Review: Ione Harvest Festival 2007

By Rev.J.R.Norris III
*We set off early in the day to get to our next fair. Ione (The Medieval harvest festival held on November the 3 & 4^th ), a little town outside of Sacramento. The fair has been going for a couple years now and is a perfect end to the seasons of fairs, as the cold crisp air of autumn lends itself well to the theme of the Harvest and Pumpkins the fair has adapted to. The town is an old one, and as you approach the site where the fair is based, you pass a castle in the hills, apparently the old boys juvenile hall, and as you turn round the corner and pass an old cemetery you turn into Charles Howard Park, that the fair is at; almost sharing the cemetery with the fair grounds. The site is full of old oak trees, that are loosing the leaves to the change of seasons, and the air has the smell of fall. The fair itself is based on a slight hill top with plenty of parking and a couple of outbuilding just below that house the kitchen, restrooms and meeting halls.**The fair is promoted by the Rusty Sword Production group, and is a small family orientated fair. It has a set up and feeling of a home coming. Friday evening was the hurried rush to set up before we lost the light, and was aided by a staff that was very helpful on showing where we where located and available to answer any questions we had. Saturday morning we arose and put the last minute tweaks to the encampment and scurried into garb and setout the merchandise. The staff of the event where up way before we arose and prepared breakfast and COFFIE at affordable prices to all those wishing it. I found this simple act was a very helpful act, as we merchants and Guild members are usually scrambling around way to much dealing with last minute things before the fair opened to eat a proper breakfast let alone prepare it. Time slipped quickly closer to the official gate opening, and a quick meeting of notes for all the actors and guilds was had to make sure every one was on the same page before the gates opened. 10 am Saturday the gates opened, the day started slow, and unfortunately never really gained the pace it needed to make it a great cost effective day. The security was more then capable of handling the minor difficulties that the fair had with gate crashers. The Pumpkin games planned that day seamed to be a crowed pleaser, as they had a chance to watch the amusing games of pumpkin chucking, Pumpkin carving and the infamous pumpkin pie eating, (which had one of the fasted pie eating’s by the Ogre, that was seen in a long time), and the crowning of the new pumpkin king and queen. The Fair had many an interesting folk attending it and added to its ambiance, such as a troop of frolicking Fairies, a Ogre Guild, archers, and many a wandering character of wit and whimsy, who played the stage and street alike. The day came to a close, unfortunately never really picking up with patrons, this left the merchants a bit on the down side.The spirits however where picked up by the spaghetti feed cooked by the producers of the fair, and an amazingly fun dance and baric circle held next to the still open beer garden. We stayed in camp, watching our kids slaughter pumpkins and found it very nice that we where visited by the producers and checked in with to find out if their was anything that they could do to make the stay more comfortable. The night was pretty well kept quiet by the constant perimeter walks and checks by the security. Sunday morning started with the same routine of getting ready for the gates to open, and yet again the staff prepared a great breakfast for those who wished to have at it. Sunday the day brought a bit more people but the fair just didn’t seam to have the flow of crowd that where expected or have had in the past (probably due to a lot of mundane issues like gas prices and the economy)? Again the crowds that did come out where entertained by the many talented guilds and entertainers, and a rousing re-pumpkin chucking game and the famous pumpkin trebuchet that seamed to gather a good crowd Sunday. The day quickly came to a close and we where promptly kicked out of the fair by the ceremonial eviction by the Rusty Sword Production crew. We defiantly look forward to returning again to this fair next year, but the dates will be switched to the first week of October instead of this years November. ** *

*Rev.J.R.Norris III*

News: Calaveras Celtic Festival Has Moved to Sonora for 2008!!

Change of venue for Celtic Faire 

ANGELS CAMP - The Celtic Faire is leaving Frogtown after a nine-year run as a major music and culture festival every March.

Celtic Faire founder Patrick Karnahan said the festival is moving to Sonora - where it originated in 1986 - because festival leaders couldn’t strike a deal with Calaveras County Fair and Frogtown manager Ray Malerbi. The next Celtic Faire will be held at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora from March 7-9.

“They are trying to take over too much of our fair,” Karnahan said of the contract offered by Malerbi. “When Ray came in (five years ago), they took over the management of our parking, and they brought in the concessionaire to sell alcohol. It just makes it a little more difficult for us to make a profit, especially in lean years when we have snow and rain.”

