Another ATF video journal (#32) posted; DMRF entertainment grid. -- posted by JohnPaul on Thursday, August 31, 2006 8:12AM
Video journal #32, recorded on August 29th, has been posted:

http://dmrenfaire.com/podcast.shtml

It contains interviews with merchants Dragon Mine and Off With Your Bread, as well as sword guild leader Dale Tokvam (canisbellum.atthefaire.com) and puppet theater/street character Don Rothweiler.

Video #31 is missing in action, but will be posted soon.

Also, a prototype entertainment grid fo the Des Moines Renaissance Faire has been posted. It has a few things missing (other demonstrations, mostly) but barring any last minute additions/changes it should be pretty close:

http://dmrenfaire.com/schedule_grid.shtml

Chappamore Fall Tour update (music group). -- posted by JohnPaul on Thursday, August 31, 2006 7:59AM
(From the Chappamore update mailing list...)

It seems hard to believe that Bristol is almost over. But as Cappamore, Brian and Jesse have a full schedule for the fall. In fact, in the next six weeks Cappamore will make appearances in four different states.

This coming weekend, of course, is the final weekend of the Bristol Renaissance Faire. Then, on September 16 and 17, appears at the Des Moines Renaissance Faire for its third and final weekend. The event will be held at Festival Park, located behind Sleepy Hollow Sports Park near the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Joining the boys for this event is T.J. Hull, fiddler and multi-instrumentalist from the Milwaukee area. T.J. has performed with some of the best-known performers in the Renaissance faire circuit, and now he joins Cappamore.

Ren faire enthusiasts throughout Iowa have been looking forward to the opening of the Des Moines Renaissance Faire, with its permanent site and management’s long history of successful shows in the area. This event has a great lineup of talent, and Cappamore is proud to be a part of the festivities. The trio will be playing the pub stage, and they guarantee a weekend of high-energy tunes, pub songs, sea shanties, and comedy. Their goal is to introduce you to some your new favorite songs, and they hope that you will join them there.

For more information, go to the Des Moines Renaissance Faire Web site at www.dmrenfaire.com.

Two weeks later, on September 30 and October 1, Cappamore travels to the Indianapolis area to perform at the Fishers Renaissance Faire. Located at Heritage Park at 106th and Eller Road in Fishers, IN on the Northeast edge of Indianapolis, this is the second year for this event. Jesse performed at the faire last year and had a great time – it was a well-organized event, with great talent and a great heart. This year looks to be even better, and we are looking forward to introducing Cappamore to the good people of Fishers.

Get directions, prices, and the ever-popular "more information" at www.fishersrenfaire.com.

Finally, the next weekend, October 7 and 8, Brian and Jesse will be at the Stronghold Olde English Faire. Part of the Oregon IL Autumn on Parade, we have appeared at this event for many years. Cappamore is not scheduled to appear, but Molly & the Tinker will be there, and Jesse will be appearing as Jock Stewart. Both will have stage shows throughout the day Saturday and Sunday, and don’t be surprised if Cappamore makes an impromptu appearance.

For more information, go to www.strongholdcenter.org/englishfaire.html.

Now we’re not saying you should travel all that way just to see us. But we are going to visit some great places in the next few weeks, and we would like to share the experience with our friends.

Jesse and Brian (and T.J.)

Ad agency in Omaha looking for knight's helmet to borrow. -- posted by JohnPaul on Thursday, August 31, 2006 2:05AM
An Omaha-area ad agency is looking for Knight's Armor (mostly the helmet, "shiny metal, more authentic the better with face guard/visor, etc.") They are looking to borrow, barter, "exchange for first borns", etc. to use this helmet/armor for some project.

Chris Darmon is the contact, and he can be reached at 402-965-4327 or you can e-mail him as "cdarmon" at "bozelljacobs.com".

If any of the armored fighter folks in the Omaha area want to help them out, give Chris a call or e-mail. (And let me know if you work something out!)

