybe 12:45, 'cause there’s Braggart’s Row, which was next door to the Warwick Inn. Oh no, we looked at this. This was one of the ones…they have a feast and a meeting there. I know where this is. We didn’t go there but…'cause there was another show.
3:30, 12:45…I don't know, it was competing with another show we were watching. Probably…I don't know. Then the Laundry Lair, which used to be lower, but this got moved up top. We saw the show so we’ll talk about it later. The House of Psychic…I think we saw this one with Enoch the Alchemist. Oh yeah, so, we saw this one. This was the first show we saw. So, we saw that show, then the Fairy Ring. Nestled in the heart of the faire is a stone place you could easily walk by. Then there’s this one; beneath the stair and winding ramp lies Warwick’s own fairy ring. Tiny and unseen, they’ve been there all along. But this time you could go meet Gossamer Tanglesquirrel…Tangleswirl. You could see her throughout the day but especially at 11:15, 1:30, 2:45, and…so, we saw two of those shows.
Okay, now there’s more entertainers of the realm. The Dunk Stage; we did not do this this year 'cause we had…we just didn’t make it there. ‘Cause we had seen it a couple years in a row. It’s a funny, funny show. The constabulary teaches justice in the depths of the frog pond twice daily. High comedy show…that’s at 12:45 and 3:30. Then the Royal Festival Stage; there’s Her Majesty’s Court, Scheduled Antics at 12:45, and then a courtly duel. This was another very good show. We saw this; it was at 4:15. I don't know if that was the last show we saw, but it was excellent. Okay, then stage acts. Is there any times for…? Oh, they’ll be later in the show when we…okay, so these are the stage acts, so this will help us figure out…so, the joust, that’s a full joust. I think they do that twice a day. That’s by W Horse Productions.
Judas and Magnolia; this was new. They’re a team of award-winning artists. We wanted to see this one. I don't think we got to see that one. Cirqa Brava; we’ve seen this…we saw this one and we really like this one. We’ve seen this two years in a row. That’s C-I-R-Q-A Brava. Or maybe we missed it one year and we saw it…but it’s…high-flying acrobats mesmerize and delight. It has comedy, too. Then the…El Zappo’s Zany Magic Circus. We didn’t see this one, either, I don't think. The balancing stunts, audience volunteers…Birds in the Sky; we didn’t see that one, but we saw the birds, the owl, vulture, falcon, hawk. We saw that one. This one we saw last year, another really high-quality show; Theatre of Fools Wacky Chicken Show. It’s inspired by Shakespeare’s Theatre of Fools. It’s hysterical.
It was…yeah, that was a great show, too. We saw that two years ago. Then we definitely saw this one this year, so we’re already at four shows. This was the…or, no, five shows? One, two…or, no; one, two, three, four, five. So, we saw over five shows. This is the Harmless Juggling Show. That was madcap comedy. Some of the best juggling I’ve ever seen. Clan Tynker Circus; we saw this one or two years ago…traveling performers who take you by the hand, leading you into their world of wonder. So, that’s a good show. We didn’t see it last year, though. Daniel the Duke; a series of poor decisions and…we’ve seen him before. He’s also very good. Nature of Mercy; energetic comedy show that teaches children the power of honor and compassion. We haven’t seen that one. Emry’s Fleet; this show we saw.
It’s about this guy’s pet collection. It’s more puppets. This was…features Wilber, the Dancing Puppet Pet. You’ll feel like you’ve had a nap. It’s just a comedy show. Very well done, though. Then Emry walks around a lot, too, so a good walking-around character. Falconry; this is just the display of the show for later, I think? Giacomo the Jester…magic rope-walking and obnoxious behavior. Then Lucy; like Venus with arms. That’s all it says about that show. Gabs the Fool…Gabs on a journey of wonder. Oh, quiet wonder…performing in the lanes all season and four shows daily on July 8th and 9th. Oh, so some of these are limited performances — that’s why — like El Zappo, Judas and Magnolia, though that was playing when we were there, it looks like. Then Irregulars; highland bagpipes and drums.
