Remember "Queen Bea?" -- posted by JohnPaul on Friday, February 29, 2008 10:18PM
A quirky character we first saw at one of the early Greater St. Louis Renaissance Festivals, then later at the Renaissance Faire of the Midlands and other regional events, Queen Bea hasn't been seen much lately in our area... But she did put out a CD a few years ago, and I just realized tonight it's on iTunes and CD Baby:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/mbmccarthy

Enjoy!

Sarasota (FL) Medieval Fair wants vendors. -- posted by JohnPaul on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 6:33PM
Greetings & Huzzah!

We are still accepting vendors in a variety of categories. If you are
interested in vending and parntering with us, please let us know soon, as
our deadline is approaching.

Festival: April 5-6, at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds, from 10am to
6pm, in Sarasota, Florida. Our festival this year will feature many title
performances and our title sponsors are Budweiser, the Bradenton Herald,
and Clearchannel.

A press release and the vendor application are available upon request.
Feel free to also look at our website at: www.SarasotaMedievalFair.com for
more details. Our vendor space is reserved on a first-come first-serve
basis after being juried.

If you have already applied, please disregard this email.

Very Sincerely,

Jeremy Croteau
Sarasota Medieval Fair, Inc.
1-888-303-3247
Info@SarasotaMedievalFair.com
http://www.SarasotaMedievalFair.com

Four Shillings Short to appear in Des Moines -- posted by JohnPaul on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 9:18PM
Hello from Christy and Aodh Og of Four Shillings Short:

This year we are celebrating March 17 in Des Moines as part of the Iowa Historic Museum's annual St. Patrick's Day Festival. It will be a wonderful family friendly event with music, dancing, weaving, history and even a workshop on Irish genealogy. We hope you can find time to come along for the fun.

MONDAY: MARCH 17
1pm to 4pm
ST. PATRICK'S DAY FESTIVAL
Iowa State Historic Museum
600 East Locust
Des Moines, IA
(515) 281-4132

Want to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in a family-friendly way? The Iowa Historical Museum will have an Irish festival from 1 to 4 p.m. March 17 after the parade downtown by the Friendly Sons of St. Pats. It will include music, singing, dancing, workshops and more.

Entertainers include Four Shillings Short Band from Ireland and an Irish harpist, Tim Brittain -piper and penny whistle from Fairfield and a featured artist on "Iowa Roots".

Also find weavers, spinners, Celtic dancing, Lynn Alex of the office of state archaeologist in Iowa City doing a workshop on Irish genealogy, and museum staff giving a presentation about the history of the Irish in Iowa and the United States.

Thanks and hope to see you soon,
Christy and Aodh Og/Four Shillings Short
http://www.fourshillingsshort.com

Castle building blocks. -- posted by JohnPaul on Friday, February 22, 2008 11:43PM
Someone want to check this out and tell me what you think?

"We're have a Three day sale. Save $50.00 on the 133pc Castle Building Blocks
http://www.thevillageblocksmith.com/Three_Day_Sale.htm
"

Dubuque Renaissance Faire - Iowa -- posted by JohnPaul on Monday, February 18, 2008 6:12PM
The Dubuque Renaissance Faire is a brand-new event; one which will serve as a fundraiser for the Dubuque Museum of Art. The dates are Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, 2008. The hours are 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM and the location is at Storybook Hill Children's Zoo and Park on the west side of Dubuque. We are currently asking for food and merchandise vendors to contact us for an application form. Vendor fees for merchandise will be $100 up till March 15th, 2008, when it will go up to $125. Food vendor fees will be $275 until March 15th when they will rise to $300 and single item food vendors fees will be $125 until March 15th, when it will go up to $150.

Please contact the Producer via email to receive your vendor application to fill out and send in with your payment.

The Dubuque Renaissance Faire website is: http://www.dbqart.com/DMAFaire.htm It should provide you with any other information you need. If you still have questions after checking it out, please do not hesitate to email the Producer.

Thank you!

Lynne Melssen
Producer
Dubuque Renaissance Faire
lynne -at- festint.com

MNRF saved. -- posted by JohnPaul on Thursday, February 14, 2008 9:27PM
"A 15 year lease HAS BEEN SIGNED between MRF and Malkerson."

This news comes in a roundabout fashion from a long time friend of mine. It looks like Minnesota will have the festival for awhile longer.

Hanlon-Lees Action Theater (jousters) newsletter. -- posted by JohnPaul on Wednesday, February 6, 2008 7:24AM
(Hanlon-Lees used to be THE jousting troup for the Iowa region. They were pretty much at every event I attended in the 1998-2002 years, it seemed. With most of the festivals they performed at here no longer around -- Wybreg Village, Salisbury Faire, Southern Illinois, etc. -- I don't run in to them very often, but I do remain on their mailing list. Here's the latest from HLAT...)