I made the cover of Cityview! (Sorta...) -- posted by JohnPaul on Wednesday, August 30, 2006 11:29AM
Okay, so I'm just one of a dozen people on the cover, but if you pick up a copy of this week's Cityview (a free weekly newspaper in Des Moines, Iowa) you will find me in the group in front of Marick Castle at Festival Park (Des Moines Renaissance Faire).

http://www.dmcityview.com/cover.shtml [more...]

Hear "Cappamore" at the Des Moines Ren Faire. -- posted by JohnPaul on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 8:27AM
A brand new group makes its official debut at a brand new faire site, when Cappamore appears at the Des Moines Renaissance Faire for its third and final weekend, September 16 and 17, 2006. The event will be held at Festival Park, located behind Sleepy Hollow Sports Park near the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines.

Cappamore is a new group with a long history. Brian Leo and Jesse Linder have worked together in various projects over the years. Most recently, folks in the Midwest would recognize them as two-thirds of Tippler’s Way, where they entertained crowds at the Kansas City Renaissance Faire, the Bristol Renaissance Faire, and elsewhere. Jesse and Brian still enjoy working together, and Cappamore was born as a result.

Joining the boys is T.J. Hull, fiddler and multi-instrumentalist from the Milwaukee area. T.J. has performed with some of the best-known performers in the Renaissance faire circuit, and now he joins Cappamore.

Ren faire enthusiasts throughout Iowa have been looking forward to the opening of the Des Moines Renaissance Faire, with its permanent site and management’s long history of successful shows in the area. This event has a great lineup of talent, and Cappamore is proud to be a part of the festivities.

The trio will be playing the pub stage, and they guarantee a weekend of high-energy tunes, pub songs, sea shanties, and comedy. Their goal is to introduce you to some your new favorite songs, and they hope that you will join them there.

For more information, go to the Des Moines Renaissance Faire Web site at www.dmrenfaire.com.
[more...]

The architects are watching me. -- posted by JohnPaul on Monday, August 28, 2006 4:33PM
I was doing a websearch today and ran across a page at the FEH Associates architect site that linked to the podcasts I have been doing for the Festival Park project:

http://www.fehassociates.com/renissance2.aspx

I had heard from two of the architects that they'd been watching my videos, but I had no idea they were actually linking to them as a point of reference. I'm sure glad I haven't been picking on them too much!

This video experiment has proven pretty interesting, and I hope to do similar vidcasts for other events. Now I just need to find a way to get down to the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival next season to do some there...

Festival Park in Iowa officially "opened." -- posted by JohnPaul on Sunday, August 27, 2006 1:22AM
Saturday night, a "Governer's Royal Reception" was held out at Sleepy Hollow Sports Park in Des Moines, Iowa to officially open the new Festival Park. The guest list included former Governer Ray of Iowa, the mayor of Pleasant Hill, and various other VIPs and media types. Show sponsors were also onhand (Polk County Bank, HyVee, etc.). Dozens of street folks entertained. There were faries and pirates, and Orckes & Trolles, and storytellers and Glastonbury Revelers. It was a pretty neat night, starting around 7pm and ending after the light left (9pm or so).

Photos (that I took) have been posted to the http://dmrenfaire.com website in the gallery. Here's the ribbon cutting:



Six more days until opening...!

Des Moines video update; ribbon cutting tonight. -- posted by JohnPaul on Saturday, August 26, 2006 1:13PM
One of the final Des Moines Ren Faire video journals before the festival opens has now been posted to the podcast feed, and YouTube.com

Also, tonight is the official ribbon cutting ceremony for Festival Park. Former Iowa Governer Ray will be onhand as well as various invited VIPs and media types. We'll see if the weather holds out :)

Three new TV ads (produced by AtTheFaire) have also been submitted to the TV stations. If I didn't have a TiVo and actually watched TV commercials, I might actually see them, but I do and thus I don't and won't, so you can watch them online instead:

Des Moines Ren Faire pass-along announcement (ticket prices)... -- posted by JohnPaul on Wednesday, August 23, 2006 9:30AM
(From the DMRenFest Yahoo! group, which isn't named to match the DM Ren *Faire*, this notice was just posted... Of note, a "Season pass" is being offered.)