Oh, they do have themed weekends. That’s why. Then musical groups and minstrels. Cantiga; they played…so, Scooter, I think we’re missing…oh, no, okay. So, on the stage acts we saw Cirqa Brava — we’ll talk about it 'cause we’ll try to recap our day — the juggling, and Emry's Fleet, right? Is that all the ones we saw? You think so, and we tried to go see a couple other ones we didn’t make, huh? Okay, Empty Hats; that’s Celtic music unplugged but wired. Jim Hancock and Friends; that’s in a pub sing. Crannog; Celtic songs, ballads, and more. Lord Cailean Carmichael, Scottish emissary to the Queen, Merry Mischief; toe-tapping ballads, ditties, and more, and Wolgemut; bagpipes and drums. Then there’s ones that are not for children.
There’s two shows. Scooter’s dad loved the one, Off the Greenleaf Holmes, and then there’s another one. So, those ones are…they say not for children. Okay, so, let’s look at the schedule here, though I don't have my glasses. So, the shows started at 10:05. There was the opening ceremony. We weren’t there for that. We definitely weren’t there at 10:30, though I think Scooter wanted to be there at 10:30. 11:15…okay, 10:30 was…there’s Town Revels and the pet show and dance. So, nothing super going on…and Cantiga. Okay, 11:15 is the juggling show, but we don’t think we saw that one, 'cause Scooter thinks the first show we saw was at 11:15. There it is. Okay, so, the other shows at 11:15 that we didn’t see were the juggling show, which is strange, 'cause I thought that was the second thing we saw.
Scooter’s shrugging his head. Well, let’s look at the…Applewood Stage; yeah, no, that’s where that juggling show was, Scooter. Okay, well, anyway, Merry Mischief, Empty Hats; Celtic music, Daniel the Duke; comic equilibrium, House of the Flagon, the Book of Alchemy; that’s the one we saw. I’m almost positive that was the first show we saw at 11:15, though it is possible we saw it at 12:45, but I don't think so. So, okay…so, probably the first show we saw. You could also…saw the Theatre of Fools, the Wacky Chicken Show, Wolgemut or whatever, Gossamer Tangleswirl, Cirqa Brava, Shakespeare for…not for children, or Falconry. Okay, but let’s pretend we saw…let’s just say…how did we see the…? The strange thing is…I don't know, Scooter.
I think we probably saw the Book of Doom… or The Book of Alchemy at 12:45, because then…you think we got there that late? I mean, maybe we did. Okay, so, let’s pretend we’d…got there. Maybe we got there later than we thought. So, I guess that would make sense since we were there so late. Okay, so, let’s pretend we missed that round, 11:15. Maybe we got there around 12:00-something. So, Cantiga, Giancomo, Crannog, Irish music, Wishing Well Show, some sort of public trouble show, Nature of Mercy; family show, Clan Tynker Circus…okay, Circus Brava…okay, so this helps…no, it doesn’t help us work backwards. Okay, maybe we saw Cirqa Brava at 3:00, then. Yeah, we’re working backwards now. Okay, so you could have saw…where were we? Clan Tynker or the joust…that’s when the joust is going on.
Arthur Greenleaf Holmes or the…either the Zany Magic Circus or the Escape Family. Okay, so, we…now I’m thinking we got there at…so, we got there around 12:15, between 12:15 and 12:30, we’ll say, and then we…'cause…okay, so this makes a little bit more sense. This is what Ray loves. We’re put…piecing it together piece by piece. Okay, so 12:45, you could…we could have gone to Empty Hats, Merry Mischief, Daniel the Duke, The Feast, The Book of Alchemy, which we did…okay, this is making more sense. No, not quite making sense yet, Scooter, but I think you’re right, 'cause we could have gone to the puppet pet show, Her Majesty’s Court, the Dunk Show, Wolegut, Theatre of Fools, Shakespeare, or Falconry. So, we went to The Book of Alchemy.
