Are You Going to Renaissance Faire VII in Second Life? (I Sure Hope So!)

But life is never a material, a substance to be molded. If you want to know, life is the principle of self-renewal, it is constantly renewing and remaking and changing and transfiguring itself, it is infinitely beyond your or my obtuse theories about it.

Boris Pasternak

It’s that time of the year again!

Leaves turn color and fall to the ground. 

The days grow longer.

The oncoming crispness in the air can almost be felt.

And, my old Second Life (SL) friend, Perryn Peterson calls me.   

Perryn is the Mayor of Mieville inworld and impresario extraordinaire for all that happens there.  His merry band helps him in all his adventures and there’re a lot of those to be had!

The reason for the call is the Renaissance Faire which takes place every autumn in SL.  This year is the seventh event and it promises to be the best ever!  (Significant Other is curious where Perryn gets all his ideas from.  I attribute it to natural talent.)

Renaissance Hunt & Faire VII, to use its full title, is celebration of the Renaissance inworld (Why the Renaissance you may ask?  Well, it was certainly more fun than the Dark

Ages and Perryn would tell you its costumes were more colorful.) and the SL community.  Merchants bring their Renaissance themed merchandise and SL residents come from near and far to participate in the all the fun ‘n frolic.

This year’s theme is Kings, Queens, & Fools!

The venue for this year’s Faire has been totally redone.

And, when Perryn and his crew redo something, they really redo it!

The Faire occupies a full sim and takes full advantage of the all the new allowed prims. 

The new landing zone is in the middle of town.  From here, a visitor can meander through its streets and wander off into the countryside and down to the sea shore.  Hills, dales, and mountains await the intrepid explorer. Lush forests and meadows break up one’s walk.  Waterfalls, brooks, and streams add a peaceful serenity. 

The landscaping alone is worth a visit to this year’s Faire and It’s all the handowork of Mike Olbracht, Perryn’s SL partner.  I must stop here and call out his work.  Mike worked for weeks to create the natural settings for the Faire and he has outdone himself!  (Perryn and

Mieville have a knack for attracting some of the best talent inworld.)  Mike’s trademark inclusion of natural wildlife in on display throughout the Faire and trust me, you can’t miss them!  (Like my old friend, Donkey!)  BTW Mike is available for private assignments when he’s not working in Mieville somewhere.  Anyone thinking of doing any landscaping or terraforming inworld should definitely look him up! 

Several other Faire participants whom I’d like to call out follow with their acheivements.

Miss DragonLady Majestic, an old friend of Perryn’s, is giving away dragons which you might see some flying about down by the harbor!

The popular Rennie dances by Miss Cyneswith Luik, who isn't inworld as much since her lovely, little Real Life (RL) daughter was born, are back again.

Ktahdn Vesuvino's area, the Faire’s DJ has a spot and he'll have Music Nights there on Sunday evenings, during September.

Artorius Constantine is the brilliant designer of the Tarot reader in the Gypsy camp (my favorite spot).  He has male and female ones.  They are amazing fun!

One of this year’s new attractions to the Faire is a mini-hunt based on acorns which disappear and reappear elsewhere at the Faire.  This has been designed by Tailahr Winnikow, who is brilliant with this type of work.  Regular visitors may recall her Great Pumpkin patch from Halloween a few years ago.  When players have accumulated enough points by clicking acorns, they click a sign and it gives them all of the prizes.  (Where’s the sign?  Come on now, I can’t give away all Perryn’s secrets!)

Sadly, we remember a member of the Mieville community who passed away in RL since the last Renaissance Faire. 

Kaydge (better known as Kage), partner of Seth Stratten, made and donated a whole slew of buildings to use at the Renaissance Faire.  They are located down at the harbor.  He

died in RL not long ago, in his late forties, far too young.  His buildings and the harbor are named after him, the Kage Memorial Harbour.

Rest well old Friend and thank you for all your work and friendship over the years!  Your creations will stand in memory to you! 

As always, Renaissance Faire is lots of fun!

Another new addition this year is jumping in the leaves!  (Significant Other’s eyes roll.)

Apple bobbing is available too! 

Fortunes will be told at the Gypsy camp which looks a lot bigger this year.  I think wandering inworld is becoming more popular! 

There will be music and dancing not to mention a tavern with a barmaid who serves your drinks!  (Please remember not to touch her and to tip well!)

The Maypole and tree house are back as well.

And, of course, there will be gachas!

Renaissance Faire VII runs from September 1^st to 30^th and can be found here.    

Additional information can be found on their website. 

I encourage everyone who can to drop by and visit the Faire!

