What I Did Yesterday

I spent a very pleasant Saturday afternoon at the SCA Renaissance Fair held on the grounds of, and in the park adjacent to, the Herschell Carousel Museum in North Tonawanda. I was there with nephews Ben and Nik, nieces Helen and Emma, and Theresa and Dan (who is a member of SCA-- and though not a participant in yesterday's events, evidently on a first name basis with virtually all who were). It was a really impressive array of displays, competitions, games, and crafts, which I enjoyed almost as much as the kids (unfortunately I didn't win any prizes like they did). While there, we saw minstrels, wizards and elves...

... mounted knights engaged in a variety of skill tests on horseback, including lopping off heads mounted on posts...

... a giant maze, which enticed Nik and Helen, although Helen seemed a little less constrained than Nik with regard to crossing the lines (which, for those who know her will not come as a huge surprise)...

... some intense battles in the fencing ring (as well as contests involving throwing axes and knives, archery, and crossbows)...

... and they even let the amateurs like us (well, not so much Dan) get in a few blows on the pillow fight bar:

And even though it wasn't really consistent with the Renaissance theme, we also went through the Carousel Museum. Here's a shot of the workroom display:

Last, here's a display of some of the products of that workroom:

I should mention that the bull at left was not a carousel animal, but instead was a midway game wherein contestants would hit it on its snout to see if they could knock it to its knees. If you look really closely, you can see the hinged joints on the animal's front legs.

I think it's safe to say a good time was had by all; certainly that was true for me (even though I didn't win any prizes-- and I didn't even mention the sheep toss...)