**Please forward to this message to people in your e-mail address book who may be interested. Thank you.**

Des Moines Renaissance Faire
Festival Park at Sleepy Hollow Sports Park
4051 Dean Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa
September 2,3,4 -- Pirate weekend
September 9,10 -- Celtic weekend
September 16,17 -- Romance weekend

FESTIVAL PARK -- Labor Day Weekend will see the grand opening of lowa's new theme park for unique festivals and special events. With its 20 acres designed as a replica of a merry olde English castle town, this storybook setting has been christened 'Festival Park.' It will serve as a living immersion into various multi-weekend regional events. It includes merchant shops, an equestrian arena, a feasting hall, an old-fashioned pub, a guild hall, a Sherwood Forest area, a Pirate Cove, a vast corn maze, the Living-History Demonstration Field and one of the largest castles found at any Renaissance festival in the United States.

The flagship event for the initial audience will be the much-enhanced Des Moines Renaissance Faire. It will be presented on Sept. 2, 3, 4; Sept. 9 and 10; and Sept. 16 and 17; with gate hours from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM. It will feature both of the nation's touring horseback jousting companies, international and national headliner acts, eight stages of on-going entertainment by 25 professional performing groups, themed weddings, a royalty coronation pageant, numerous artisan exhibits, 18 food and beverage shops, a children's realm and literally hundreds of costumed village characters. [See http://www.dmrenfaire.com/]

The grounds and structures, themselves, are being built thanks to sponsorships by Hy-Vee of Pleasant Hill, Iowa Beverage Distributing, Captain Morgan Rum, Gilcrest Jewett Lumber, Polk County Bank and Miller Nursery.

For event details, including the Des Moines Renaissance Faire, call (641) 357-5177 or e-mail greg@festint.com. Or call Sleepy Hollow Sports Park (515) 262-4100.

We hope to see you there!! Huzzah!

Adult single day: $13.25
Child (7-12 years old) single day: $7.50
Adult two day: $22.75
Adult season pass: $37.75

*prices do not include 6% sales tax
**children age 6 and under are free [more...]

Des Moines Ren Faire updates again... -- posted by JohnPaul on Monday, August 21, 2006 11:00PM
Since my last posting, a number of new Des Moines Ren Faire video journals have been posted (up to #27) and both TV ads (with a third one being taped Tuesday evening, weather permitting). You can drop by the DMRF video page to view them:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=CCF99A94EAF39BAD

"Marick Castle" at the Des Moines Ren Faire and other updates. -- posted by JohnPaul on Thursday, August 17, 2006 3:59PM
It looks like "Marick Castle" (the official name, according to a handout I picked up at the DMRF booth in the State Fair Varied Industries building) is on it's way to no longer being a wooden castle. Check it out:


More photos at http://dmrenfaire.com/gallery/TOC.shtml

The TV ad I made for the event is now airing on KCCI, KIOA and various Mediacom cable channels. You can view the TV commercial here (but it will get revised once more to change the voiceover):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIXpPXazeNI

A second commercial (for the Celtic weekend) is being worked on and has been posted to YouTube.com. If it gets approved/completed, it will enter in rotation. A third commercial (Romance weekend) is being planned, to be taped this weekend or next Tuesday.

A few more entertainers were added to the list recently at http://www.dmrenfaire.com and the Vendor/Shops list is being updated as merchants send in their official booth description.

More to come...

Nodaway, Iowa Renaissance Festival - Sep 15-17, 2006 -- posted by JohnPaul on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 5:59PM
The Nodaway Corn Carnival is returning with another renaissance festival this year. As of last week, their full website is now available, so drop by:

http://corncarnival.com/

...and check it out. [more...]

Merchants: How to get in to Des Moines without buying a building. -- posted by JohnPaul on Friday, August 11, 2006 6:22PM
If you're a tent merchant feeling left out because you aren't able to just toss down $5000-$25000 on a building lease at the new Festival Park facility in Des Moines, here's a way around it.

