Stronghold Olde English Faire! Oct. 2 & 3 2010, Oregon, Illinois

Join me, Jane the Phoole, at the Stronghold Olde English Faire this coming weekend!  Click here for every li'l detail about this delightful event at the scenic Stronghold Castle.  Phoole Friend Odorferious Thunderbottom will be there selling ThunderPickles (he's a Privy-Keeper, and here's his eye-searing Privy Council site), and there will be droves of other fun frolickers besides, including Phoole Faves the Guild of St. George and the deranged Anne Sommerset, Lady Percy, the Countess of Northumberland in her first visit to the Burleigh household -- brawling imminent!  On the subject of brawling, Phoole Skoolmaster Bob Charron of St. Martin's Academy of Medieval Arms will may possibly join Phoole Faves the Guild of St. Michael for demonstrations of the principles of Fior dei Liberi's Il Fior di Battaglia, and in any case, the Trayn'd Bands always deliver action-packed fun!  Phoole Faves the Ogham Duo are among the many excellent music acts.  And there are many more treats besides.  It's one weekend only, so hie thee thither with all speed!

Jane's Ville: A Leap Forward in Fun, and a New Motley Unveiled!

Photo by Chris Muetz

Cheers to all of the Phooligans who jaunted out to the Janesville Renaissance Faire this past weekend! It was fantastic Phoolish fun spending time with all of you: old friends, new friends, esteemed colleagues and comrades-in-arms. We shared big laughs, in-depth discussions on Subjects of Monumental Import, and general delightful silliness. We never reached a solid consensus on the meaning of the signs posted in the park that say "FEEDING GEESE DUCKS PROHIBITED." Some say it means you shouldn't feed ducks to geese; others maintain there's something called a Geese Duck that one mustn't feed. Don't Know. It's still a mystery! I didn't get any new languages for "bad monkey," but I had fun supplying the ones I had to Phooligans burning to know the phrase in a range of tongues and dialects. Fasso Latido made an appearance on Saturday, in his own fantastic new motley. And a nice "round-Robin" discussion on Sunday morning featuring Robin Hood and Little John tackled the always-timely topic of How to Remedy an Excess of Moral Fiber and ended in lots of loud double-over guffaws. Good good goofings had by all!

A special cheer goes to the Guildes of St. George, St. Michael and St. Lawrence -- you make me feel mighty real! I realized this past weekend how heavily I've come to rely on these organizations for inspiration, creative context, and survival. I appreciate these volunteers and the immense research, work and resources they dedicate to building the bridge between the Audience-World and 16th-Century England.

Great acts, fascinating craft demonstrators, and luxury vendors abounded in Jane's Ville. Many thanks to the devoted and driven organizers of this event, Chris and Heather and Rick and Shelly, and everyone who helped make my Ville a delightful place to be! More views of Jane enjoying the Ville are here:

Photo by Alexis Pena


Photo by Alexis Pena


Photo by Chris Muetz


Photo by Bob Matthews


Photo by Satine Keala


Photo by Satine Keala