Issue 1 - Kirby School

Page 4by Sierra Warrennow, m’lordsand lovely ladies?”“HowA burly voiceechoes throughout the fairgrounds,sparking a bellowingchorus of huzzah’s. “Art thouready for action?!” A tall, muscularman stands before a paintedcastle set, waving his armsand egging on the crowd. Thecastle gates open behind him,revealing two armored knightson horseback. The knights advanceinto the arena, swordsthrust forward and beastlysteeds kicking up clods of dirtas they gallop. The riders, sportingcloaks of yellow and black,trot to opposite ends of the arena.Stable boys cloaked in teamcolors equip them with helmetsand lances in preparation forbattle.“Prepare yourselves, boys,”the announcer shouts to the opposingknights. “For this shallbe a fight to the death. Joust!”The riders dash forward, loweringlances and raising shields.Crash! Thud! Splintered woodlitters the sandy ground andhoof beats come to a halt. Theriders dismount and draw theirswords. Clang! Clink! A blur ofyellow and black scuffles acrossthe arena until only the yellowknight is left standing, victoriousin his defeat of the blackknight. The Northern CaliforniaRenaissance Faire in Casa deFruta has begun.The second faire started bythe Phyllis and Ron Pattersonof Los Angeles, The Nor CalRenaissance Faire lives on. Independentlyowned and run, thecoordinators of the Faire striveto make it as true to the era aspossible. The theme is basedon the fall harvest season in thefictional village of Willingtown,where craftsmen and entertainersjourney to the shire duringthis prosperous time to sellwares and enjoy the festivities.As part of their training, vendorsand actors attend workshops oncostuming, Elizabethan speech,and Renaissance history.“We take a lot of pride in thefact that we’re related to the firstRenaissance faire that ever tookplace in the United States,” saysfaire coordinator Lisa Stehl.“That’s why we try to keep theshow at a level of quality. That’swhy we work so hard and havethe workshops.”The jousting shows are choreographedand accompaniedby lively narration. Jousters undergohours of rehearsals withhistorically accurate equipmentand jousting techniques.“All the swords, the lances,the horses, everything is real,”says Geoff McAlister, whoplays the Yellow Knight. Becausethe equipment is authentic,proper safety measures arecrucial. Jousters wear helmets,lances, shields, bracers, andpauldrons—metal shoulderpads that protect riders whenthey get hit.“I’ve got a chest plate underthis as well,” says McAlister,lifting his yellow cloak. “Ialso got boots and spurs. And, Icall ‘em riding pants; you guyscan call ‘em tights if you want,but whatever.” He laughs. “Weknow where to hit, and how toswing the weapons. You’ve gotto have a lot of trust in each other.I still get a little bit of butterfliesevery show. But when thatgate opens and I come out andsee the crowd, I just say, ‘Phew!Alright, you know what you’redoin’. You got this.’” He smiles.McAlister came to theHuzzah!Enjoying Festivities at the NorthernCalifornia Renaissance FaireNorthern California RenaissanceFaire after working atmedieval dinner shows acrossthe country.“A lot of us knights thatare in this show are old Medievaland Excalibur knightsthat got bored with our nine tofive job,” McAlister explains.“We called each other up andsaid ‘Hey, let’s put a troop together.’”McAlister smiles andlooks to his buddies standing inthe crowd. “So we go aroundthe world together. We go toSpain, Mexico, Australia. Rightnow we’re just doin’ Ren Fairesbecause times are rough and wecan’t travel.”In addition to jousting, music,dance, and entertainmentare major Faire attractions. TraditionalCeltic music and dancingare presented by SiamsaLa Cheile, while the NaughtyMinstrels serenade the audiencewith tales of romance.Tempest, Molly’s Revenge, andCuuland’s Hounds perform atSaturday evening concerts afterthe Faire. Santa Cruz’s BillCoulter, classical guitarist andparent of Kirby student EvanCoulter, has performed previouslyat the Faire. Mini skitssuch as “Manly Men in Tights”and “Dirty Laundry” entertainthe audience with comical performances.“These days, my favorite isBrooN,” says alumna IndigoPrizm. “He’s one of the mostpopular performers, along withhis friend MooNiE. They eachperform their own scriptedshow, and then at the end of theday, they do one together, whichhas certain planned stunts, butis mostly improvised. I actuallygot to go onstage with themlast year. It was so completelyawesome. I got to stand onstagewhile they tandem-juggledflaming torches in front of andbehind me. Flames going backand forth on either side of mewas . . . well, it was definitelyan experience.”Chevaliers such as QueenElizabeth I and Sir FrancisDrake play crucial roles at theFaire.