Now, that was a fun show. It was a slow-building comedy show with two people working together, and it had audience interaction with singing, so then it became kind of a comedy music show with a little bit of magic in there and a decent amount of kids participating and everybody singing along. So, we recommend that show. That was at 12:45. Also, we ate our lunch while waiting for that show to start. So, maybe we tried to go to something else and then we went over there. But I remember we sat there before the show started, so that would make sense. We got there at 12:30. Okay, then we went to the juggling after, so that makes sense 'cause the juggling’s pretty close and that’s at…was at 1:30. Yeah, we ate our lunch, had…it took almost a large portion of the show to get our lunch.
We took turns waiting in line. Okay, so then we saw the juggling show. Now, the juggling show was excellent, but I gotta say something. So, the poor juggler…it was perfect; it was in a very shady spot, the juggling was great, but at one point the juggler is like, have you ever seen anybody…well, I don't know, juggling three balls with one hand or something, and someone raises their hand. Now, don’t ever do this. I understand the temptation, but someone in the audience raised their hand and say…and they start juggling with three balls in one hand or something and they’re like, oh yeah, I could do that. Then they tried to do it again, like upstage the performer. I mean, they were younger. They were not a child.
They were probably late high school to…somewhere between seven…and they were a male between seventeen and twenty-seven, I would say. Don’t do…hello? The juggler’s juggling. You’re not there to juggle in the audience unless you’re an invited thing. It was just so funny. I’m not doing it justice 'cause it was like a comedy sequence. They said, have…? And someone said, yeah, no, I can do it right now, and they started doing it. Even the performer was like, huh. I think they had something somewhat kind but deflecting to say, but it was like, hello, put your juggling balls away. You’re a guest of a juggling show. I don't know, I’d have to check with Scooter and his brother and stuff. But it was just like, did this just happen? Did a audience member just troll a juggler by kind of trying to upstage them?
I can juggle four balls with my…one hand. So…'cause they were like, have you ever…? It was something…I think it was like…three balls with one hand is pretty hard, or two balls, even. I don't know. It wasn’t so…and they were there with a date they were trying to impress, clearly, so that was another part of it. It didn’t go as poorly as it sounds, either. Everybody just moved on except for Scooter, because Scooter’s still like, you believe that guy? Hello, he’s trying to juggle. We don’t need you juggling out there. But if you’re a comedian, I guess you say, well…what do they call it when the audience members have something to say 'cause they think they’re funny? I mean, this person was doing the same thing, but they…that happened to Scooter, actually.
He doesn't…he did a live show where it was open admission and it was at a conference and there was people…and it was after a cocktail hour. So, people came in and they tried to, whatever, do it, and then people were like, be quiet. It’s a sleep podcast. Why don’t you go interrupt a juggler? So, anyway, that was one of the funniest things we saw from the audience, so that was at 1:30. Okay, then we went to the Queen's Parade. So, this is making sense. The Queen's Parade was at 2:15. Other shows were the Nature of Mercy, themed weekend costume contests, Rogue’s Revels, Gossamer Tanglesquirrel, Clan Tynker Circus, Falconry, Cirqa Brava, Arthur, and…yeah, then there’s Queen's Parade. Everybody’s in that Queen's Parade. Okay, now it’s gonna get confusing 'cause…what did we see next?
We got…how…so, we saw…maybe I could work backwards. Okay, this is interesting here. Okay, so, I know…so, we’ve seen two shows. I forgot how many we saw total. Cirqa Brava we still have, the puppet show, the stage show with the professional performers, not that anybody else…Cirqa Brava…huh, okay. We’ll figure it out. One, two, three, four. Okay, so this makes sense. So, we’ll figure it out in here. Okay, so, 2:45 is the Cantiga, Wolgemut, Crannog, Daniel the Duke…so, we didn’t see any of those shows. The Wishing Well Show with Laundry; we did see that show, so we either saw it at 2:45 or 4:15. So, we’re close here. Giacomo, Gossamer Tanglesquirrel, Theatre of Fools, Shakespeare…okay, so, we probably saw the Wishing Well Show at 2:45, and then Scooter’s brother was a part of the show.
