Renaissance Festival War Stories September 7-8, 2024

...Continued from weekend 3

Saturday was the 6th annual Un-Official Pride Day at The Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Nearly 1400 people rsvp'd to our Facebook event. It gets bigger each year and we are so glad to love and be loved in the communities: Renaissance and LBGTQIA+. Shops decked themselves out, acts wore their best rainbow, flag, or pride duds, and the patrons take their garb to the next level. While I'm glad to be the nexus of the event annually, I am not the true origin. PRIDE doesn't happen without all the people willing to be generous in a community to show who they are and will not be hurt or repressed for a safe love or lifestyle.

You are my people; and I am yours. Welcome home.

Sunshine of my life

Normally on Pride Day, I plan a group photo, but life is what happens when you make plans. It was early in the day Saturday morning and I meet a friend of mine outside the Sidequest Stop: Mother Earth and her friend Sunshine. Mother Earth has come to the festival many times, but this was Sunshine's first time there ever. I asked what she enjoyed in life: comedy, history, shopping, music? Sunshine said music. She is a singer in a band. Around this time Nestor joined my side. We asked if she liked old music, if she knew old music. Sunshine said she knew African Spirituals and other old songs. Nestor and I had the same thought: She needed to Join the Troubadour Guild.

The Troubador Guild met at the same time as the Pride Day photo, Nestor told me, "Go see Sunshine sing, Clover and I will handle the picture."

While I missed out on the annual photo, I got to see an absolutely singular performance by Sunshine.

Deerly Beloved...

It was last year when I performed my first ever 'Friendship Wedding.' This weekend, the wedded friends, Ozzy and Rachel returned to renew their friendship vows. We dedicated another fried pickle to the earth and had a renewal ceremony. This was their one weekend to come to the festival and the pair made the most out of it by doing as many sidequests as they could. Rachel received a bunch of stamps of achievements of animals and plants while Ozzy chose to spell out 'quest.'

The weekend got even better with them when they brought their friends with them whom they had told their friendship wedding to and that pair decided to have their own friendship wedding. We gathered together in the lovely shade of a bush along a stone retaining wall. The pair joined hands and I spoke on the manner of friendship through good years and bad, through not returning calls because one is getting laid and not the other. They laughed and looked at the group knowingly on that one, I may have struck a familiar memory. And that friendships like these are meant to endure. And with my friendship weddings, I have them both vow to be friends until, "It is no longer convenient."

What's in the box?!

One of my favorite new games we play this season is called 'Mystery Box.' It is a game of bluff where someone looks in a box and either tells the truth or lies about the contents and the other person has to determine whether or not they box-looker is being truthful. Jimmy Fallon does this on the Tonight Show sometimes, and there is a variation known as 'Carrot in a Box.'

So far, we have collected five small things to put in the box to be described, and one of them has been my favorite because it's a great 'If you know, you know,' but if you don't know what it is, you better be a darn good liar. The item in this case is a picture of DropoutTV CEO and Gameshow host Sam Reich. The people who knows who he is; I've jut made a new friend and we can talk about weirdly-specific fandoms. Those who don't have mistaken him for Drew Carey, Seth Rogan, and Trevor Noah. I don't put the picture of him out in the first or second round of the game, I usually wait until rounds three or four. But those who know Sam Reich know, "He's been here the whole time!"

The magic only lasts so long

I was taking some pictures with a family with four children under the age of 11 on Sunday close to cannon. They parked at Queens gate but wanted to come out King's for the music and dancing and such. I take a knee to talk to the children and they are fascinated by parts of my look. I let them each squeak my ear which is not something I normally let people do), they look at my mouse, my rainbow bunny, and ask why I paint my face like a deer. I tell them, "I'm a deer-selk."I look over to the setting sun in the trees, "I get to be a deer by day, and a person by night. The magic is fading, and soon enough, I'll be a person again." I walk back in the gate with them and chat with them about their pets and how they seem to have accidentally adopted a wild animal and I can't wait to cuddle their dogs and cats when we get home. However we soon come to he fork in the road where I have to separate and I wish them all safe travels home. One of the little boys takes a few steps back from his family and calls to me, "I hope you get home before the sun sets and the magic goes away!"

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These are the things that fill my heart filling me with love and pride in what I do. Until weekend 5...