Contribute?
Please?
Volunteer!
Individuals, Youth groups, Social Circles and Corporate Offices wanting a feel good/do good volunteer experience.
We like them all.
Fetch, Haul, Carry. Park Cars, do Trash. These things could be done by paid labor- but the end result is an overpriced theme park.
Fairs are in the process of consolidating, shutting down, and commercializing. It’s not the charity’s job to directly fight this battle.
But History isn’t just for the rich.
Donate!
Producers of Renaissance Fairs face intense, high stress work for uncertain, small payouts. It’s a labor of love.
Help for charity related positions- those that put on school day, and provide direct support to the guilds would be a blessing.
They more than deserve to earn a living wage, for the work they do.
They currently don’t.
Colaborate!
The future is out there, waiting to be made.
There’s a generational shift, towards fantasy and video games. We like it. We want it. We want to ‘mellow’ it, and blend it into something new. Make something meaningful with the change.
This hasn’t happened yet but it will. We want to offset the ‘magic’ with the mundane. Blend in Ag County Fair and occult/goth style magic/booths.
Talk to us, and connect us with someone who might be interested.
Join A Guild
The backbone of community backbone, is our Guilds.
They are strong but heavily aging. They need structural support to help with recruitment of the next generation. They need you.
Join a guild.
Or tribute a teen their way. Doesn't matter, you'll have fun either way!
You'll be contributing to the direct mission- of helping keep history fun and available to all.
Can't get much more important a contribution than that!
Who will you be helping?
We are obviously lovers of history, and a little nerdy.
But behind every community and cause there's a story. To know what the 'Real' story is.
Here's ours:
Renaissance Fayres are from the 60s. They are an incarnation of the spirit of the earliest parts of that era, especially it's idealism. Created with the idea of pushing back against sanitized and idealized history. A place to serve as a ‘Revel’- where people could breathe a bit. Let off steam.
This pattern was obviously repeated and intensified by larger 60 era’s outdoor festivals movement. They were later and more commercial. Woodstock, Burning man, etc…
The Fayre started before all that, early in 1963 as a southern California countercultural project by Phyllis Patterson and Ron Patterson. Before the rest.
So you might think of Renaissance Fayres as capturing the awkward tween years of hippy culture.
Now, that spirit has faded a bit with time. Even intentionally flirtatious and vulgar spaces, mellow with time. The 60s were a long time ago. You don’t have to hold these values to come play and enjoy.
Nevertheless, this is what actually makes Renaissance Fayres have a special vibe- remnants of hippy idealism, inclusivity, freedom, and joy. Subtle tides that come with as we present our (admittedly TOTALLY nerdy) love of history.
Under the surface, we like to smile.
