It’s here! It’s here! The post on Family Plague Fair 2020. I know you’ve all been waiting anxiously for weeks for the inside scoop on this pandemic renaissance festival.
As many of you who follow this blog already know, devastated by the cancellation of the 2020 renaissance fair season, my social cadre and I began planning a plague-conscious backyard festival months ago. Set for the first weekend of November, we were green and hopeful in May that things would have improved by the fall. Of course America is a walking dumpster fire of ignorance, so, no, we’re in the midst of a second spike and infection rates have never looked worse!! Not a cause for celebration, nor a good time to let our guard down, so we didn’t.
The event was kept to 9 adults and 2 infants, making it very exclusive. Everyone maintained at least 6 feet of distance, or, dawned masks to approach one another for a quick photo (unless from the same household). We had strict rules in place around refreshments as well; everyone was required to wear a mask and sanitize their hands before helping themselves to single-use compostable bowls and snacks.
The menu was pot-luck, and featured homemade breads, chicken legs (the store didn’t have turkey), wild boar stew, apple crumble, cider, wine, and fresh fruit. We also arranged a number of activities with the help of our guests. Jake and I hosted an ax-throwing competition, corn-hole, and mead-tasting featuring my home-brewed mead experiment! It was the first time we’d tasted all four of the aged batches, and I will have another post detailing that and my process soon.
Everything about the day, from the menu to the proposed costumes were originally designed with cold weather in mind. I had many furs, blankets, and extra cloaks ready to go to keep everyone warm. We set up warming tents and intended to run space-heaters and light a fire in the evening. But 2020 has never gone exactly to plan, and it ended up being one of the hottest November days ever! I think we hit 78 degrees at one point! Another year gone by without cause to wear our Viking Kaftans suited to 30 degrees. We will have to throw a solstice outdoor gathering…
I am so thankful for everyone’s intense level of participation. Making a fair out of nothing takes commitment and we could not have done it without our friends. Everyone did a fantastic job dressing the part, contributing food, tables, and also showing house allegiances with their very own homemade standards. Kelley sewed an entire costume specifically for this event just before giving birth so that she would have something to wear. She’s an amazingly quick seamstress and her dedication to the cause is appreciated.
Even the babies got into the spirit! Kelley crocheted two plague-rat hats, and Gina came prepared with multiple looks for Leland, which he cycled through between bodily excretions. This faire was baby Leyna’s very first outing ever! She slept through a lot of it, but still, we’ve got to start young to make sure the next generation ends up as faire-people. It will also be fun to look back on these photos and show her what dorks her parents have always been.
My only regret is that the day grew dark so early (and maybe also that I didn’t get more prep done the day before). It was a magical, though at times hectic day of anachronistic make-believe which we may need to make an annual tradition, hopefully without the specter of the pandemic in attendance. Now that I have all the decor sewn, there’s really no excuse not to use it again.
P.S. Jake is rocking his new Moresca shirt which I forced him to own for his birthday.
Here is some of the sewing that I did in preparation for this event:
Prepping for Plague Faire Part 2
Soft Plague Doctor Mask: Covid Edit
Jake’s Beard-Bird Plague Doctor Mask
