The Renaissance Faire and Hunt Opens Again in Second Life

 

The best way of successfully acting a part is to be it.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle  

 

          Around me in Real Life (RL), leaves are turning color and beginning to fall to the ground.

          In my morning walks, there’s a chill in the air that hints of autumn.  (SO is glad to be rid of summer’s heat and is beginning to ensure that I have us ready for winter.  SO believes in preparation.)

          In Second Life (SL), a sure sign of autumn’s approach is my old friend, Perryn Peterson, inviting me over for a sneak peak of the annual Renaissance Faire and Hunt that

he hosts. 

          This year, the Faire is at a new location in Mieville, Mieville Shelley, which allowed Perryn to change things around a bit as he prepares for his fifth Faire.

          So, I schedule a meeting with him and head off to the new and improved Renaissance Hunt and Faire!

          I arrive, as before, at a seafront town nestled around a protected cove.  A tall lighthouse looms over its entrance.  Merchants’ shops line the quay.

          The main booth welcomes visitors and leads to the Faire grounds.

          Walking through the entrance, I’m struck by just how many more flowers there are now than before.  (Mike Olbracht, Mieville’s landscaper par excellance and Perryn’s partner has obviously been very busy!)

          Immediately before me is a large pond in a pastoral setting which serves as a

centerpiece for the Faire. 

          Strolling through the grounds and around the pond, I see the merchants’ shops and wagons set up for the Faire.  Some already have their merchandise while others lie empty in anticipation of the treasure soon to be on display within them. 

          There’s even a Tiny Corner with Tiny artisans offering their goods.  Liam Metaluna can be thanked for organizing this community. 

           A new addition is a large windmill which serves as a backdrop to the Faire. 

          A small, outdoor stage has been set up for performances.

          But, Perryn tells me that this could be transformed into a larger one with and actual Renaissance dance production should negotiations currently underway prove successful. 

          A brand, new tavern, overseen by Miss Moonsugah Monday, will be offering its

refreshments to thirsty and hungry visitors. 

          Perryn points out to me that the buildings were created and donated by Kaydge (“KAGE”) Resident who has recently been awarded a prize for one of his structures at a recent Relay for Life competition. 

Old favorites from earlier Faires can be found on the grounds. 

          The gypsy encampment, my personal favorite, is here with its vardos and hopefully a

fortune teller.

          The tree house stands still offering panoramic views of the Faire grounds.

          The lawn for Renaissance dances is still with us.  Miss Cyneswith Luik has made a new dance in addition to the three old favorites.  In RL, she is a professional animator from the United Kingdom.  Samples of her work can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oFXCBlg428 .

          The maypole can be found as well.

Acadia Asylum has a shop offering its spectacular wares. 

Our old friend, Mr. Donkey, can be found grazing around the Faire with some new “critters” as friends.    

          There will be a mini-hunt as always with wondrous gifts from the participating merchants. 

          Perryn has also had several other of his veterans helping him out. 

Wyvern Dryke has helped organize almost all of the events.

          Tattoo Lane has done her usual marvelous job of creating the event’s poster. 

          I’d also like to call out a friend in need.

          Some of you may recall my story about Living without Disabilities in SL. 

          I wrote about XMarieX (“Marie”) Fairport who is struggling with disabilities in RL and trying to raise funds for a service animal.

          Marie has a shop at the Faire located here offering her merchandise. 

          Marie also has a donation kiosk to raise funds for her service animal thanks to Perryn’s generosity.

          There are also tee shirts are sale to support her cause.

          Please drop by if you can and do what you can to help her.

          I’ll be writing more about this in the future.

          The Renaissance Hunt and Faire runs from September 1^st to 30^th and can be located here.    

          The ongoing events during the Faire can be found on this blog. 

          Go and have a great time!

          Tell ‘em web sent you!

          Maybe you might even find me wandering around myself! 

          I’d like to thank Perryn for taking the time away from his busy schedule to meet with me and to show me around the grounds.   

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.

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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!

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

 

 

          Autumn is approaching in both Second Life (SL) and Real Life (RL).

          (Yes, I know it’s several more weeks until the autumnal equinox but the Labor Day holiday weekend has always marked the end of summer for me!)

          The rituals of life, whether nature’s or our own, begin to play themselves out again.  (Significant Other hopes that I don’t become overly sentimental.)

          One inworld ritual which I enjoy immensely is the annual Renaissance Hunt and Faire organized and run by Perryn Peterson and his band of merry women and men.  The event runs from September 1^st to 30^th this year just as it did last year. This is the fourth time the event is being held inworld. 

          Like life itself, the Hunt and Faire don’t remain the same.  The event I blogged about last year has changed in a few ways.  Some subtle, some not so subtle.  But, they point to how SL is a dynamic, changing environment.

          Likewise, other things have remained the same.  But, are they?  Or, do we look at them differently because of the passage of time and what we’ve experienced along the way?

