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The weather for the third weekend of the Oklahoma Renaissance Faire couldn't have been better if it were specially ordered: two days of mid-70s and sunshine. I was a bit worried Friday night. The "chance of thunderstorms 80%" that the weather radio was promising starting Thursday didn't actually come until after dark and I wondered if the frontal boundary was gong to fart around a bit before moving on, but it got its ass out of there by sunrise and the sun was peeking out over His Majesty as we harkened the cannon's roar. The sparse attendance on Mothers Day was more than made up for this Saturday. When I was heading out to my van for the harp just before the gates were to open is weaved thru people bunched up almost all the way to the gate to the courtyard.

I got the harp into standup configuration as Queen's Gambit, Lady Nancy, and the white haired guitarist with the Bedlam Bards were having a group jam across the street from the gate as people were coming in, played until they quit and then followed those who were going to the maypole. I felt moved to get lunch before Royal Court, as lines were already starting to form at the food courts. I stopped for cappuccino at the place near the trebuchets on the way to the second maypole dance.

There was a squad of women from the Red Hat society there, as there had been another one the preceding Saturday. This is a club with chapters all over the country, inspired by the poem by Jenny Joseph which starts out with "When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple; with a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me." And it a bunch of gray haired ladies all celebrating flamboyant abandon together. I have seen contingents of them at other renaissance faires; this is apparently a popular subject for an outing among them. This particular gaggle was particularly striking, almost all in ankle length dresses of intense royal purple, and most of the hats with wide brims, and feathers and even beads and baubles.

They were occupying a few picnic tables together in front of the coffee place, and the lady working there told me she was a "pink hat" (she's still younger than 50). but she was still able to tag along a part of their auxiliary organization. "They are a humongous bunch of fun", she said. I replied to her a few sentences later, "Now that I'm an old man, I AM WEARING purple" (which I actually was, I was in the tie-dye chemise with the lavender side of the bodice turned out), and she rewarded me with a belly laugh. I have always been a bit amused at the sight of a whole formation of people all wearing a uniform to show their individuality, but I have to at least encourage someone having the desire.

Sunday morning I had the harp with me as I observed morning mayhem in the courtyard, so I wouldn't have to spend time fetching it before joining the gateside jam. I stayed for a bit with Lady Nancy after the others had left for the maypole, and I asked her if she wanted to jam later in the day. She said yes, she would be on the lanes between acts and gave me her card with her schedule times.

I finally paid the six dollars and went into the Queen's Tea, after asking Rowan Golightly if it was worth going to at least once. She said yes, "Gracie Parker is a real hoot." She was. In her aristocratic British accent with the loooong drawwwwwn oot back vowels she showed us all how to curtsy, and then instructed us in how to say in a Scottish accent, "Laird Sheamus is verrry hansim." When we first walked into the room behind the castle pub, we were directed to little round tables upon which had been set plates bearing chocolate covered strawberries, little cupcakes, a little sandwich cut hors d'oeuvre style, and several other pieces of sweet. A common teapot filled with regular black tea stood in the middle of the table. We were asked how many were in our parties by the woman taking the tickets as we went in, and after telling her there was one in mine one she sat me at a table where a mom and dad and two daughters were already sitting.

The Queen arrived and sat on a throne, the Da Cremonas turned their two fiddles into violins and played a period piece, a lady sung "Greensleeves" a capella and then Rowan Golightly came in from Queen's Gambit's set out in the pub to sing in the same way "Danny Boy". Then someone suggested to the Queen that there be some riddles, she found the idea delightful, and the kids responded with the likes of "What did the ghost say to his girl friend? You're boo-tiful" and "What is Peter Pan's dirty friend? "Stinkerbell".

There were three men dressed like medieval knights, and I first thought that I hadn't seen them before, but it turned out I had, they were the ones I usually saw covered in armor doing the joust. Here I got to see them perform on foot and hear them talk. They went around and demonstrated wooing on all the females, mothers and children alike, amid lots of giggles.

One of the two daughters I was sitting with looked middle school age, and the other was still preteen. Both were short and had elfish faces with turned up noses and big eyes. The younger one looked very smart for her age as she was talking with a man from Birds of Prey showing off a hawk. He said that they won't return it to the wild, and she asked if it was "imprinted", a word I didn't learn myself until psychology class in college. She had a jaded sarcastic tone to her voice that I usually expect from a teenager, and when she rolled her eyes to express contempt, they were big and prominent. It was especially ironic to see all this coming from this little pixie that could have been in a Walt Disney cartoon. One of the knights sensed this and pitched her some really exuberant woo, while her picture taking older sister was giggling in sibling rivalric glee, with the parents helping out. They finally got her to crack a smile

It was definitely worth going to once, and I am sure that once you've seen it, you haven't seen it again. The whole act had the look of being winged thruout, and the actors were laughing as much as the audience.

I finally caught up with Lady Nancy after her third set ended at 3:30 and we played under a tree by the lane until it was time for her next show. As I was in the pub picking up the harp to go there I was just in time for Queen's Gambit doing "The Moose Song". After I left there I discovered the fourth dance by the maypole where Howl-O and the Da Cremoras were playing, and joined in. I opted out of Pub Sing and instead found Queen's Gambit and Chris of Commedia Sans Arte competing with the cries of the pickle saleslady by the gate as the crowd was going out thru the gate, so I sat myself and the harp down again for a while. As I went thru The Gauntlet (all the actors making a pair of contra lines for the patrons to pass out thru) they were singing "Castleton Farewell", and the guy at the end of one of the lines placed his hand on my shoulder and brought me into the sway when he saw that I was able to sing the words. Sunday was the best day yet.

Act IV next week with the finis.

-Butterfly Bill

"Greetings milord, or is it milady? or, um..."
"So did you lose the bet? No, I won it. He bet me I wouldn't"

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