2009-05-17 Such stuff as dreams are made on

Dateline Lake Anna Winery
Spotsylvania, VA
Lat 38.0567
Long -77.6678

I'm kind of a sucker for people who have a passion for something. And you don't find more passion than in a group of "Rennies" - those who populate the many Renaissance Fairs that occur around the country.

This weekend, the Virginia Renaissance Fair opened at the beautiful Lake Anna Winery in Spotsylvania, VA, about an hour north of Richmond and a lightyear south of Washington, D.C.

Like last year, I came up to hang out for the weekend among the enthusiastic cast and vendors who really give their all and go all out to make the event as authentic as possible.

One vendor, a lady named Gabriella, whom I helped erect her terrific tents, called this a "baby show" by comparison to the Granddaddy of them all, the one in Maryland. By this she meant that this show is more intimate and personable and I would heartily concur with her assessment, given the friendly, outgoing nature of its participants.

Arriving early by a few days, I stopped by the winery and met Eric, who along with his brother run the place. Eric passed my card to Cornelia Rutherford, who had phoned me before I even got back to camp.

I helped out on setup day, then helped with parking on the first day of the show.

Despite the weather being kind of threatening, a fairly good sized crowd showed up and much fun and merriment was had by all.

Sunday, the weather was far more ominous and while it went all day without raining, the attendance was off, but not the mood of the Rennies, who put on their shows as though they were performing before thousands.

Since pictures better convey the colors, costumes, events and general feel of the show, I have posted an album on my Picasa page.