Renaissance Fairs

County OKs camping ban at Bolinas Beach - Marin Independent Journal

Bolinas Beach could be closed to camping year-round if county supervisors approve a ban enacted Thursday by the Marin deputy zoning administrator.

"This camping ban will show people that not everything goes in Bolinas," said Bruce Bowser, a former member of the Bolinas Beach Committee.

The move capped a 10-year drive by local residents to ban campers, who previously were allowed to pitch tents during the week. Those campers have proven a lingering source of health and safety concerns for many Bolinas residents, who have noted that the nearest public toilets are a quarter of a mile away.

"My concern is that there was no place on the beach for midnight excursions to bathrooms that don't exist," said Cela O'Connor of Bolinas, who became concerned about the issue when she encountered 30 campsites at the beach 10 years ago. "I was a grandmother when this began; I'm a great-grandmother now. And my concern is my grandchildren being able to use the beach without knowing what they'll find in the dry sand."

The ban, which supervisors are expected to review April 20 in advance of a May 2 hearing, follows a 2001 prohibition on camping during summer weekends and a 2005 extension of that ban to weekends throughout the year. Members of the Bolinas Beach Commission said those bans did little to deter long-term campers who stay on the beach for months at a time.

via www.marinij.com

Children's Renaissance Faire in Auburn today | TheUnion.com

Royalty and peasants alike will gather today for a Renaissance Faire featuring fun, crafting, gamesmanship and revelry.

Children in kindergarten through 12th grade and their parents are invited to have fun at this event where they can test their skills in medieval games, spin yarn, create colorful puppets, make shields and feast on delectable delights while helping raise funds for school programs. The fair is hosted by the students, parents and faculty of Horizon Charter School.

It will be from 12 to 4 p.m. at Auburn Sierra Grace Fellowship Church gymnasium, 1260 Wesley Lane, Auburn. Admission is $3. Call (530) 362-6920 for information. For more information, visit HorizonCharterSchool.org.

via www.theunion.com

Highland games, Celtic clans on tap this weekend | www.tricountyleader.com | Tri County Leader

Highland games, Celtic clans on tap this weekend

Wear your kilt and bring your clan out to Four Winds Faire this weekend for the Celtic Celebration.

Four Winds will celebrate Celtic music, dress and heritage on Saturday and Sunday. The highlight of the weekend will be the Highland Games, a competition of strength and skill. Even if you don’t know a caber from a catapult, come out and cheer on your favorite kilted competitor and enjoy the magic and merriment at Four Winds Faire - the only Renaissance festival in East Texas.

The 2010 season of Four Winds Faire includes full combat jousting, Renaissance entertainment, merry minstrels, swashbuckling swordsmen, pirates, ar tisan demonstrations, craft booths, and food and drink. This season of Four Winds Faire runs for six more weekends through April 25. Gates are open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., rain or shine.

Admission is $15 for adults and $5 for children ages 5-12.

Four Winds Faire is located off Highway 110 South, between Whitehouse and Troup. From Whitehouse, turn right on CR 2138.

Tickets are available at the gate on event days; tickets may be ordered by mail or online at www.fourwinds faire.com. FREE parking is available. For more information, visit www.fourwinds faire.com.

via www.tricountyleader.com

Your Reader-Submitted Articles - Courant.com

"Medieval Days" Special for Seniors Submitted by Middlewoods of Farmington on 2010-03-16.   Middlewoods of Farmington is celebrating "Medieval Days" on Saturday, March 20, from 2 - 4 p.m. Escape to the past as you watch old-world performers in traditional medieval garb. Enjoy a sampling of dances, songs, and hilarious vignettes taken from the Robin Hood Springtime Festival to be performed in Guilford this May. Presented by the Connecticut Renaissance Faire Performing Troupe (CtFaire.com).

All ages are welcome. Please RSVP to 877-370-7441 today.

Middlewoods of Farmington provides seniors with a healthy and active lifestyle in a home-like environment. We are proud to be owned and managed by United Methodist Homes, a local, faith-based, not for profit organization affiliated with the University of Connecticut Health Center.

For more information, visit us at www.middlewoods.org.

via www.courant.com

: Out & About - Tampa Bay Newspapers

TAMPA – The Wonders of the World weekend, March 20-21, features unique merchants and entertainment from around the globe.

In addition to the Festival’s marketplace of unique merchants, shoppers will enjoy the World Market with products such as: ceramics, glass, crocheted and knitted crafts, jewelry, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables.

Wine lovers can sample a delightful variety of wines at a Wine Tasting. Experts will educate guests in addition to taking orders for future delivery. Both the World Market and the Wine Tasting are located in Piper’s Valley, the Special Events area inside the Festival grounds.

Guests can participate or just enjoy watching several competitions this weekend.