The show is very bawdy but…it goes over most of the kids’ head, but they are looking for the most muscular men that are tall and very muscular. They picked Scooter’s brother who’s a tall, muscular man, and then a man who was even more muscular and the same tallness. I think they had them do different…I don't know, it was part of a play. Very high comedy. Very well-trained performers. Again, these are the paid performers. Really well done. I mean, a huge crowd; this show we got to right when it started, so we couldn’t even sit down. That must be the time we saw that show because there’s no overlap. Okay, so then the next show would have been, yeah, 3:30. Okay, so, then the next show, Harmless Juggling, we didn’t see…we had already seen that.
Empty Hats Celtic Music, Merry Mischief, Swindles, The Book of Alchemy, The Puppet…Pet Puppet Show…so, that’s what we saw. We went from the Wishing Well to the Pet Puppet Show. We got there early. We got seats, and that’s when Scooter left to go get coffees and that’s when he met our friend Alan, which was cool. So, around 3:20 is when he met Alan. Then Nature of Mercy, the Dunking Show, Clan Tynker, Cirqa Brava, Arthur Holmes, and then the Zany Circus Show. Okay, so, 4:15…yeah, this is it. This is…we’re on target now. We figured out our schedule here. 4:15, we could have seen Cantiga, Crannog, Jim Hancock, Daniel the Duke, Wishing Well, which we already saw, town auction, a courtly duel…but this was more like an importance of being titled. It was more like a send-up royalty.
The Queen’s in the show and everybody’s trying to write this…like, one of the main character’s trying to write a play and everybody’s getting in the way of…it’s just a very funny show. Then music, Gossamer Tanglesquirrel…Tangleswirl, Theatre of Fools…again, the Theatre of Fools show is…Shakespeare, Falconry. Then at 5:00 we saw Cirqa Brava. I think we tried to go see the Escape Show or the Zany Circus. Oh, but that wasn’t that weekend, so we definitely…okay, that makes sense, then. So, at 5:00 you could have seen Cantiga, juggling, Empty Hats, Mischief, Juda and Magnolia. I think…oh no, that’s a different stage. The In-Between, Town Meeting, the puppet show, Clan Tynker Circus, Cirqa Brava — that’s what we saw — Arthur Holmes, Zany Magic Zappo’s…and the Cirqa Brava show is really well done.
It has some comedy, audience, one person who’s quiet, one person who talks, and a lot of aerial…the aerial performing is really well done. Then closing it out was the joust and then two different music shows, and then a final pub sing. They also have themed weekends; Family Appreciation Weekend, Romance Weekend, Elf Fest Weekend, Pirate Weekend…that may have been the weekend we went, ‘cause Alan was dressed as a pirate. Then Highland Weekend, fairy…oh no, maybe we were at the…August 5th through the 6th, I think. That’s when we were there, Scooter, maybe. Fantasy Fairies and the Future…that’s probably when we were there, and then the Grand Finale Weekend. Yeah, there’s a map of the thing. It’s pretty wide.
You go in, you could go…if you…usually we’ll go in the main gate and then we’ll go straight to the privvies, and then you walk around Braggart’s Row. That’s where a few stages are. There’s usually music playing. The Warwick Inn is there. What we did was…that’s when we ended up at the House of the Psychic. Then we kinda got food, waited, then we went over to the Applewood Stage to see…or was it the Bankside Stage? Where’s the…? No, the Applewood Stage…we saw the juggling, then we walked Armory Square and we didn’t see anything there, then I lose track of what we did next even though we already went through it. Did we go to the parade next?
Yeah, I guess so, then we watched the parade, we walked around, came back up, went to the Laundry Show, then went to the puppet…puppy…at some point we walked all the way around, down. I think waiting for the parade to start we did a lot of walking. Oh yeah, 'cause there’s privvies there. We were trying to find any place you could get a drink or food without waiting in a long line, but that did not necessarily work. Again, Scooter was like, thank god I’m sober because the lines and the price of alcohol…and then, yeah, so…yeah, that’s it. You should check it out or check out your own Renaissance faire.