          I go back to this sim again as it slowly awakens to prepare itself for the festivities and the soon to be arriving guests.

          I’m an old hand now, so I don’t have to drag poor Perryn away from all his duties as Mayor of Mieville to show me around. 

          Upon rezzing in at the arrival area, I see the first major change.  Where once an old galleon had sat moored to a dock, a small cove with several small boats greets me.  A waterfront with small merchants’ shops, some already occupied, winds around the cove.

          Behind me, the sea beckons and I can stroll completely around the cove thanks to a small foot footbridge which goes over the entrance to the sea.

          Strolling up from the water’s edge, I pass the registration center for the hunters and from there through the town gate into the fair grounds.  I feel like I’m in old neighborhood.  I no longer get lost here.  (We won’t mention Significant Other’s observation.)

          What I always enjoy walking along this part of the sim is Mike Olbracht, Perryn’s partner and Mieville’s landscaping wunderkind has managed to capture the pastoral feel of the fields and woods with the small village effect.

          Booths have been set up for the merchants and they are being slowly filled and I have no doubt that all will be in place for opening day as it always is.  One of my favorite exhibits, the Chained Library recreating a Renaissance library is not set up yet but I have Perryn’s assurances that it will be so I’ll be returning to check it out after the opening.

          The usual entertainments will be ready for the hunters and other visitors, jousting, fencing, galliard dancing, and the May pole.  Refreshments will also be served.

          Merchants will be offering a broad array of merchandise with the emphasis on the Renaissance period.  (There’s a good deal on full suits of armor if anyone’s interested.)

          My walk takes me through the gypsy encampment.  Stopping to look inside several of the vardos, I get a sense of the color and beautiful workmanship that has gone into their interiors.  The fortune teller is back and her crystal book is sitting on a table waiting for customers.

          The horse paddock is nearby conveniently situated near a stream which flows down from the hills.  Following along the pathway from here, I arrive at the signpost just inside the town gate where I’d started.

          As always, the Hunt and Faire will be a fun event.  Dozens of merchants will have their wares on display.  Gifts will be available for hunters.  This hunt consistently draws high marks from its participants for the diversity and originality of its gifts.

          Several merchants will be having their own mini-hunts.  (No, I won’t tell you who or what!  There has to some suspense left, right?)

          If you’re wondering if you should come and participate, I encourage you to do so.

          The camaraderie of the Hunt and the Faire has to be experienced firsthand like all good experiences in life whether SL or RL.  The community that runs and supports these events is a wonderful group of people and if you plan on being a regular inworld then you have to meet them.

          Please come and enjoy yourselves!  Maybe you’ll run into me!  (I do give autographs!)

           I’ve included pictures from my visit but I encourage everyone to go and see these wonderful sights for yourselves.  I’m about as good inworld with a camera as I am in RL so checking for yourself is highly recommended.  (Significant Other nods violently in agreement.)

          I’d like to thank Perryn for briefing before my visit and for his and his entire team’s efforts to put on this spectacular event again!

          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 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 New Arrival Area

Photo No. 2 Event Poster

Photo No. 3 Hunters Registration Site

Photo No. 4 Cove

Photo No. 5 Seaward View

Photo No. 6 Town Gate and Entrance

Photo No. 7 Merchant’s Shop

Photo No. 8 Florist

Photo No. 9 Interior of Gypsy Caravan

Photo No. 10 Interior of Fortune Teller’s Caravan

Photo No. 11 Horse Paddock

Photo No. 12 The Maypole

Photo No. 13 View of Faire Grounds

This Year’s Renaissance Hunt and Faire in Second Life

In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace - and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.

Orson Welles  

          So, after a few weeks of erotic art, storytelling, reading Tarot cards, and technical issues, I’m returning to more conventional fare about Second Life (SL) this week.

          Please don’t turn away when you read this because, this week, I’m visiting one of the most popular, exciting, and interesting annual events inworld, namely, the Renaissance Hunt and Faire put on by my old and good friend, Perryn Peterson.  (Yes, I do admit to a certain amount of bias here but after visiting this event for several years now as well as other productions of Perryn’s, I’m more than a little impressed by his work.)  This is the third one and as my recent visit will show will surpass its predecessors. 

          This year’s Hunt and Faire are earlier than usual running from September 1^st to the 30^th.  (Perryn is finally realizing he’s only human and is trying balance his workload.  Let’s see how that goes for him!)

          One recent evening, I rezzed into the Faire area to receive a personally guided tour of the site by Perryn himself before the official opening.  (One of the few perq’s of being a blogger inworld and a friend of Perryn’s.  Come to think of it, that’s just about the only perq.)  The poster for this year’s Faire is in front of me.  (Tattoo Lane has done another superb job.) 

          I’m greeted by Perryn attired for the occasion with his usual sartorial taste and elegance.  (I may not know how to dress properly inworld but my friends sure know how to or be undressed as circumstances require.)  We’re at the landing zone which is a Renaissance era ship.  We walk down the gangplank and are at the rebuilt entry plaza.  In a departure from previous Faires, several enterprising merchants are setting up shop here to greet hunters as they arrive.   