The Bay Area Renaissance Festival is hosting the eighth annual Florida State Belly Dance Competition this weekend, March 20-21.

The competition takes place at 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday on the Gypsy Stage. The Florida State Belly Dance Competition is broken up into separate brackets by age – for both amateur and professional dancers as well as groups. The Belly Dancing Competition gives participants the opportunity to dance their way to prizes.

See balls and pins fly in the third annual Florida State Juggling Competition on Saturday and Sunday in the Chess Field.

Participants will enter one of three competitions – the total quantity of balls juggled, the length of time juggling four balls, or a creative juggling performance. Prizes will be awarded to the winners of each category. There is no entrance fee for the competition and it is open to the public. Pre-registered participants will receive one free admission ticket upon entrance to the Renaissance Festival.

Arm wrestling enthusiasts bring your game and your cheering crowd! Cheer on your favorite competitor for the Southeastern States Arm wrestling Championship and the Florida Power Arm wrestling Pull also on Saturday and Sunday.

Very diverse fields of participants from first time competitors to national champions will compete for this esteemed title. Both championships are divided by weight classes and age divisions for the novice and experienced, right and left hand, as well as men and women. Anyone interested in participating in these competitions may register at www.bayarearenaissancefest.com. Registration will also be accepted both days of the competition from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with the competition beginning at 2 p.m. Beginners are encouraged to register.

The Bay Area Renaissance Festival is continues its 32nd season through March 28. The Festival is open weekends, with a special day for schools and seniors on Festival Friday, March 19, 2010.

The Festival is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., rain or shine.

Admission at the gate is $17.95 for adults; children 5-12, $9.95, ages 4 and under will be admitted free.

Discount tickets are available at participating Circle K and Walgreens stores and at MOSI or online at www.BayAreaRenaissanceFest.com. Parking is free. Visit the Web site or call 1-800-779-4910 for more information.

via www.tbnweekly.com

Sonora Celtic Faire off to a soggy start, but dry days ahead - Life - Modbee.com

SONORA — Brian Stephenson had to make an extra effort to bend down for a photo with two of his young admirers Friday.

He was, after all, wearing more than 100 pounds of armor shortly after jousting at the Sonora Celtic Faire.

"Help me up — pull, pull, pull," he said to the boys after the photo shoot.

via www.modbee.com

Four Winds festival offers family fare | www.tricountyleader.com | Tri County Leader

Enjoy merry days and gallant knights at Four Winds Faire’s 16th annual season of full combat jousting, Renaissance entertainment, merry minstrels, swashbuckling swordsmen, pirates and buccaneers, ar tisan demonstrations, craft booths, and food and drink fit for a king and queen.

Four Winds Faire is offering eight consecutive weekends through April 25 of family entertainment. A full day of merriment at Four Winds Faire is a great value at only $15 for adults and $5 for children ages 5-12 (children four and under are free). Season passes are also available for adults and children.

At Four Winds’ “Tournament of Chivalry,” knights compete to display their jousting and gaming skills at the Royal Jousting arena twice a day. Four Winds’ internationally acclaimed jousting company, the Knights of the Four Winds, offers full contact jousting competition in a setting reminiscent of the royal jousting fields of Western Europe.

The Renaissance faire offers an amazing variety of 17th century living history demonstrations with dozens of live performances daily. An authentic living history encampment offers a vivid glimpse into what military life was like during the period of the Thirty Years War (1618 – 1648) with live steel sword duels and period weapons demonstrations. Children will thrill to being knighted by the valiant Sir Dustin de Grey, the Green Knight, Captain of the award-winning Joust Team, Knights of the Four Winds.

Four Winds Faire is acclaimed to be one of the most historically authentic faire experiences in Texas. Four Winds Faire is located just 11 miles south of Tyler, Texas on Hwy. 110 South, between Whitehouse and Troup Gates are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the gate on event days. For more information about Four Winds Faire, go to www.fourwindsfaire.com .

via www.tricountyleader.com

Chippewa Valley Renaissance Faire closer to re-opening - WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports

Chippewa Falls (WQOW) -- The Chippewa Valley Renaissance Faire is getting closer to re-opening its gates.

Monday, the Chippewa Falls Planning Commission is taking up permit applications, which would allow the Faire to re-open. The Faire held performances from 2006-2008, but was cancelled last year because the property was going through foreclosure. The general manager says the Faire will be double the size it used to be, and will bring in performers from around the country.

"It's quality. It's like anything else. If you have a very small hotel with very few amenities, you get very few clients. I think if you have a large hotel with large amenities, you get large amounts of clients," John Mills, general manager of the Faire.

If the planning commission approves the permits, a public hearing will be held next month to discuss re-opening. The Faire is slated to run five weekends, from May 22nd through June 20th.

via www.wqow.com

Faire be well

Catelynn McCants stared at the man in the plumed hat.

via www.pnj.com