Festival Park was built to host a variety of events throughout the year. The park, themed like an Olde English Village(tm), will be used for the renaissance faire the first three weekends of September, then again in October for the Pumpkin Fest (featuring a lumberjack show, instead of a joust). There will also be some kind of Country Music/Cajun Food event during summer 2007, and then a Victorian/Dickens Christmas Village as well. (These last two events may not be official; I don't see them listed yet on the sleepyhollowsportspark.com website.)

Now, merchants who have buildings may choose to not do other events, and then they can rent out their building to others. The renfest, of course, is full since those are the main people building. They may not wish to vend at other events (ie, a sword person may not think the Pumkin Fest will be a great market for them). But there's another option...

There are Main Street buildings -- right as you enter (think "Adventureland" in Iowa, or Disneyland/The Magic Kingdom). Those shops (about 13 per side) are for short term rental only. There are a few slots available for someone who wants to bring some goods in and try out the festival before comitting to a building.

"There are a few shops on Main Street at the DMRF still for rent for Sept. 9-10th, 16-17th and for the three Oct. weekends. The Sept. renters need to be Medieval/Renaissance cratfers/artisans and the Oct. renters could be generic crafters."

So, this means there are two weekends of renfest you could get in to -- but just in a small booth/stall type vending area. (On the plus, you'd have a roof and electricity, access to flushing toilets and showers, etc.)

Day for day, though, this costs much more than owning a building I think, but if you are interested, drop Greg at call at 641-357-5177 (or try out at Sleepy Hollow at 515-262-4100).

I personally don't think the main street locations are very good since people will be walking in, then wanting to get "in" to the festival immediately, walking right past the shops. But, the main street shops at Disney are the best places for souvineer and trinket type items since everyone hits them on their way out. (ie, I wouldn't want to own them, but they might be good for some kinds of merchandise.)

And in other news, the official (version 4) first Des Moines Ren Faire TV ad has been completed. It begins airing as follows:

August 14 - KCCI and KIOA
August 16 - Various cable channels.
August 21 - WHO

If you catch the ad, drop me a note and let me know what channel you were watching and what show was on. Thanks!

DMRF TV filming report. -- posted by JohnPaul on Friday, August 11, 2006 1:19AM
In spite of the rain and mud, we ended up with a nice sized group of folks in and out of garb at Sleepy Hollow Sports Park this past Tuesday evening. Around 7pm we gathered to record some scenes for the TV commercial. Several fight scenes were recorded (swords, sticks) and a few stages scenes involving people walking in the lanes, standing in line at "Bud's Homemade Root Beer" and a few other buildings there were "done enough" to look okay on TV. The commercials (all 4 edits) are posted to the YouTube.com playlist:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=254E3ABCAA99A888 (link fixed)

Thanks to all those who came out (like Sadie, and that guy from the chocolate place that was at Des Moines Fall 2004).

The other commercials will be recorded soon -- we'll probably do another series of shots for Celtic and Romance weekend this coming Tuesday evening. E-mail if interested in being on TV.

(The A/V resume now includes TV ads for Des Moines Ren Faire, Nebraska Ren Faire, Iowa Ren Fest, Sleepy Hollow Halloween and Winter, and radio ads for Sleepy Hollow Halloween, Upper Great Lakes Ren Faire, and Nishna River Ren Faire. If you need something done, drop me note. If I can swing it, I'll help out and, as always, the price is free but the tip jar is always out.)

More Des Moines Ren Faire videos... -- posted by JohnPaul on Monday, August 7, 2006 7:28PM
Since the last time I mentioned it here, episodes 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 of the Des Moines Renaissance Faire Video Journals have been uploaded to YouTube.com, and posted to the podcast feed. Download the MPEG-4 video files directly from this feed:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/dmrf

Or enter that URL in your iTunes "Advanced->Subscribe to Podcast" box to get episodes when they are posted automatically.

If you'd rather just watch lower quality streaming video in your web browser, you can go to the YouTube playlist page:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=254E3ABCAA99A888 (link fixed)

Have fun. Prime time it ain't, but it's at least there (and free).

