The Scarborough Renaissance Festival!

nd it came to pass that the beloved Scarborough Faire, The Renaissance Festival of Waxahachie, Texas, did shorten its name to the easier-to-remember Scarborough Renaissance Festival, or SRF. Once again, the Royal Gates opened to an estimated 75,000 to 80,000 Fairegoers, some from all 50 States, others from various nations throughout the world. And lo, 'twas writ that Scarby didst likewise join the ranks of MySpace.com, with their own dominion located thither. To honor this grand reflowering, your Dragonmaster herewith presents his own personal assessments of this delightfully splendiferous phenomenon.

What, you may ask, has allowed Scarby to endure in its 28-year existence in a way no other Renaissance Festival before or since has endured? Well, one answer, I would suppose, would have to do with the merry twosome pictured above: Their Royal Majesties, King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn of England! As I have previously scribbled hither, the most magical moment of any Renaissance Festival (at least, from a child's perspective!) is when a young lad or lass can be personally greeted by the King and Queen, and even have the honor of being spoken to by Their Majesties! And of course, there's the additional wonder of the Children's Knighting Ceremony, where the Royals often reward the youngsters for the performance of good and chivalrous deeds performed in the Mundaners' Realm! My goodness, that moment is always such a joy! Is it any wonder, then, that for over a decade now, Richard and Shannon have made more magic happen for ALL their fans than any other Renaissance Faire King and Queen in the United States?

The Scarborough Renaissance Festival is owned and operated by Southwest Festivals, Inc. When the two families that have run SRF since its founding in 1980 staged the first event in 1981, they wasted little time making the world aware of their primary vision; to develop a premier Renaissance event which could link together all the merriment, all the mirth and all the fantasy of 16th Century England in a joyous, out-of-the-way country setting, deep in the heart of Northern Texas, some 35 woodly acres south of Dallas-Fort Worth, near the small village of Waxahachie. Today, it's one of America's biggest and most popular Renaissance Festivals, attracting an audience of some 200,000 guests each and every year.

SRF's sister event, the SCREAMS Halloween Theme Park, the premiere attraction of its kind in the Dallas/Fort Worth Region, was developed in 1996. Today, The World's Largest Halloween Theme Park attracts some 60,000 guests per year, never failing to shock or frighten their best and worst customers each October 31st! With over 4000 performers, artisans, food-service people, grounds staff, and retailers serving both events each season, Southwest Festivals, Inc. is committed to serving Dallas/Fort Worth and her people in all sorts of ways. For SRF, eleven stages flood your senses with over 200 performance acts each year, for seven weekends including Memorial Day Weekend. Their Majesties, in fact, lead a cast of over 150 volunteers, the Scarborough Academy of the Performing Arts --- who each year dedicate themselves to teaching potential cast members all the ins and outs of doing the Faire thing!

Scarby's over 200 permanent shoppes bring together a vast cornucopia of unique, one-of-a-kind handmade items made by artisans from all 50 states, and various points beyond. Why, on a given day, one could explore the wonders of Glassblowing, Blacksmithy, Candlemaking, Printing on a Guttenberg Press, Leather Crafting, Broom-making, Armory, Coin Minting --- and dozens more skills besides! In addition, the Faire ranks as one of the nation's largest outdoor "juried" craft exhibitions. But supposing ye wish thy tastebuds tickled? Ah! SRF hath the cure there, too: over 60 traditional and non-traditional foods are served during the 8-weekend season; while five food court areas and seven strategically located pubs and taverns offer such notable potables as beer, wine, mead, and other frosty favorites!

For three days each May, the Festival is open exclusively to schools, as more than 35,000 teachers and students explore the grounds and even interview the core membership of the Royals, and explore all aspects of the Renaissance experience! For teens and young adults, these sessions are always a unique way to dive deep into the heart of the specific topic of whatever it is they're studying. It's always a wise scholar, I've always said, that knows a thing or two about learning to be good in a Kingdom!

Oh, and did I mention that there's nothing like a Renaissance Faire to bring forth the unchanging power of True Love? As is often the case with events of its kind throughout the cosmos, a beautiful Princess can marry her Knight in Shining Armour at Faire! During the season, one can unexpectedly bump into one or even more than one of over 20 Renaissance Weddings staged on the Fairegrounds per year! (Cool, huh?)

Well, enough facts and figures, my friends. SRF has been such a phenomenon over the years, in terms of the music, the merriment, the humor, and even the personal stories. So many of the latter have emerged from this delicious Renaissance Paradise that it's hard to comprehend the mystique that one can often associate with an event of this magnitude. The Scarborough Renaissance Festival has stood the test of time because there are people who appreciate its wonder, and are able to fall in love with it each and every year.

On a personal note, it has been my pleasure, both as Dragonmaster of the Grand High Istari, and New York's Unofficial Wizard, to have been linked to the world of SRF by no less than Her Majesty, Margaret, Queen of Scotland and the Isles (Janna Casstevens, Head of the Performing Arts Company); I consider it an honour to have been named Her Majesty's Court Mage, as well as Duke and First Marquess of Talisker. While recent events have thus far prohibited me from contacting Her Majesty, I know that she has quite a merry time "makin' me wee baby brother Henry go mad --- and the best part is, he canna do a thing aboot it!" (Heh-heh!)

Well, Lords and Ladies, methinks I've written enough hither. All that remains now is to wish everyone at the Scarborough Renaissance Festival my fondest felicitations as it embarks 'pon a brand new season! I hope that, even though, as ever, I can't join you all out thither, save in spirit, you will be able to inspire newer and more wiser generations of Rennies and Playtrons and their friends, fans and admirers to build their own dreams, and, if the occasions demand, believe in them. I look forward to setting foot upon the grounds of the land of Scarborough in aeons yet to come. Huzzah! and hurrah! Long live the Scarborough Renaissance Festival!