“I’ve been doing the RenaissanceFaire for some 45 yearsnow,” chuckles Will Wood,who plays Sir Francis Drakeevery year. “I began as a craftsmanand became a performermany years ago as Master ofthe Revels.” Shortly thereafter,he assumed the role of Sir FrancisDrake, accompanying theQueen and ensuring her royalclaim on the California shore.“Sir Francis Drake, of course, isa hero,” Wood emphasizes. “It’salmost doing a local personalityof the Elizabethan era.”In 1963, Los Angelesschoolteacher Phyllis Pattersonopened her backyard to studentsfor a class project on the Renaissanceera. Students researchedmusic, food, clothing, and art,presenting their finished productsto parents and friends whoattended the miniature festival.Later that year, Patterson andher husband Ron organized thefirst Renaissance Pleasure Faire,a fundraiser hosted by radio stationKPFK and designed by theLiving History Center. The festivalre-created a realistic springmarket faire of the Renaissancewith vendors and actors who reviveddying arts of the period.Eight thousand people attended,wandering from booth to booth,exploring traditional activitiesand wares. Vendors and actorsstudied Elizabethan languageand customs to accurately representthe time period.In 1967 the faire moved toChina Camp State Park in SanRafael and then relocated toBlack Point Forest in Novato,California. The Faire moved athird time to Irwindale and becameknown as the SouthernCalifornia Renaissance Faire.Its popularity skyrocketed,sparking a wave of historicalinterest in the Renaissancethroughout America. Other annualfaires began to appearacross the United States. Today,over 100 independently ownedand operated faires take placeeach year in the U.S.Visitors to Willingtown areencouraged to dress up and takepart in the Renaissance fun.Pirates, peasants, nobles, andknights are all welcome.Features“I believe it’s the interplay ofthe audience, the very fact thatyou can play with them and youcan teach them,” says Wood.“We have people who comeevery day to the fair, so they’reas much a part of the cast as weare.”Numerous Faire coordinators,vendors, and actors havebeen participating in the NorthernFaire for at least twentyyears. “I’ve been at the fairesince 1971,” says MichelleAmsbury, co-owner of AmsburyCeramics and marketplacedirector of the Nor Cal RenFaire. Amsbury and her husbandRay participate in both theSouthern and Northern Faire,selling handmade vases, miniatureclay Victorian houses, windchimes, and “Love beads.”Craftsman Jim Thomson hasparticipated since 1979, craftingfine wood and precious stoneboxes. Prior tohis involveme n t ,Thomsonpartook inthe GilroyGarlic Festival,MammothLake’sLabor DayFestival, andvarious harvestfestivalsin California.Thomson andother vendorsemphasize theexceptional experiencethe RenaissanceFaireoffers to vendorsthat other fairs and festivalslack, and the fact that the Faireis based on a tight community.“When you buy somethingfrom the Renaissance Faire,you’re buying something thatsomebody sat down and caredabout and hand made in theirworkshop in the United States,”says Stehl. “You’re buying itfrom the person who sweatedover it and made it. To me, that’sspecial and that’s unique.”“There’s not a lot of placesin the United States where youcan go and see beautiful, handcrafteditems that are made bythe vendors that are standingthere and looking at you as opposedto things imported fromChina,” says Stehl. “The craftspeopleout here are absolutelyspectacular, and some of thethings they’re making are a dyingart. That’s what I love aboutthe Renaissance Faire—thepeople out here produce amazing,amazing things.”In her visits to the Faire, historyteacher Kirsten Olsen alsotakes part in the Renaissanceexperience.“I always dress up for theFaire,” says Olsen, who sewsher own attire. “One [costume]was an attempt to recreate adress that Elizabeth I was paintedin when she was 13 yearsold. I made a fairly egregiouserror on the sleeves, but noone seems to have yelled at meyet.” Olsen smiles. For a historyteacher, the enthusiasm and authenticitymake the Faire cometo life.“I love that sense of beingimmersed in a historical period,even if not everybody’sin costume—enough peopleare that it’s got a very differentfeel from the ordinary world.Everybody communal agrees topretend we’re in a different timeperiod; we’re all playing alongtogether.”“Anybody who’d like tocome out and have fun Elizabethanstyle, there’s a place forthem out here,” says Stehl.