I know every one’s different, and it probably is cooler when it’s in a permanent location just 'cause then they have permanent structures and things, but who knows? The one…only one we ever went to…that Scooter ever went to that was different — I went to it separately than him — that got made into a housing development. It was up in Nevado years and years ago. Probably twenty years ago, fifteen years ago, that was gone. But anyway, thanks, everybody, for joining us. Thanks, Alan, for saying hi, and goodnight from your friend Ray and all the Wyldewood Players. Goodnight, everybody.
[END OF RECORDING]
(Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes)
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Ray
Look Who’s Talking
https://filmstories.co.uk/features/look-whos-talking-and-the-story-of-a-ridiculously-quick-sequel/
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/69744/16-fun-facts-about-look-whos-talking
Sterling Renaissance Faire
https://www.sterlingfestival.com/5-reasons-attend
https://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/2013/07/sterling_renaissance_magic.html
Interactive Theatre
https://www.polygon.com/23939497/niantic-punchdrunk-canceled-game-hamlet
https://info.ggc.nyc/blog/a-history-of-immersive-theater
Fairy Ring
https://www.foragingcoursecompany.co.uk/post/articles-fairy-rings
https://gardencollage.com/inspire/wild-earth/myth-lore-fairy-ring/
https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/fairy-rings.html
DOWN TO BUSINESS
It’s time to cool it down, slow it down, and warm it up
I was thinking about old 80’s music
Your boring, a little bit odd friend
Maybe I’ll talk about the genesis of Uncle Baby
Hi to my niece, Anita
Deep Dark Night United
Sarah (Helix Sleep)
PLUGS
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SPONSORS
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INTRO
You could have guests coming
Maybe your work shift changed
Someone out there feels for you right now
I’m stumbling over my words because I’m feeling some intimacy right now
It’s normal to feel dismay when you first hear this podcast
Even this morning, I felt the shadier side of dismay
It is a loose coherence
I don’t think there were any other sleep podcasts when I started
I just spent some time with family
Shoutout to Benita, Teddy, Daniel, and Alex
They call me Uncle Baby
I only became Uncle Baby because before I was … That Guy
Uncle Baby is more of a non-sleeptime alter ego
I have my own Uncle Baby fanfic where I’m cool, but no one knows about that
I have to slowly build trust with you
The intro is where I explain the podcast ineffectively
Ray will be talking about staying cool and seeing performance at theme parks
STORY
Ray and I went to a Renaissance Faire
Shoutout to Allen who recognized me while I was there
We were there for a really long time
I ran into Allen while holding 3 hot coffees in my hands
Ray chimes in
Scooter is shrugging his ears at me
My pod boy is all grown up
I’m his neighbor, twice moved
Ray did not get to meet Allen
A Ren Faire in Sterling, New York
I think we went in August
Oops, I was supposed to pay 50 cents for this flier
The weather was warm but not too hot
And it was fortunately not muddy
We decided to experience some shows fully
It’s pretty easy to get $50 of value out of this
Scooter fell in love with a ren faire performer from afar when he was a youth
The Ren Faire used to close out the night with a Shakespeare performance
This one is built on its own grounds, so there’s permanent structures
You really want to time your eating
Your phone won’t always have service
Some are cash only, some are cashless
Oh, this was in NY State, by the way
It’s a lot of walking and uneven paths
There’s a lot of all ages shows, but the smaller kids might struggle
The citizens of Warwick are called the Wildwood Players
Historical figures and city officials
In the past we’ve gone to the dunking show
We saw the alchemy show
We saw the washer show
Rogues and Vagabonds
I got Scooter good with Blues Traveler joke
The cut purse and catching man
All the villagers wear rosettes in honor of the king
That way you can tell who’s a villager and not a visitor
There’s a lot of personnel for this place
Oldest Active Full-time Ren Faire Performance Troupe
Some performances are listed, some are unannounced and just happen
There’s a maze that you will definitely get out of
Grind Your Own Snowcone – we watched this before
You can throw a cannonball
Fine Artisans from all over the realm
Faith Fancies and Elfin Essentials
Horn Vessels for drinking
I saw a man blowing a horn trumpet
It was so irritating to everyone except for the player
But Scooter saw himself in that man
Scooter won’t judge this man
Fairy wings and Unicorn horns
Bella’s Baubles and Babes
Sculptures by Jason and Bob
Rainbow Weaving by Stacey
Pottery by Jason
Body Art by Maha
Fiber Weaving: Inch By Inch
Fairy Doors
Threads of Time clothing store
Multiple chain mail stores, eh?