Whether it’s to participate in the Hunt itself, the mini-hunt, join the revelry, or just

appreciate the beautiful scenery, don’t this miss this opportunity to meet a great group of people and have some fun as autumn draws near. 

Renaissance Faire is fun and challenging, come on down!

Additional pictures of Renaissance Faire VII can be found on this flicker page. 

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives. 

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

            If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life  please click here.

            Open roads and kind fires!

Visiting Second Life’s Renaissance Hunt and Faire

We need a renaissance of wonder. We need to renew, in our hearts and in our souls, the deathless dream, the eternal poetry, the perennial sense that life is miracle and magic. 

E Merrill Root

 

          With the year coming to an end, I’m out and about trying to visit places in Second Life (SL) that like Cinderella’s proverbial coach will turn into a pumpkin by the end of the year.  So, I’m rushing to visit these before the clock strikes twelve.

          One of my favorites is the Renaissance Hunt and Faire which is currently in its second go round.  I visited earlier this year with Perryn Peterson , the creative and managerial force behind the event but haven’t been back to look around since its opening on December 1^st. 

          I TP into the landing zone to find only two people about.  (This may have something to do with the fact that it’s before 2AM SLT on a Sunday morning.)  One of the visitors is here for the first time and I assist her in getting started.  (I actually add value without breaking anything, Significant Other would be impressed.) 

          I pass through the hunters’ reception area and the gate to enter the Faire proper.  I find that a lot has happened since my prior visit.  The merchants have really come out in force and as I look down the merchants’ lane I see that all the shops and booths are occupied and bursting to the seams with all sorts of period merchandise.  

          When I walk over to the gypsy encampment, I find that there is now a fortune teller!  (On my last visit, there hadn’t been one.  What’s a gypsy encampment without a fortune teller?)  However, I can’t tell if Madame Zora the Mystic is real or just a prop.  No one is about, there is no contact information and I can find nothing about her in Search.  Still, it’s the thought that counts. 

          At the food pavilion, several sides of beef are slowly turning on spits over low fires.  I can almost smell the meat and the burning wood.  (One of these days, I’ll have to write a story about the five senses inworld.) 

          Not having human company about (Can I even say that in a virtual world?) to distract me, I notice the landscaping for the Faire and have a better appreciation for it.  Unlike many sims where a couple trees are dropped in, some bushes stick out, and the flat ground is colored green to simulate grass.  Perryn and his partner Mike, who also run a landscaping business inworld, have done an exceptional job.  (Definitely check these guys out if you’re thinking of having any work done.) 

Trees with seasonal coloring are grouped together in copses.  Bushes, grasses (individual blades no less), and flower beds are carefully sited to give the effect of a Renaissance countryside.  Other natural landmarks like brooks and marshes (I find this the latter when I fall into it.) 

I walk back to the sign post near the entrance to the Faire and go back home.  The Faire is a wonderful experience and shows the sense of community and creative skills that make SL a special place.  I recommend all to try and drop by before December 31^st to visit, see and maybe buy the merchants’ wares, and participate in the mini-hunt which is being run along with the Faire.  I promise that you won’t be disappointed! 

If you have the time I also suggest that you drop by to visit Perryn’s   A Christmas Carol which will also close on December 31^st.        

          Below are links to a few pictures from the Faire.  They give a sense of what they’re like.  But you really have to see and experience them for yourselves.

As always, I’m grateful to all for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

     If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

Photo No. 1 Perryn Peterson  

Photo No. 2 Renaissance Faire Poster (with credit to Tattoo Lane)

Photo No. 3 Renaissance Faire Rez and Hunters’ Reception Area

Photo No. 4 Hunters’ Reception Booth

Photo No. 5 Town Gate and Faire Entrance

Photo No. 6 Merchants’ Lane

Photo No. 7 Fortune Teller

Photo No. 8 Gypsy Horse Enclosure

Photo No. 9 Side of Beef

Photo No. 10 Landscaping I

Photo No. 11 Landscaping II

Photo No. 12 Landscaping III

The Renaissance Hunt and Faire Returns to Second Life!

Every renaissance comes to the world with a cry, the cry of the human spirit to be free.

Anne Sullivan Macy

 

          My old friend, Perryn Peterson, has been very busy of late.  (Actually, Perryn’s always been busy since I’ve known him, he just seems busier than usual lately.)  After STEAM 7, the Day of the Dead , and A Christmas Carol productions, he’s at it again with yet another Second Life (SL) production.    

          This time, it’s the return of an old favorite, the Renaissance Hunt and Faire which is coming back for its second iteration this year. 