In addition to an international showcase of Celtic music groups, the Celtic Faire offers Irish and Scottish dancing, highland games such as caber tossing, food vendors and full contact armored jousting.

Karnahan said his group estimates the event generates at least an additional $100,000 in hotel and restaurant revenue in the surrounding community.

That fact wasn’t lost on Calaveras County business leaders as news of the move spread Friday.

“I am sure the majority of Calaveras County will be affected,” said Bruce Tallakson, vice president of the Calaveras County Chamber of Commerce.

Malerbi said he didn’t know how unhappy Celtic Faire organizers were. He characterized his contracts with the Celtic Faire as helpful because of the many duties - such as hiring golf carts and cleaning restrooms - that were taken care of by Frogtown staff.

“We shared parking. We shared alcohol revenue with them. All those type of things,” Malerbi said.

Malerbi said the abrupt announcement of the rupture leaves him without a festival in early March and without adequate time to find a similar-size event.

Neither Malerbi nor Karnahan would offer specifics about the dollar value of the contracts involved. Malerbi said Frogtown’s take depended on the number of admissions to the Celtic Faire and was in the range of $8,000 to $10,000 in good years, before expenses.

Karnahan said the Celtic Faire draws about 10,000 people on good years, as happened in March. In 2006, in contrast, only about 4,000 attended, he said.

“We had 8 inches (of snow), and the power was out (in 2006),” Karnahan said. “Even in a bad year we still do pretty good.”

Weather is another reason to move to Sonora, Karnahan said. The Mother Lode Fairgrounds has more indoor performance spaces with good acoustics and is within walking distance of more hotels, enabling fairgoers to attend even if snow closes down roads.

Also, Sonora is still an easy drive from Stockton and Modesto, the home cities of most Celtic Faire guests, Karnahan said.

Technorati Tags: News

News: Joan Weipert

To Fair Family and Friends Clan Iain Abrach of MacIain, Joan Wiepert our recently (Folsom 2006) retired Guild Mistress, has
been taken to the hopsital, her bone cancer has moved to her brain
causing stroke-like symtoms. She will be moved on Saturday to Vallejo
Kaiser. Family is at the hospital, Kurt (their son) is with Ken at
home (at the time of this posting). Further information will be
distributed as it becomes available.

If anyone wishes further Information, you can leave messages for Ken
at his home or call/Email Tim Jesus.

Please keep Ken and Joan in your thoughts and prayers during this
holiday season.

Sincerely,

Tim Jesus
Guildmaster
Clan Iain Abrach of MacIain
www.iainabrach.org

Technorati Tags: News, Personality

Folsom Faire Review

The 15th annual Folsom Renaissance Faire held this past October was full of surprises. The event which had been produced each year by the guild of St. Matthews was announced to be their last. The guild would be stepping down after this years event and the former producer, Liz Martin, would continue to serve as the Producer of the event with a wholly new production team around her.

The Privateers of the Dauntless it appeared would serve as it’s educational foundation (read: 501c3) and partial volunteer core, and then St. Simons/St. George would be additional moral support (and hopefully provide the rest of the bodies to drive the event).

Back to this year’s event, however. After a few hours of pretty steady rainfall Friday night/Saturday morning, the event was a lovely weathered affair. Crowds were healthy, and the energy around most of the site was what everyone has always come to enjoy so much from this event.

It was nice to see a number of larger vendors no longer present, and replaced with a range of newcomers on the scene. Its nice to see more and more crafters returning to the short run faire circuit, rather than just the staple vendors of import products. Personally, I find that I’ll buy presents for others from the importers, but get things for myself and for faire regulars from the artisans. The slightly higher prices is always worth something that you can’t find on ebay daily.

Of all of the faires that have a joust that could really do just fine without one - Folsom is probably the pinnacle example. Of the 15 years that I’d been attending the event, I don’t think I’ve actually seen the joust more than a handful of times, and each time the audience in the stands isn’t particularly larger than the full standing room crowds seen throughout the day at the main stage. It’s never been much of a draw, and I think it’s also hurt the draw to it in that the jousters and their entourage have almost never climbed the arena steps to wander about the faire to help drum up interest. I don’t think the lack of popularity has much to do with the troupe that’s there, I think that about any troupe at that event would face the same challenges.

I think that most that I’d spoken to all look forward to next year’s Folsom, both with interest to see how the new board does, as well as simply fondly to one of the perennial favorites.