SCARBOROUGH FAIRE
        Opening Weekend 2003





        Scarborough '03 was, for me, more of a homecoming than the Opening Weekend of yet another Renaissance Festival. Which was not terribly surprising considering that the Excalibur Fantasy Faire had just closed down for the season the previous weekend -- and all my faire friends and acquaintances there simply migrated north to Waxahachie (Photo, Above: the Blue Dragon Faerie of TRF [AKA Bridget, at left] and Malice [right] visit together in the lanes at Scarborough)! Of course, faire is ALWAYS more fun when you share it with friends -- especially when they show up unexpectedly by surprise, as Kyleigh (Photo, Right: Kyleigh [at left] with her new boyfriend [center] and friend take time out from shopping to have their portrait taken) and Kat did (Photo, Below: Kat [center] accompanied by Griffin [at right] and an unidentified "Knight of Chaos" [holding Kat's parasol]. Needless to say, Scarborough 2003 was off to a right good start with such a fun crew onboard!









        It also doesn't hurt that two of my favorite groups -- the Rogues and the Corsairs -- play Scarborough every year. The Rogues always put on a high-energy show, with lots of skirling bagpipes, pounding drums and vigorous dancing. If the bellydancers don't join them for at least one set, then at least half-a-dozen local wenches will! As you might well imagine, I never miss one of their shows (Photo, Below)!!!








        The Corsairs are another "must see" group for me (Photo, Below). It's more than just their music -- which's always GREAT! -- it's the wacky stage business which accompanies each song that makes every Corsair performance memorable. Alas, the Corsairs at Scarby '03 were somewhat disappointing. They had been pretty subdued at the North Texas Irish Festival this year, but I put it down to the venue: a "family-friendly" music event rated "G" for General Audiences. Apparently not! Despite a brand-new stage at Scarby, the Corsairs limited themselves to singing selections from their latest CD, with virtually NONE of their zany sense of humor showing through. Fact is, it came across more as a 30-minute singing commercial for their CDs than a real Corsairs show. All of which left me longing for the good old days, when they sang on the tiny little stage down by the Dirty Duck Pub, swilling Guiness and cutting up, outrageously! I can only hope they return to their old ways in 2004!!!




        NEXT PAGE...


        Standard Disclaimer: This webpage is strictly an *Unofficial* look at the Scarborough Renaissance Faire held near Waxahachie, Texas since 1981. The author of these pages is in no way, shape, manner or form connected with the Scarborough Renaissance Faire, SouthWest Festivals, Inc., the town of Waxahachie 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 ©2002-2004 by George Laking.

        This page created 11 May 2004