Renaissance Festival War Stories Aug 24/25, 2024

Previously on War Stories Season 2024 Weekend 1

It's weekend two of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. It's a hot one. How are we going to keep our cool?

How do you day 'I love you?'

This was the first uncomfortably, and almost dangerously hot weekend of the season. There is something special about the way the cast comes together to support each other. At cast call we tell each other to hydrate, remind each other to eat, ask each other the last time you priv'ed. One by one, people stand and offer ways to care for each other: food, Gatorade, water stations, pet care. We go far supporting each other. We go far as a team. Each person offering help is telling us: I love you, let me show you how I do.

Who wants a bribe?

It was Saturday afternoon and the heat index is over 90. I am ready for some ice cream to cool myself off. There are a couple places I can go, but I choose to go to my right to where the soft-serve ice cream is. There is, of course, a line about 15 people long. I am an opportunist and already have a sunburn on the back of my neck - there is no way I am waiting this long for ice cream. I pull out my food books and walk to the side of the front of the line and ask, "Who would like a bribe?" A gentleman in a t-shirt and shorts about 5 people back from the front replies interested. I hand him all my food books and say, "All you have to do is use one to buy a chocolate cone, the rest are yours for your purchase," - which was enough for two more cones. Is it unethical? It's debatable. I'm working, I'm not actually cutting in line, I'm just handing my money to someone who has been waiting and having them buy one more. I also offered to carry, should he need another set of hands, his purchases back to wherever he was.

Turned out the man made quite the look for himself that day. He wore a giant troll costume, he had taken it off to get in line. So giant, he dwarfed the Puppet Troup costumes. In the costume, he measured 11 feet tall. He and his family were an absolute hoot to meet and eat ice cream with.

Peasant King

While on my way to the privy back stage, I ran into a cout to appoint a new king: Salai. He was to be our Peasant King. As any (peasant) king is appointed, he would need courtiers. Nestor and myself became nobles to the King. As we walked all around the grounds shouting "All hail the Peasant King!" We watched as Salai took queen after queen; around 14 in all, and sometimes two at a time. While we are peasants, we serve our peasant king with our pinkies up, because it's fancy. Later, we heard that as Salai was walking, he heard, "There's the Peasant King who stole my girlfriend." All hail King Salai the Pretty!

Cab ride

One of my favorite parts about playing an anthropomorphic deer are the jokes associated with it. There seems to be no end to the puns and road kill bits. It was hot this weekend and I had the chance to avoid walking the last bit back to The Sidequest Stop by riding in the back of a cabriolet. I've done it once before, but not in character. I loudly proclaim, "I absolutely see the irony of this." "Look, people stop in front of it and don't move too, it's not just me!" Norm and his partner got water refills and a snack from me along with a rest in the shade after they dropped me off.

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Labor Day weekend is coming. Three days of fun. More war Stories to come!