Olfactory Lavender Farm
The Coin Mint
Flute and song books for ocarinas
Wassail Horns
Woven Hammocks by Chrysalis Hammocks
Hidden Watches
Okay, let’s get on to the shows
Antics of the Wildwood Players
A Fawlty Towers-style show where unscheduled antics take place
Braggarts’ Row
They have a feast and a meeting there
The Laundry Lair – we did see this show
The House of the Psychic, with Enoch the Alchemist
The Fairy Ring
You can definitely meet Gossamer Tangleswirl at the Fairy Ring
The Constabulary teaches justice in the depths of Frog Pond
Royal Festival Stage
Her Majesty’s Court
The Courtly Duel was excellent
Here’s the stage acts
The Joust, done twice daily
Judas and Magnolia, a team of award winning artists
Cirqa Brava – circus acts and comedy
Zappo’s Zany Magic Circus – can’t believe we missed this
Birds in the Sky
Theatre of Fools’ Wacky Chicken Show – this was hysterical
Harmless Juggling Show – incredible juggling and madcap comedy
Daniel the Duke – a series of poor decisions
Nature of Mercy – energetic comedy show teaching children the power of honor and compassion
Wilbur, the Dancing Puppet Pet
Falconry
Jep Como – magic rope walking and obnoxious behavior
Lucy – like Venus with arms
Some of these performances are more regular
There’s themed weekends
Jim Hancock – pub singing
Celtic songs
Lord Kelly Anne Carmichael – Scottish songs
2 shows not for children
Arthur Greenleaf Holmes
Show started at 10:05 – we weren’t there yet
10:30 Town Revels and Pet Show / Dance
11:15 Juggling Show – we had arrived by this time
Merry Mischief
House of the Flagon
We saw the Book of Alchemy at 11:15, actually
Did we get there as late as 12:45??
Or maybe we saw Cirque Brava at 3
Let’s work backwards
12:45 – what did we go to? Book of Alchemy
A half comedy half music half magic show
Then we went to the juggling after that
We took a long time to get our lunch
The juggling show was excellent
Someone from the audience tried to upstage the performer
A male between 17 and 27
Please don’t upstage the performer, audience
This audience member pulled out his own juggling balls!
They were clearly trying to impress their date
Everyone moved one except for Scooter
Heckle Juggling
That kind of happened to Scooter once at an open admission live show
Themed Weekend Costume Contests
We did see the Wishing Well show sometime in the afternoon, probably 2:45
Scooter’s brother was part of the show
The show was very slyly bawdy
Very well-trained performers
This is roughly when we met Allen (3:20)
4:15, what did we see?