Follow-up on Charles City Ren Arts Festival in Iowa (Aug 19-20). -- posted by JohnPaul on Friday, August 4, 2006 7:01PM
Now that I am on an actual computer instead of a cellphone, I can paste in the text that Eric sent me regarding this other Iowa Ren event. It is already past the deadlines, so this is presented for background information only. Also, Eric found out that the "Ren aspect is only on Sunday the 20th
from 12 to 4." Here's the old text:

The Charles City Renaissance Arts Festival in Iowa will be in action on the weekend of August 19th and 20th! It will be a celebration of art, music, dance, theater, and of course the Renaissance time period.

Acts of all kinds welcome to apply! A stipend could be yours, or perhaps that and passing the hat if you are an organized show -- Individual or group! Need accommodations? Give us a call and let us know what's in your show and we'll see what can be done.

Come ye jugglers, ye jesters, musicians and drummers, magicians and mimes, fire eaters and poi dancers, gypsies, fairies, and fools! Be you stage or street!

If you are interested in participating in Charles City, Iowa or would like more information, please respond by June 20th so that proper planning of events can be arranged in a timely fashion. Discussions will be made with properly timed responses and contracts will be finalized after August 1st. Please be sure to inquire about campground and other accommodation facilities in the area if you will require a place to stay.

Charles City Arts Center
641-228-6284

Nodaway Corn Carnival (Iowa) reminder. -- posted by JohnPaul on Friday, August 4, 2006 6:59PM
Per their ad in the Summer 2006 issue of Ren Reporter:

Nodaway Renaissance Faire
Sept. 16-17, 2006
Nodaway, Iowa
"Home of the World's Best Homemade Pies"

Comedy, Sword Fighting, Music, Magic, Belly Dancing, Saturday Night Tent Dance.

Vendor Spots still Open!!

Call for more information: (816) 256-2449. Visit http://corncarnival.com. e-mail: info@corncarnival.com [more...]

Big Bear Ren Faire looking for Chess Masters in California! -- posted by JohnPaul on Friday, August 4, 2006 6:56PM
The Big Bear renaissance Faire is looking for Chess masters to help with their Human Chess Game!! Please have anyone interested in participating call Lynda McGinnis at 909-585-7825 We are also looking for donations of dishes!! Anything breakable!! If they are chipped or cracked its ok!! Again, contact Lynda

5th Annual Big Bear Renaissance Faire!! Aug, 12, 13, 19 & 20th 10 am to 6 pm on Moonridge road. Free parking on Elm street.
Visit the web sit for more information: http://www.bigbearrenfair.com
Join the Dragunears, membership applications and information on the web site

One more ren-ish event for Charles City, Iowa. -- posted by JohnPaul on Friday, August 4, 2006 2:27PM
Eric from The Ministry of Petty Offenses alerted me to "yet another" small Iowa event with a renaissance festival connection. Charles City, Iowa has an event on August 19th and 20th, and it includes some renaissance entertainment (including the Ministry of Petty Offenses). It is called the Charles City Renaissance Arts Festival. A "celebration of art, music, dance, theater, and of course the Renaissance time period."

For more information, contact the Charles City Arts Center at 641-228-6284.

Thanks to MoPO for pointing this one out. And the list continues to grow...

A note about Robert Welch and Amana Ren Fest. -- posted by JohnPaul on Friday, August 4, 2006 12:59PM
Today I received a nice e-mail from Robert Welch, the guy who ran A Renaissance Affaire in Osceola, Iowa. In his words, the note was "a warning" and he mentioned his lawyer had already sent out "letters of warning" to two people about "false advertising and slander of the faire and its staff." The faire, which he doesn't specify in the letter, I am going to assume is Rob's planned Amana Colonies event.

So, to avoid any such nasty legal letters, let me state the following background information:

1. A Renaissance Affaire was first held in 2001 at Q Pond Park in Osceola, Iowa. Photos may be found at:

http://www.atthefaire.com/photos/Iowa/ARenAffaire2001/index.htm

(Disclaimer: During the first few years, I provided hosting and the website for this event. I never collected money for Rob for the final year or so of operation, but at the time, "we're all friends here" so it wasn't a big deal. I just considered keeping the site up for him a favor.)

