Ojai Pirate and Renaissance Faire, September
25th, 2005
 September
25, 2005 (Fast
Index)
(904 images)
Official Web Site
September has been an incredibly busy month
for me, and because of that I was looking
forward to this faire more than usual. I find
faires very relaxing, especially when there are
a lot of patrons (visitors) and participants.
I'd heard that this faire was going to be large,
not as large as the
Southern Faire, but large nonetheless.
 In
fact, this was easily the most fun that I've had
a a faire in years. The atmosphere was somehow
different, relaxed and laid back, and the people
seemed to be there just to have a good time.
There were also hundreds of participants, which
of course attracts thousands of patrons.
 I
was not disappointed. To me, the best faires are
those that have lots and lots of people, because
the more people there are, the more costumes
there are. This is the primary attraction of the
faire for me, looking at the wonderful costumes.
This is followed, of course, by the food, the
shows and the spontaneous entertainment. But
what really made the faire enjoyable to me was
the combination of the lake, the wonderful
scenery and the grass. Instead of the usual
dusty path, this faire was built on grass, and
it was easier on the lungs and easier on the
feet.
A friend (Sandra) and I went to this faire
early. We arrived shortly after the faire opened
and were surprised to find it was already
crowded. It's normal for the first few hours of
a faire to be pretty deserted, especially on a
Sunday, but there were actually quite a few
people wandering around. I took this as a good
sign - lots of people generally means the faire
will be good.
As you can see from the picture to the left,
the theme was more pirate than Renaissance
Faire. Oh, there was plenty of renaissance
related costumes, shows and things, but the
pirate took the prize in my opinion, in
creativity and uniqueness. I think they made
this faire different than normal, and increased
the enjoyment factor by many times.
 I
forgot to bring my costume, so wandered around
with a nice hat and a Hawaiian shirt (well, a
route-66 shirt), but I was having so much fun
that it didn't seem to matter. I did find a
pattern store and picked out a nice one fora
costume that my friend says she will make for
me. It will be nice to go to the faire in a
real, well-done costume for a change instead of
my usual quick-and-dirty version.
I ran into a number of people that I knew
from previous faires, including the couple to
the left. They seem to be at every faire that
I've attended, and they are lots of fun.
As usual, the faire was crawling with
beautiful women. I loved the colors on the
braids of the lady to the right. She is quite
pretty, and with some color in her hair, it
changed her natural beauty into something more,
something special.
The lady to the left is gorgeous, even more
pretty in person than in the picture. I liked
the touch of the horns combined with the purple
hair. A nice, unique look.
Of course, what faire would be complete
without a queen and her court. The queen, to the
right, played her role well. I enjoyed the shows
and parades that she put on, and watching her
court go through the motions was very
entertaining.
 Finally,
the lady to the left stands out in my mind as
one of the true beauties of this faire. She has
a great smile, a good costume and a wonderfully
friendly, albeit shy, personality. This was her
first faire, and I hope to see her again soon. |