          Perryn offered to give me a tour while it was being set up and I naturally jumped on the chance to get a tour from the man himself.

          We TP into the landing zone from Dickens Christmas Village.  (We’re having a busy day.)  The event’s poster designed by Tattoo Lane greets us.  We’re standing on a ship moored at a dock near the town where the Faire is taking place.  I have a sense of nostalgia because I’m returning after having been away for almost a year. It may sound odd but even returning to a place in a virtual world where good times had been had in the past with good friends can bring out these feelings (at least with me).

          Perryn and I disembark and walk to the rezz area where visitors can prepare their appearances if needed and pick up the Faire program.  From there we walk through the town gate and enter the Faire itself.  Renaissance music can be heard as we walk and contributes to the atmosphere. 

          Walking the circuit counterclockwise from the main gate, the village maypole is off to my left.  Merchants’ shops are on my right.  The first one I encounter is Kismet, a purveyor of period cottages and related textures.  The surroundings are bucolic and the natural scenery is well laid out with trees, flowers, and grasses highlighting the natural effect. 

          While returning on a subsequent visit for some pictures, I come across Colette Charleville, the proprietor of Sweet Sorrows a purveyor of period furniture.  Colette had been in last Faire and had received a lot of business at her main store from it.  She’s very impressed with the Faire’s organization and Perryn’s leadership. 

          Continuing along the path Perryn and I come across the gypsy encampment where it’d been last year.  Not all the caravans have been set up yet and I don’t see signs of the fortune teller who’d been here last year.  I hope she returns because what’s a gypsy encampment without a fortune teller? 

          Walking around the encampment and looking over the wagons and the horses in the pasture, makes me think about my wanders across SL.  Someday, I’d like to organize a caravan of wagons with other travelers and cross the Grid.  (If anyone’s interested in joining me, please drop a line and let’s talk!) 

          Approximately one hundred and thirty merchants were at last year’s Faire and Perryn says that approximately the same number have signed up for this year.  Not all have set up yet but while I walked along the merchants’ row I encounter Kittycat’s Creations a builder of fine drinks and decanters in the Renaissance style.  Medieval Designs, a new vendor, designs and builds suits of armor.  Arwen’s Creations, owned by Arwen Serpente, designs and makes fine Renaissance women’s clothes. 

          Several old favorites from last year have returned.  The fencing pitch, jousting field, and the galliard dance area are all back.  My personal favorite, the Renaissance book display is on the green.  The busking stage and food pavilion have returned as well. 

          Circling around and coming back to our starting point, we see the three large buildings for merchants. Nearby is the tree house and more docks where more ships will be moored.  Seasonal decorations are being hung on the buildings adding to the festive air. 

          Once again there is the promise of fun in the air at the Renaissance Hunt and Faire.  Period merchandise and activities will be available.  Perryn and his team have done their usual outstanding job of bringing together people in a place for everyone to have a good time.  

          Renaissance Hunt and Faire II will run from December 1^st to 31^st. 

          I encourage everyone to drop by if they have the time to see the Faire and participate in the mini-hunt.  A fun time will be had by all! 

          I’d like to thank Perryn for taking the time to show me around the sim and answer my questions.  I also appreciate his giving me the scoop on this story. 

          Below are links to a few pictures from the sims we visited.  They give a sense of what they’re like.  But you really have to see and experience them for yourselves.

As always, I’m grateful to all for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

     If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

Photo No. 1  Perryn Peterson

Photo No. 2 Renaissance Faire Poster (with credit to Tattoo Lane)

Photo No. 3 Renaissance Faire Rez and Hunters’ Reception Area

Photo No. 4 Hunters’ Reception Booth

Photo No. 5 Town Gate and Faire Entrance

Photo No. 6 Kismet Shop

Photo No. 7 Maypole

Photo No. 8 Colette Charleville and Sweet Sorrows

Photo No. 9 Gypsy Encampment

Photo No. 10 Renaissance Book Display

Photo No. 11 Fencing Pitch

Photo No. 12 Kittycat’s Creations Shop

Photo No. 13 Entrance to Jousting Field

Photo No. 14 Medieval Designs Shop

Photo No. 15 Busking Stage

Photo No. 16 Arwen’s Creations Shop

Photo No. 17 Merchants’ Lane

Photo No. 18 Food Pavilion

Photo No. 19 Galliard Dance Field

Photo No. 20 Tree House

Photo No. 21 Seasonal Decorations

Photo No. 22 Large Merchants’ Buildings

Photo No. 23 Natural Settings

Photo No. 24 Sign Post