The Queen's Tea Minnesota Renaissance Festival

Last weekend we went to the Minnesota renaissance festival for the last time of the season. It was sunny and beautiful (and even a bit too warm - but as we watch our gray skies huddle over us today and feel the beginning of autumnal coolness approach it is a memory of happy warmth.) Since we had shopped and shopped so much our first visits, we decided to focus on entertainment this time around. We visited some of our old favorites, like Zilch the Tory Steller.

Zilch transposes the wetters of his Lords and tells scandalous stories about Rinder cella and her prandsome fince. His Jomeo and Ruliet is also a true classic.

He can tell these stories really fast and is quite light on his feet as you can see.

I focussed on getting a few photos of the "lords and ladies of the shire" as they are known about these parts.

I was especially entranced by the Renaissance character of Lady Mary on the left. She will appear several times over the course of the blog.

You have to admire her far away and serious renaissance expression.

These are the Inflammables from the shire of Texas.

They seemed to have a friendly rivalry with the Sisters of the Sahara with whom they shared the stage. For some reason the Sisters weren't too crazy about having to dance in kerosene spills.

I suppose a slip when dancing with a sword could be a dangerous thing to the audience as well as the dancer. Here was a young lady who came to appreciate their terpsichorean talents.

Near the stage was this hobbit hollow place with a few denizens of the woodlands.

Personally I am not a fan of furry toes, so we passed on the journey through their shire.

It is so fun to see the cosmopolitan citizenry of the shire. The East has certainly penetrated into the Shire with numerous dancers and Sheikhs to be seen amidst the musketeers, pirates and inhabitants of Sherwood.

We heard that the Queen has left and the King is in pursuit of a new consort. This seems like far too serious a conversation however to relate to matrimonial affairs.

The Herpetological Society has a wonderful presence here. The sign notes a score - Alligators versus Children.

One show that we always enjoy in Johnny Phoenix, a fellow Floridian, who eats fire, does amazing escapes and does tricks with a 5' Australian whip. He says he needs help from the audience, but I suspecthe just likes to see other manly men in brasiers.

Johnny's Angels above.

He is quite good at getting out of the three contraptions that are hardest to open, the strait jacket...

...chains....

...and the hook and eye brasier. (Okay he got out of two of three in 60 seconds, but the brasier took a tiny bit longer!)

Another lovely member of the shire and isn't that the sweetest couple below!?

More lovely costumes on members of the court.

I am very fond of the courtly dances. They make it look like such fun!

A minstrel who wasn't wandering when we saw him.

I am always fascinated by this gentleman but couldn't get a good shot of him, because someone else was fascinated with him too.

The sheepherding is also always entertaining.

Then it was time for the Queen's tea. We attended with these rather anachronistic red hat ladies (who would have to either be royal or sluts if they lived in the period, I guess.)

This report comes from spousal unit Don: The tea was held in a large tent that was partially opened on the side walls so that breezes could enter and provide some cooling. Fortunately, although it was warm (perhaps 80 F) it was not terribly hot and there was a fairly steady mild wind. Our first entertainment was by this talented harpist.

The drawback to the tent was that the last jousting of the day was concurrent and since it was located nearby, the cheers of those crowds and the announcements by the joust master of ceremonies (via public address speaker) would overwhelm the voices of the entertainers and singers. We were all seated at long picnic tables and members of the Royal Family and nobles of the court joined us.

Here are some of the members of the court.

Among them, the heir, Prince Albert and his two young sisters, (elementary school aged), I apologize but I do not recall their names.

The entertainers sang madrigals and sea shanties for our entertainment.

Here are the other participants at the tea.

Here is Lady Mary again. Isn't she wonderful!?

At our table sat Lady Beatrice, who was dressed in beautiful Tudor era finery and was a woman of about the same age as Wendy and myself. She originally hailed from England, but grew up in the Bay Area of California and had been involved as a RF character at a few “villages” as she called the fairs in other “shires” (California, etc.).

She let us know that Prince Albert was quite a disappointment to the family and the court with his drinking and his lack of intellect, but that the two younger sisters did the King proud and would likely make advantageous marriages.

The entertainers were completely different from the Feast of Fantasy. There was a harpist (shown above) who appeared at several points to play at the beginning, end and at intervals between other acts to provide a musical bridge or continuity.

There was less ribald entertainment at the tea and they did not try to work up the attendees like was done at the feast—where shouting and table pounding was encouraged.

This event was more refined, (and the humor in song or comic routines far less sexist or bawdy), which I believe PW appreciated.

There were singing groups or choirs who performed period songs or ballads, a troupe of three belly dancers, two magicians—Michael Madden & son—Shamus the Insulter also came by, BUT he was there to teach men how to compliment their women, the Twig Fairy (who does not speak but plays a double flute and passes out treats to children).

The King stopped by at the very end. He evidently thought that his “tee time” was at 5:00 p.m. and was confused about the fact that he now realized that “tea time” was nearly concluded. He insisted that the Prince demonstrate the belly dancing (which made the princesses very amused) that he had been taught and then he and his retinue departed for their game of golf.

The food was served in several courses, scone with clotted cream and jam, a mixed greens salad, a toast with a cream cheese and sprout topping and then sandwiches with a curry filling. The High Tea was enjoyed more by Purpleworms than me, but I enjoyed the Feast of Fantasy more than she did, however, we were both very happy to get a chance to experience these events.

As we left the Shire these inhabitants danced and wished us a good morrow.