Ren Faire

We went Saturday to the Alabama Ren Faire over in Florence.  We have gone several times in the past, but have not made it for one reason or another for the past 2-3 years.  This year, we needed new cloaks!  I have one, but Ben has taken it over, Chan's is too small and Matt has never had one.  After getting there and realizing the great deal I got on our cloaks a few years back is truly a thing of the past, we decided $300 for 4 new cloaks was not the best use of our money!  It seems the merchants chat more these days and undercutting each other is no longer the norm.  They price their cloaks at $75 and up for all of them made with any kind of decent material.  The one Matt REALLY liked was $140.  *sigh*

Back home on ebay, we found satin lined velvet cloaks for under $40 shipped.  So, that's the plan for now.  Unless anyone has a great local source they are willing to share.

I did not take many shots at the faire, it was enough to just walk around and hear the music and the people all talking and laughing, to smell the foods on the chilly breeze and to see the riot of colors and costumes-everything from tubby fairies in Spandex to very well-done trolls and wizards, we saw Link and Westley and several Captain Sparrow's.  And the usual smattering of little boys dressed as knights and little girls dressed as ladies.  The same garb our guys used to dress up in.

 

After tanking up on ribbon fries, homemade cream soda and a slab of chocolate-dipped cheesecake, all right out of a Chaucer story, so they were authentic foods, we went through downtown Sheffield on the way back home. 

I loved the old industrial buildings, I want to head back one day and get more pictures while not huddled in my car with the heat blasting and This American Life playing.  Neither luxury was one I was willing to go without to get better photos on this particular afternoon...