2. A Renaissance Affaire was held again in 2002. Photos may be found at:

http://www.atthefaire.com/photos/Iowa/ARenAffaire2002/index.htm

My performance group at the time, The Washer Well Wenches, was contracted to be there. The contract was basically just a letter he gave us saying how much we would be paid for our performance. After close of show on Sunday, Rob was not able to pay us. He apparently did not have money himself to fund the event, and was relying on ticket sales.

A few months later, at the Iowa Renaissance Festival in Amana Colonies, Rob did write me a check, paying us in full what we were owed.

3. In 2003, A Renaissance Affaire was held again. I didn't go, so I don't have any photos or first hand comments.

4. In 2004, A Renaissance Affaire was scheduled. There was a website listing dates, acts, etc. About a week before the event, a post was made to the AtTheFaire message board asked who was going to be there. A response was posted listing all the acts that were going to be there along with a link to the A Renaissance Affaire website. Clicking to the website brought up the page with a note saying the event had been cancelled.

Some calls were made, and someone at the City of Osceola said that Q-Pond Park had not even been reserved for the festival to be held there that weekend.

So, in response to the warning, I guess I should continue to stick with facts: An event organizer listed and promoted an event in a city that says the event wasn't cleared with them.

So, when I say "may or may not happen" about this new first-year event, I am simply going on the following:

1. The non-related Wybreg Village Renaissance Festival was announced, but its organizer Wybreg Foundation, to be held in Des Moines in 2003. It was cancelled early on.

2. Another Wybreg Village Renaissance Festival was announced to be held in Des Moines in 2004 at Water Works Park. It was cancelled early on.

3. A Renaissance Affaire 2004 was announced, by the organizer, to be happening. It was cancelled a week before scheduled opening.

4. The non-related Quest for the Holy Grail renaissance festival was announced, by its organizer, to be happening in Des Moines over Labor Day 2006. It was cancelled a few months before opening. (Note: Calling the man in charge of renting out Iowa State Fair locations for these events revealed no one had contacted him about an event there, either.)

5. The City of Waterloo calendar carried the listing for a Renaissance Faire of the Cedarlands, entered in 2005 for an event in 2006. This event never got of the drawing boards, but the listing still floats around on various event calendars.

As you can see, there is a history of first-time events being announced and then not happening in our state. I can't speak for Rob, but I would think that he certainly "did" intend for A Renaissance Affair in 2004 to happen. In fact, he had stated this himself in the old message board. But, as we all have seen time and time again, sometimes things can happen to derail plans, whether it be money or logistics or just not following through on an idea, dream or plan.

So, if it is true that Rob did really intend to have A Renaissance Affaire in 2004, but something caused it to not happen at the last minute, and if those other organizers did really have plans for those events then, for whatever reason, had to back down... I'm sure it's quite obvious for me to mention these facts and say that new first-time events (and even some established events) may or may not happen.

As always, before making any effort/drive to a renaissance festival (or any other event for that matter), it's probably good to do a last minute check before heading out because even if the website says it's happening a week before, things sometimes come up. (Personally, I believe it will happen but I also believed ARA 2004 would happen.)

Fair enough? Good.

It is nice to know these festivals have lawyers though. When Rob didn't pay us, one of our members wanted to call in a lawyer, but we defended Rob because we didn't believe he was intentionally not paying. He just didn't have the money.

So, Rob, send your lawyer my way if you want. If there is an error in my logic of explaining about the fragility of new events, especially with an organizer that has had past problems, I'm sure he/she can straighten me out. :)

Be on TV for the Des Moines Ren Faire. -- posted by JohnPaul on Friday, August 4, 2006 9:24AM
Okay, we will be recording clips for potential use in TV ads for the Des Moines Renaissance Faire this Saturday and next Tuesday evening. If you would like to come out for a special "site tour" of Festival Park and be in the commercial, e-mail me. Tuesday evening is looking the best, since the sword fighters will already be there, and we can get a few of them to dress up. I'm thinking around 7pm at Sleepy Hollow Sports Park near the state fairgrounds (4051 Dean Ave, map at www.sleepyhollowsportspark.com).

