Greetings, visitors, and a hearty thanks to Master Ryleh for this opportunity to report on a most happy occasion. On President's Day Weekend 1997, I attended the 9th annual Arizona Renaissance Festival. That weekend, with camera and camcorder in hand, became one of my best faire experiences--and made this site my favorite faire I've ever attended.

The grounds are roughly a thirty minute drive east of Phoenix and less than an hour from the airport off of Apache Junction. And an easy drive it is. When you arrive at the site, two things are readily apparent. 1) This site is built in a desert surrounded by the Superstition Mountains. Ergo, there is lots of sand, dust and little shade (as is readily apparent in the photo, above). Even a small breeze can lead to a dust cloud. Lots of sunscreen, a hat and protective eyewear is recommended. 2) This place is very popular. I arrived 45 minutes prior to opening and there was already a crowd at the gate. Also a good percentage of patrons stay until closing which leads to major traffic congestion when leaving--as I learned firsthand!

When I attend a faire I usually go primarily for the acts and atmosphere, and then for the shops. This is understandable when you try and videotape as much as I do. However I found this place plentiful in all three categories. The faire has an excellent array of offerings but is not so big or overwhelming that you cannot experience most of it in a weekend. There are 12 main stage areas and around 180 booths. The acts are varied but there did not appear to be a story arc performed by the company. The latter can be a good thing if you're an out of town visitor!

But on with the faire...

The feel of the faire is quickly established in the opening ceremonies with a barrage of intentionally bad jokes delivered by the infamous Ded Bob (Photo, left). He announced three rules before we would be allowed in. Rule #1) We had to leave our mundane worries outside the gates. Rule #2) We had to leave all our money inside the gates. Rule #3) We had to deposit all children in the nearest trash receptacle. We were then officially greeted by King Henry and Queen Rosalyn who signaled the opening cannon. When we entered, we were greeted by mirthful entertainment (to view this photo, click here). We also encountered company members and acts such as Smee and Blog, the singing executioners (Pictured below). I think their names pretty much summed up their act!

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