A real sendup of Royalty
We saw Cirque Brava – it was so great
A final pub sing
Allen was dressed as a pirate – maybe we went during Pirate weekend
Normally we’ll go straight to the privies when we arrive
Retracing our specific footsteps
All the lines food and drink were long, especially for alcohol
Scooter was glad he’s sober (for multiple reasons)
I also went to a Ren Faire in Nevada that is now a housing development
But that’s another story
Goodnight
SWM+ THANKS
Penny, Emily, Steven, Emily, Wendy, Stephen, Jennifer, Josh, Justina, Carol, Richard, Matthew, Eric, Jan, Stephen, Nathalie, Carole, Larry, Aubrey, Amy S, Amy L, Pam, Elaine, Bethany, Alexander, Mateo, Aaron, Abby, Mike
SUMMARY:
Episode: 1,243
Title: Ren Faire With Ray
Deep Dark Night United: Sarah (Helix Sleep)
Plugs: Hand in Hand; The Midnight Mission; Trevor Project; Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Rusty Biscuit Links; Emily Tat Artwork; NAPAWF; Anti-Racism Resources; Ukraine Relief; Crisis Textline; Pro Democracy Podcast Coalition; Referral Program
Sponsors: AquaTru; Helix Sleep; Wild Health; Polysleep; Odoo; Air Doctor Pro; Zocdoc; Progressive
SWM+ Thanks: Penny, Emily, Steven, Emily, Wendy, Stephen, Jennifer, Josh, Justina, Carol, Richard, Matthew, Eric, Jan, Stephen, Nathalie, Carole, Larry, Aubrey, Amy S, Amy L, Pam, Elaine, Bethany, Alexander, Mateo, Aaron, Abby, Mike
Notable Language:
- Spectrum of Dismay
- The Shadier Side of Dismay
- Loose Coherence
- That Guy
- Uncle Baby Fan Fiction
- Shrugging Your Ears
- Theater of the Atmosphere
- Wooden Human Powered Attractions (WHPAs)
- Olfactory Lavender Farm
- Gossamer Tangleswirl
- Heckle Juggling
- Fantasy Fairies of the Future
Notable Culture:
-
- Menudo (band)
- The Far Side
-
- Renaissance Faires
- William Shakespeare
- Charles Dickens
- Sterling Renaissance Faire
- Rogues and Vagabonds
- Blues Traveler
- Phish
- “Silver Bells”
- Fawlty Towers
- Venus de Milo
Notable Talking Points:
- You could have guests coming
- Maybe your work shift changed
- Someone out there feels for you right now
- I’m stumbling over my words because I’m feeling some intimacy right now
- It’s normal to feel dismay when you first hear this podcast
- Even this morning, I felt the shadier side of dismay
- It is a loose coherence
- I don’t think there were any other sleep podcasts when I started
- I just spent some time with family
- Shoutout to Benita, Teddy, Daniel, and Alex
- They call me Uncle Baby
- I only became Uncle Baby because before I was … That Guy
- Uncle Baby is more of a non-sleeptime alter ego
- I have my own Uncle Baby fanfic where I’m cool, but no one knows about that
- I have to slowly build trust with you
- The intro is where I explain the podcast ineffectively
- Ray will be talking about staying cool and seeing performance at theme parks
- Ray and I went to a Renaissance Faire
- Shoutout to Allen who recognized me while I was there
- We were there for a really long time
- I ran into Allen while holding 3 hot coffees in my hands
- Ray chimes in
- Scooter is shrugging his ears at me
- My pod boy is all grown up
- I’m his neighbor, twice moved
- Ray did not get to meet Allen
- A Ren Faire in Sterling, New York
- I think we went in August
- Oops, I was supposed to pay 50 cents for this flier
- The weather was warm but not too hot
- And it was fortunately not muddy
- We decided to experience some shows fully
- It’s pretty easy to get $50 of value out of this
- Scooter fell in love with a ren faire performer from afar when he was a youth
- The Ren Faire used to close out the night with a Shakespeare performance
- This one is built on its own grounds, so there’s permanent structures
- You really want to time your eating
- Your phone won’t always have service
- Some are cash only, some are cashless
- Oh, this was in NY State, by the way
- It’s a lot of walking and uneven paths
- There’s a lot of all ages shows, but the smaller kids might struggle
- The citizens of Warwick are called the Wildwood Players
- Historical figures and city officials
- In the past we’ve gone to the dunking show
- We saw the alchemy show
- We saw the washer show
- Rogues and Vagabonds
- I got Scooter good with Blues Traveler joke
- The cut purse and catching man
- All the villagers wear rosettes in honor of the king
- That way you can tell who’s a villager and not a visitor
- There’s a lot of personnel for this place
- Oldest Active Full-time Ren Faire Performance Troupe
- Some performances are listed, some are unannounced and just happen
- There’s a maze that you will definitely get out of
- Grind Your Own Snowcone – we watched this before
- You can throw a cannonball
- Fine Artisans from all over the realm
- Faith Fancies and Elfin Essentials
- Horn Vessels for drinking
- I saw a man blowing a horn trumpet
- It was so irritating to everyone except for the player
- But Scooter saw himself in that man
- Scooter won’t judge this man
- Fairy wings and Unicorn horns
- Bella’s Baubles and Babes
- Sculptures by Jason and Bob
- Rainbow Weaving by Stacey
- Pottery by Jason
- Body Art by Maha
- Fiber Weaving: Inch By Inch
- Fairy Doors
- Threads of Time clothing store
- Multiple chain mail stores, eh?
