A little late in posting, but late is better than never. A few weeks ago Jake and I took our first trip to the Vermont Renaissance Faire. The summer one! We’ve been to the winter faire several times as the only event happening in the dead, fair-less winter, but have never made the journey to Stowe for the summer show.
Being a substantial drive at one of the busiest times of the year, we had to set aside the time and intention to go months in advance. June is a very full month!
We were lucky to get a cloudy drizzling day instead of baking in the sun in the open field. I prefer a faire day in the light rain as opposed to oppressive heat, but the humidity was still a challenge. Fortunately the fair allowed re-entry so we could scurry back and forth from the car for umbrellas as-needed.
It was a good-sized faire with a respectable turnout even for a rainy day. The performers and actors were the same excellent acts you’d see at other faires in the region. The infrastructure was a little lacking because this was a sports-field-turned-fairgrounds. The joust had to take place in a corner, meaning very limited viewing angles; the only shade were the vendor tents and one large cafeteria tent, which also housed the only real seating; and the bathrooms were a line of porta-potties.
The way in which this faire stood above the others we’ve attended was the food. The upside of holding the faire in an open field was the ability to accommodate a whole host of local artisanal food trucks! The food was excellent, and not any more pricey than other fairs. We had poutine, brick-oven pizza, and locally-made ice-cream. Other food options included Mediterranean, Indian, and your standard turkey legs. The alcohol was also local, varied, and more affordable direct from the brewers themselves. If you like to eat and drink while you shop, this is a good faire for you.
What did we wear? Considering the hot, very humid weather with intermittent rain showers we needed to dress cool, comfortable, and ok to get wet. Jake wore his mushroom foraging vest with a kidney belt over it and rolled up harem pants. This combination was very breezy but provided many large pockets. His leather shoes from Armstreet were comfortable but only somewhat waterproof.
I wore a green dress that I had sewn a few years ago now. Yes, only the green dress! I resisted the urge to accessorize beyond a shoulder bag and hair-do because of the weather. Many of my accessories are either not waterproof, or would have made me too hot and burdened!
Since my shoes were not very visible, I wore black pleather boots with comfortable wool socks for the weather resistance. In my bag I carried a paper fan, water, blotting papers, and snacks, all of which were vital on such a sticky day.
After the renaissance fair, the fun continued as we had ourselves a little glamping trip. No one wants to set up camp after a long day at the faire, especially close to dark, but camping seemed the perfect continuation to living outside and faux-roughing it. So instead of pitching a tent in the rain, we opted to sleep in a luxury treehouse. Heavenly!