Drop me a note. The idea is just to have some crowd shows -- people in and out of garb (ie, street clothes, not nekkid, perve!). These would just be for quick shots in the ad -- people at a stage, walking down the lane, etc.

IMPORTANT: This may mean you come by for 30 minutes or an hour, get recorded over and over, and end up only being in a commercial for a blink of an eye, or not at all, so don't expect too much. I recorded over half an hour of haunted house footage last year for a 30 second spot.

We have to obtain Visitor Passes to get access to the site, so don't just show up - contact me first. We have to organize and meet up at Sleepy Hollow first.

DMRF: Governor's Royal Reception - August 26th -- posted by JohnPaul on Tuesday, August 1, 2006 4:27PM
Just some news from the Des Moines Ren Faire front...

This is an "invitation only" event being held for city and state dignitaries, along with sponsors and special guests, to dedicate Festival Park, the new permanent home of the Des Moines Renaissance Faire. On Saturday evening, August 26th guests and media reps will witness former Governor Robert D. Ray cutting the ribbon as part of the evening's festivities. Local performers will share their talents, including the Glastonbury Revelers, Orkes and Trolls, the Forking Queen and Charles of Charlatan. A special swordfighting demonstration is being planned and festival vendors will provide the feast for the evening. Rick Flatt and Greg Schmidt will make the opening remarks and Don Rothwiler, as Martin Luther will bestow a blessing on Festival Park. Members of the festival's Royal Court will be in attendance, demonstrating renaissance dances. All in all, it looks to be a very special night.

New Waterloo, Iowa ren fest for September 2006? -- posted by JohnPaul on Tuesday, August 1, 2006 4:26PM
This may just be outdated information bubbling to the top right now, but while doing a search at the Des Moines Register website, I ran across an event called "Renaissance Faire of the Cedarlands" for September 2006. Earier in the day, I was carbon copied on an e-mail inquiry where someone was asking about the event. I also found the event listed on a Waterloo, Iowa website, this time with contact details.

The event, originally announced a year or two ago, was going to be done by a long-time festival person in Waterloo, and Festivals International (Iowa Ren Fest, Nebraska Ren Faire, Des Moines Ren Faire, etc.). They thought they might do one that year but decided to wait a bit before trying. This was either 2004 or 2005. There aren't any plans to do it, as far as I know, and Greg (festint.com) is listed as the contact, and he isn't doing an event.

So, it's probably just old information that got put into event calendars and only recently popped up. (That just seems odd.) Anyway, this brings yet another event to the mix for 2006. So far, we've seen:

1. Iowa Ren Fest (new date, Amana Colonies) - already held.
2. Quest for the Holy Grail (new event, Des Moines) - announced and promoted for Memorial Day Weekend (?) then cancelled.
3. Des Moines Ren Faire student day - doesn't really count since it was only open to schools.
4. Ren Faire of the Midlands - already held.
5. Nodaway Corn Carnival - ren fest event in September in 6. Nodaway, tied in to their long running city event (and, they claim, home to the best pies in Iowa).
6. Amana Colonies Ren Fest - first time event (by the former organizer of the Osceola, IA event A Ren Affaire). May or may not be happening, depending on which Amana event calendar you look at (event organizer cancelled his last event in Osceola, IA a week before it was supposed to happen and the city said the park wasn't even reserved for an event that weekend, so who knows).
7. Des Moines Ren Faire - three weekend event starting Labor Day Weekend in Iowa at an all new site with permanent buildings and stages and such.
8. Ren Faire of the Cedarlands - tentative talk from a year or two ago, unless someone else is running with the idea???
9. Wartburg College Ren Fest - I don't think this one is officially open to the public, but they recruit ren merchants every year and I've performed there twice. It's a homecoming event, I think, for the school.

...am I missing any???