- Olfactory Lavender Farm
- The Coin Mint
- Flute and song books for ocarinas
- Wassail Horns
- Woven Hammocks by Chrysalis Hammocks
- Hidden Watches
- Okay, let’s get on to the shows
- Antics of the Wildwood Players
- A Fawlty Towers-style show where unscheduled antics take place
- Braggarts’ Row
- They have a feast and a meeting there
- The Laundry Lair – we did see this show
- The House of the Psychic, with Enoch the Alchemist
- The Fairy Ring
- You can definitely meet Gossamer Tangleswirl at the Fairy Ring
- The Constabulary teaches justice in the depths of Frog Pond
- Royal Festival Stage
- Her Majesty’s Court
- The Courtly Duel was excellent
- Here’s the stage acts
- The Joust, done twice daily
- Judas and Magnolia, a team of award winning artists
- Cirqa Brava – circus acts and comedy
- Zappo’s Zany Magic Circus – can’t believe we missed this
- Birds in the Sky
- Theatre of Fools’ Wacky Chicken Show – this was hysterical
- Harmless Juggling Show – incredible juggling and madcap comedy
- Daniel the Duke – a series of poor decisions
- Nature of Mercy – energetic comedy show teaching children the power of honor and compassion
- Wilbur, the Dancing Puppet Pet
- Falconry
- Jep Como – magic rope walking and obnoxious behavior
- Lucy – like Venus with arms
- Some of these performances are more regular
- There’s themed weekends
- Jim Hancock – pub singing
- Celtic songs
- Lord Kelly Anne Carmichael – Scottish songs
- 2 shows not for children
- Arthur Greenleaf Holmes
- Show started at 10:05 – we weren’t there yet
- 10:30 Town Revels and Pet Show / Dance
- 11:15 Juggling Show – we had arrived by this time
- Merry Mischief
- House of the Flagon
- We saw the Book of Alchemy at 11:15, actually
- Did we get there as late as 12:45??
- Or maybe we saw Cirque Brava at 3
- Let’s work backwards
- 12:45 – what did we go to? Book of Alchemy
- A half comedy half music half magic show
- Then we went to the juggling after that
- We took a long time to get our lunch
- The juggling show was excellent
- Someone from the audience tried to upstage the performer
- A male between 17 and 27
- Please don’t upstage the performer, audience
- This audience member pulled out his own juggling balls!
- They were clearly trying to impress their date
- Everyone moved one except for Scooter
- Heckle Juggling
- That kind of happened to Scooter once at an open admission live show
- Themed Weekend Costume Contests
- We did see the Wishing Well show sometime in the afternoon, probably 2:45
- Scooter’s brother was part of the show
- The show was very slyly bawdy
- Very well-trained performers
- This is roughly when we met Allen (3:20)
- 4:15, what did we see?
- A real sendup of Royalty
- We saw Cirque Brava – it was so great
- A final pub sing
- Allen was dressed as a pirate – maybe we went during Pirate weekend
- Normally we’ll go straight to the privies when we arrive
- Retracing our specific footsteps
- All the lines food and drink were long, especially for alcohol
- Scooter was glad he’s sober (for multiple reasons)
- I also went to a Ren Faire in Nevada that is now a housing development
- But that’s another story
- Goodnight