          As Perryn walks with me towards the town gate he explains that his SL partner, Mike Olbracht, has been busily redoing the landscaping for the event and “autumnifying” everything he can lay his hands on.  I’m happy to hear that Mike has returned hale ‘n hearty from his recent Real Life (RL) medical absence and is actively participating once again. 

          Returning to the Faire site for the third time makes me feel like I’m going back to an old neighborhood.  A feeling I get a lot these days inworld.  (Significant Other wants to know whatever happened to someplace new inworld every time I rezz in.)  There are many things the same but as Perryn is about to show me, there are many differences too.  Also, please remember that the Hunt and Faire is not a static place like a museum which moves exhibits around from time to time.  It’s a dynamic, living community where every day offers new variety and unexpected experiences.  What may once have been is no longer. 

          Coming through the gate, Perryn and I proceed in a clockwise direction around the sim.  This means the sea is to our left.  At the docks, Marcel Ghostraven, no relation, will have his fantastic ships.  He has also created as a prize a mesh peasants’ horse-drawn wagon which is well worth looking for. 

          As we stroll by the buildings where merchants are beginning to present their wars, Perry tells me that sixty-five to seventy vendors are participating this year.  Only one booth is still available at this time and he has multiple requests from vendors to participate.  In addition to the buildings, there are push carts and tents for the merchants’ wares. 

          Approximately, halfway through our walk, we come across my favorite part of the sim, the gypsy encampment.  (I have this fantasy of leading a gypsy caravan inworld with my friends someday. Hey, it’s my fantasy and a lot less crazy than some inworld!)  The colorful vardos of the gypsies are in place and their horses graze in a nearby paddock.  And there will be a Tarot reader here for those wishing to have their fortunes told. 

          The landscaping we encounter is as colorful, varied, and lush as any woodland scene from the Renaissance would be.  Mike’s additions of streams and ponds only accentuates the pastoral scene.  (Even if you care nothing about the Renaissance or hunts then come to see the landscaping for itself.  It’s among the highest quality I’ve seen inworld.) 

          Along the way, Perryn and I encounter a few other favorites of mine from this event.  There’s the Chained Library which goes back to the very first Faire when it was gifted to Perryn.  (I’m a writer, I love books, chained or unchained, no apologies.)  The maypole is still in place as is the galliard dance area where master animator, Cyneswith Luik has added a third Renaissance dance entitled “Black Nag”.  (A Youtube version can be seen.)  And, of course, the Foode and Meade Halle is there offering refreshments to the hunters. 

          For those looking for more active entertainment, the jousting lists and buskers stage are back as well. 

          Our wanderings eventually take Perryn and I back to the signpost near the town gate where we started from.  Perryn states that this year’s theme for the merchants participating in the Hunt is Robin Hood and Maid Marion.  Apparently, Wyvern Dryke will be the official Robin Hood for the Hunt along with three hundred or so wannabe’s. 

          As always there will be plenty of freebies and mini-hunts to keep everyone engaged. 

          I take my leave of Perryn and thank him for his time and hospitality.  He takes the Renaissance Hunt and Faire very seriously.  (As he does all his events.)  His attention to detail is considerable as I noticed when he pointed out the rubbish tip that had been added from last year to increase the realism. 

          I encourage everyone who can to visit and participate in the Third Renaissance Hunt and Faire.  SL is at its best when the people, their creativity, and camaraderie come together in inworld events such as this. 

          Maybe you’ll run into me there!  (Hopefully, that doesn’t scare anyone away.) 

          One last note, there are several new merchants participating this year.  I encountered some of their shops in my tour.  Miss Stormy Loraheet of Armoire, Mlle Ephe Luik and Ephemera offer women’s merchandise.  Miss Feyda Ann Ferryhill and Feyline Fashions offer men’s wear.  This is not an exhaustive list but merely those whom I encountered.  Please come and show these and the other merchants your support by visiting them and maybe buying some of their products. 

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. 

Below I’ve included a few links to pictures of the Faire site.  Pictures are fun but, trust me on this, go visit for yourself, see the place, meet the people, and have a great time!

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  Landing Zone

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

Photo No. 3  Registration Center

Photo No. 4  Town Gate and Faire Entrance

Photo No. 5  RVi Design Booth

Photo No. 6  Ships at the Docks

Photo No. 7  Merchants Lane I

Photo No. 8  Merchants Lane II

Photo No. 9  Jousting Lists

Photo No. 10 Landscaping I

Photo No. 11 Gypsy Caravan

Photo No. 12 Gypsy Encampment

Photo No. 13 Gypsy Horses

Photo No. 14 Chained Library

Photo No. 15 Mountain Stream

Photo No. 16 Maypole

Photo No. 17 Landscaping II

 

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