MAYFAIRE 2006
         Wyrmhill, 1306




        Since there was at least an hour between the end of The ScallyWags' show and the beginning of the next event -- The Tournament of Roses -- the ladies of our party determined that a merry round of shopping was in order. Not only were there a dozen brightly-colored pavilions displaying a wide variety of interesting and unusual wares staked out in Merchants' Row (Photo, Above), but there were also many broad awnings offering a welcome respite from the relentless, cold drizzle drifting down. Garb and jewelry in particular caught m'ladies' eyes, with a singular emphasis on chainmaille and leather. Had our Ozark Highland clime been warmer and drier, methinks undoubtedly that there would have been a radical shift toward a more barbarian look for our ladies that faire day. Those weren't the only treasures to be found among the merchants' tents, however. To our surprise and delight, we also found the Mayfaire Royal Pavilion sharing space with the vendors' shops along Merchants' Row (Photo, Below: the King and Queen of Faire graciously hold hands for this regal portrait taken of them by Ryleh the Wanderer)!





        It seems The Royals and Their Court were playing the role of "guest" monarchs just for the weekend, here in Arkansas! They had made the long trek from Wichita, Kansas -- where they also provide the Spring Royalty for the Great Plains Renaissance Festival there -- for Mayfaire, alone. Their Majesties spoke glowingly of GPRF (formerly known as the Kansas Neumann Renaissance Festival), telling me that there had been both a change of venue as well as of name since Ryleh last visited Wichita. For many years, you see, KNRF had been held on the grounds of Neumann College located in Wichita, Kansas. Ryleh can well remember how difficult it was to evoke the faire "spirit" back then when there were modern academic buildings of steel, glass and concrete everywhere in the background; not to mention the claustrophobic confines of the College commons themselves, which quickly filled up elbow-to-elbow with a frantic, jostling, ever-shifting crowd. Due to the constant hustle and bustle, it was a major effort just navigating from one end of the Neumann Festival to the other, much less trying to approach any of the vendors' booths; while photography was strictly limited to a few "grab shots" taken during extremely brief gaps in the restless throng. It seems the new festival venue at Sedgwick County Park in Wichita is a vast improvement over the old Neumann site. At the County Park, for example, Ryleh learned that there is far more open space available -- both for the festival and the crowds -- to spread out in, with considerably fewer modern distractions visible to detract from the overall faire "ambience." Needless to say, The Great Plains Renaissance Festival has grown prodigiously in its new, more-spacious accommodations (check out their website at www.greatplainsrenfest.com/ for more details). That, alone, could certainly tempt me into making the long trek to Wichita once more!




        Their Majesties are involved with more than just renaissance festivals, however. It seems they also operate their own independent educational program -- "Chivalry For Children" (website at www.freewebs.com/chivalry4children/) in conjunction with the Exploration Place in Wichita -- teaching the knightly virtues to area schoolchildren. A knighting ceremony always highlights the conclusion of the 20-minute program. This, of course, immediately piqued my interest. Squire Lee and his family, you see, have been attending faire in and around Arkansas for nearly twelve years now. In that time, all but Squire Lee have received some kind of title from faire royalty. In fact, Ryleh remembers right well how, at the late Withrow Renaissance Festival, then-Squire Aaron fell to his knees before King Robert the Bruce with all His Court present, crying out "My Liege!" in a clear, loud voice for all to hear. The Bruce had no other recourse but to accept his service and grant him knighthood, if only for Aaron's exuberant show of youthful enthusiasm. Now it was high time, Ryleh felt, for Squire Lee to become a knight! So that day at Mayfaire, Ryleh approached His Majesty with all due respect and deference, beseeching a Royal boon on Squire Lee's behalf. The King not only agreed, but was more than happy to oblige. While He could not knight Squire Lee immediately, however, he was able to reschedule the Knighting Ceremony shortly after the Tournament of Roses. This was not at all unusual, for both of The Royals were most courteous, cordial and unstintingly generous to us that day, taking a goodly time out from Their official Sovereign duties to visit with us all at considerable length. Her Majesty, for example, favored us all ere we took our leave of the Court (Photo, Above Right: The Queen pins the Royal Favor on Squire Lee during our visit with the monarchs at the Royal Pavilion. Photo, Below: while Lady Rhiannon and Lady Celeste kneel together respectfully, Her Majesty bestows Her Royal Favor first on Lady Celeste)...












        And then on Lady Rhiannon (Photo, Left). Ryleh, too, was also favored at the brief ceremony. The Royal Honors were much appreciated by everyone in our party that day at Mayfaire!














        Hobnobbing with royalty: Squire Lee also took some time out from our tour of the faire to jest with one of the many fair ladies of the Royal Court (Photo, Above). The good Squire and his family were always right friendly and outgoing with all the festival players, patrons and playtrons, alike (Photo, Below: Squire Lee, Sir Aaron and Lady Erica, for instance, also spent considerable time chating with this knight in full plate, sans helm). Among the patrons present, we also spoke at length with a couple from Louisiana who -- like Ryleh -- claim the Louisiana Renaissance Festival as their "home" faire. Meeting other patrons who share the LRF experience was both a delightful surprise and totally unexpected. Interestingly enough, like Ryleh they had been attending LRF since its' inception in 2000, but none of us had ever met each other there in all these years. Instead, we all had to come together at a modest, first-year faire, quietly tucked away in the backwoods of the Arkansas Ozarks for introductions!








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        Standard Disclaimer: This webpage is strictly an *Unofficial* look at MayFaire held at Herbhome Farm near Erbie in Newton County, Arkansas. The author of these pages is in no way, shape, manner or form connected with MayFaire (mailing address: Hc 73 Box 113 Marble Falls, AR 72648; Phone (870)446-6105; home page http://herbhome.tripod.com/mayfaire.html) and/or any of the sponsors associated with this event. All opinions expressed are strictly this author's own. Unless noted otherwise, all photographs are copyright ©2000-2006 by George Laking.

        This page created 09 August 2006