San Diego, August 6th, 2005
 August
6, 2005 (Fast
Index) (1020 images)
Official Web Site
I found yet another of the "other" faires in
San Diego. This faire was held in a great
location: Balboa Park. It's easy to find, has
lots of parking and it large enough for a faire.
It's not as scenic as Glen Helen, Santa Fe Dam
or San Luis Obispo, but it was a nice location
nonetheless.
I liked this faire. The people were friendly,
the performers were good and the entertainment
was fun.
There was no opening ceremony of any length
(just a short speech and a lost key). This was
slightly disappointing, as I had made sure to
arrive early to see it (an assumption of mine).
As usual, there was lots of entertainment and
music. These gentlemen set up their performance
outside the faire, just before it opened. They
where pretty good too.
One difference that I've noticed between
these small faires and their larger cousin (the
Santa Fe Dam Faire for one) is they are not
coordinated in the same way. At Santa Fe Dam, an
entire day at the faire could easily be
considered one long performance. There are
plays, battles, parades and such, and all of
them interrelated to a certain extent. At Santa
Fe, everything from the 30 minute opening act to
closing fit together into a whole fabric of
entertainment.
 This
is not true of the smaller faires, at least
those that I've attended. The San Diego faire,
for example, is really a collection of acts,
plays, music and shops with a theme of the
renaissance period. There is some coordination,
but it's much looser and more relaxed.
It actually gives an added reason for
attending different faires - they really are
different. There are different performers, acts,
costumes, focuses and philosophies. After all,
if every faire is the same why attend more than
one?
The lady to the left, by the way, is a
Puritan. I've seen her at several faires, and I
love her act. She does a wonderful character
with great skill.
I love the dancing. It is one of the things
that attracts me to these faires and other,
similar events. Now, I am not a dancer myself,
but I love to watch the grace and beauty of
someone who knows how to perform a well done
dance routine.
The last to the right is one such person. She
is an outstanding dancer (and she played a mean
warrior woman in the battle later). She danced
with a group of others from, I am guessing, her
Irish clan, and they were all excellent.
I took the picture of the lady to the right
because I found her exceptionally attractive.
She is one of the dancers in a belly dancing
routine, and she was quite good.
All in all, I enjoyed this faire immensely.
It was well located, the layout was simple and
made sense, and the entertainment was very good.
The dance routines were outstanding, and the
comedy acts and plays were definitely worth the
drive.
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