Here's the news that's fit to print: 2008 is here, but on a somber note.

Kent's sweetheart Julie lost a very close friend in Native American activist & performer Floyd Red Crow Westerman. (You may recall Floyd from his work on films and TV shows such as THE DOORS, DANCES WITH WOLVES, and THE X-FILES.) This past December, Floyd succumbed to leukemia after a long struggle with that disease.

In light of this good man's passing, Julie, Kent, and a few other close friends held a memorial ceremony at the ranch in Oklahoma. Head on over to the H-LAT website to see a tribute page featuring photos of this heartfelt event.

Also, Floyd's family is in dire need of assistance now that he's gone; they are struggling to keep up with his medical debts. Any and all help you may be willing to give is more than welcome. Donations may be sent to the Westerman family (in care of Julie) at this address:

Julie Evans
4249 W. College Ave.
Milwaukee, WI
53221

Thanks in advance from the Westermans (and the rest of us) for anything you may be able to provide.

On a lighter note, the 2008 schedule is up, and the season begins in earnest next weekend with the commencement of the Arizona Renaissance Festival, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The Lees have provided jousting thrills at that event for the full two decades, so if you're in the Grand Canyon State, stop on out and see our latest action-packed extravaganza, which rings in our own 30th year of entortillation. (I know, the banner says "Since 1979," but Kent insists that that first year began in '78. Math was never my strong suit, so it's beyond my reckoning.)

Also, you may notice a new bit of information on the Schedule page: the little golden steed, which denotes an event featuring photo opportunities on STIFFY, the Wonder Horse! Who is Stiffy, you might ask? Well, photos are pending, but let's just say that he's a four-legged fiberglas steed garbed in the colors of Sir Thomas, the Duke of Kent... and for a nominal fee, one may have his or her portrait made (thru the use of our magical etching device) whilst mounted upon his mighty girth. So if you're in a Stiffy zone, stop on by and say hello to our noble (if synthetic) equine.

As always, questions and/or comments are welcome. I, your humble webmaster, leave you this time around with not the usual joke or gag, but with a proverb from the Dakota Sioux: "We will be known forever by the tracks we leave."

Peace, love, and a Happy New Year to you all.

- Christian
Ye Olde Webmaster
http://www.hanlon-lees.com

Web Hosting upgrades. -- posted by JohnPaul on Monday, February 4, 2008 8:10PM
Well, after offering hosting packages for almost ten years, I wondered if it was something I would continue doing since I haven't promoted it in years. I've decided to go ahead and keep expanding, and have upgraded my server lease to add more disk space and even more bandwidth. This gives me room for more accounts, as well as the ability to give more stuff to my existing accounts.

So, if you are interested in a web hosting account, drop me a note and I'll turn on an account for you to play with. Try it out for a month and if you like, you can host here. Worst case is about $5/month ($60/year) paid one time a year, but I'm probably lowering the price again (it used to be $10/month when I started) soon.

Ren Faire of the Midlands 2008 details. -- posted by JohnPaul on Sunday, February 3, 2008 9:58PM
I received an e-mail from the main guy behind the Renaissance Faire of the Midlands, so here are the details:

Welcome to the 25th Annual
Renaissance Faire of the Midlands
Join us at our 2008 Silver Anniversary
Accept no Substitutes - We are the Original

We are celebrating our 25th year in the Omaha & Council Bluffs area. We have relocated to a permanent site in Omaha and expanded the show to two weekends! That’s right. We will be open for two, 3-day weekends: May 16 (Education Day for school age kids), 17, 18 & Memorial Day weekend May 24, 25, 26. Join us in non-stop fun and medieval merriment.

NEW LOCATION: Scary Acres 17272 Giles Road, Omaha, NE 68136 previous site of NE Renaissance Festival www.scaryacres.com

DIRECTIONS: http://www.scaryacres.com/directions.cfm

Dates & Hours
May 16 FRI 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Education Day
May 17 SAT 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
May 18 SUN 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
May 24 SAT 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
May 25 SUN 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
May 26 MON 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Memorial Day

By royal decree, TICKETS are available at all Omaha and Council Bluffs Hy-Vee Food Stores!

Bring your friends and family and enjoy continuous entertainment and live jousting demonstrations! Shop the artists’ market for unique handcrafted treasures. Feast on delicious turkey drumsticks. And don’t forget the kids! Rides, Activities and Games await you and your family.

The Renaissance Faire of the Midlands www.faire.org with special thanks to the Greater St. Louis Renaissance Festival www.stlrenfaire.com

Contact Us at (936) 894-2338 or www.faire.org or RenFaire of the Midlands, POB 232, Carrollton, MO 64633