A renaissance faire two weekends in a row!? How fun. The weekend prior Jake and I attended the first ever Wyndonshire Renaissance Festival, followed by a friend excursion, this past weekend, at sister faire ‘Enchanted Orchard’. Held at the Red Apple Farm in Phillipston, MA, this is another first-annual event being added to the local rotation.
It seems renaissance fairs are growing in popularity, and why not? They are a wonderful way to get outdoors, socialize, express one’s creativity, and be entertained. There’s shopping and food, and we all have to eat anyway.
This past weekend in Phillipston I was determined not to get a sunburn as I did in Winchendon. Because the fair was taking place at an apple orchard, and farmworkers have always protected themselves from the sun, I took inspiration from the location and dressed as a renaissance apple-picker.
The venue was spectacular! Parking even came with a view of rolling hills, boulders, and apple blossoms. Walking from the parking lots/orchards to the fair itself was idyllic. Lush irrigation ponds make for good photo backdrops. At the entrance were a bunch of animals! Goats, mules, chickens, bunnies before guests even entered the fair proper. The farm store was open and there were tokens for enchanted hayrides right out front with a collection of food trucks.
Inside, the fair was sprawled out over tractor lanes and between stands of apple trees. Make-shift stages had a similar line-up as the previous weekend, but enough new performances to keep things fresh. I caught some pirate sea shanties, fire-dancing, and a May Pole. There were a few new vendors, but mostly familiar ones from the previous weekend.
Hard cider was on tap along with a small selection of soda and sparkling water. Hot apple cider donuts are made on site. I was pleased that this time there were no restrictions to where drinks could go, and enjoyed hiking all over the orchard to find hidden watering holes and fire-pits made from field-stone.
The fair itself was not that big but the large and beautiful venue kept me occupied for over 6 hours! Towards the end of the day I bought a Reenactor’s Cookbook that I’m excited to read through.
What I wore: As mentioned above, I was inspired to dress as a farm-hand. This brand new linen underdress was only completed days before the fair because I’m overly ambitious. I need more summer garb and you can’t beat the breathability of real linen. I used the same dress pattern as the cinnamon rust gown but made it a touch smaller and modified the sleeves to be straight. I’ll write more about the dress for next week! Paired with a pleather bodice and linen apron, both of which I also made. My new embroidered cap sat under a gauze scarf as veil, topped with a not-what-I-ordered straw hat. I fixed up the hat by adding a new band and sticking a feather in it. It was supposed to have a wider flat brim. The leather belt pockets are just big enough for wallet and phone, and the frog holds my antique pewter tankard. I received so many compliments on my wicker backpack, and I agree that it really brings the outfit together. My 20-year old leather boots are still holding it together, but I am entering the market for new renaissance shoes soon.
