Big Bear, August 13th and 21st, 2005
 August
13, 2005 (Fast
Index) (1186 images)
August 21, 2005 (Fast
Index) (1186 images)
Official Web Site
The Big Bear faire's small size and somewhat
remote location belays it's special qualities
and a certain unique style. It's a fun little
faire, with quite a few shows, some great music
and good quality jousting and sword fighting
displays. I didn't expect to enjoy myself as
much as I did.
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This is Mae,
one of the Belles of Bedlam. She's even more
gorgeous in person. |
As usual for most Renaissance faires, the
plays and shows are what, in my opinion, make
the difference between a good faire and a great
faire (I haven't found a bad faire yet). Big
Bear lined up a nice selection of some of the
very best acts, which truly made for an
enjoyable experience.
Big Bear set aside one stage for NC-17 acts:
those with a more adult orientation. This is
virtually unheard of among the smaller faires,
but it allowed some of the very best, funniest
and most entertaining skits to be viewed. To the
right is one of the ladies from the
Belles of Bedlam. They have a very funny
act, with good signing: excellent entertainment.
The stages were all very small, but this
didn't seem to matter as once the hay bales were
filled, people just seemed to sit or stand
anywhere they could. That's always a good sign
of great quality entertainment.
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I love this
picture. It's a beautiful bird, and very
tame. |
They also had not just a petting zoo (which
was obviously very enjoyable for the younger
patrons) but a selection of wild animals. These
included a raccoon, a falcon and a very small
hawk.
Throughout the day, these animals were
carried around and shown to visitors, many of
which, I am sure, have never seen this kind of
thing before.
I found the little falcon, to the left, very
much to my liking. A beautiful predator, this
gorgeous creature was very tame and, to me, it
almost seemed to relish the attention from all
of the guests. I got the impression that he (or
she) posed for my picture, with a thought like
"aren't I the most beautiful bird you've every
seen?"
They also had an owl, small enough to fit in
your hand, a raccoon, and a number of other
animals.
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His act is
awesomely funny and he's a great juggler as
well! |
I love juggling acts, especially when they
are combined with a little comedy. This guy had
an incredibly funny and skilful act, which
frequently brought him into the audience.
His knife juggling was very well done, and I
found myself laughing throughout the show. It
was amusing watching him clown around with the
ladies in the audience - and they loved it.
He juggled balls, knives and bowling pins,
all very skillfully.
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I thought
this lady was very pretty and she did an
excellent belly dance. |
Of course, what would a Renaissance Faire be
without belly dancers? Big Bear had several of
them, all very skillful and with interesting
routines.
I had some trouble finding their stage, as it
was stuffed in an out-of-the-way corner in the
very back of the faire (behind the wild
animals). I was happy I took the time to look,
however, as the dancers were quite good.
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Kimi is one
of the Merry Wives of Windsor. Cute, isn't
she? |
I was very happy to see one of my very
favorite acts at the Faire: the
Merry
Wives of Windsor. These ladies (and gents)
have a wonderful routine which is absolutely
hilarious. Not only that, but all of them (well,
the girls anyway) are beautiful!
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