First impressions.

[Sir Trevor]

Well, I had fun.
I got to see a lot of old friends and make some new ones.
There was some good and some bad.

The weather was great.
The shire was kind of empty though
Opening day is usually pretty light. This was no exception.
Seems like there is a real lack of vendors this year.
A lot of empty sites.
Heck, Starfire isn't even there
Hopefully there are some more coming and they are just busy wrapping up things in other locations.

Seemed kind of strange not having any rides this year as well.

Johnny was in his usual form
He even has merchandise this year.

Bardic Wind was cool as usual. Though I only caught part of their show.

Everywhere I went, I ran into cast.

Didn't seem the same, not hearing Isaac doing his show at the Stumble Inn.

Also seemed wrong, not having a tomato guy.

Joust I am still undecided on.
For some reason the hits didn't seem very good, or very hard. Maybe it was just the way the lances were breaking.
The guys doing the joust seem to have great chemistry though. And the fight on foot seemed a lot better.

Pub sing was way too short.

[Sir Trevor]

Well, day two is over and done.

I had more fun today.
After a day to get familiar with everything again, things are starting to take shape for me.

Got to spend more time visiting with folks.
Loved the chess match (which was even better thanks to Brandon making comments behind us )

Pub sing seemed better.
A little more meat to it.

Tried out the after hours thing in the feast hall.
I loved it!!!

The food was great!
Normal faire stuff. I had chicken, pizza, steak on a stick, potatoes. Also saw, roast beef, and what looked like roast pork. Lots of veggies, and fruit.
What made it a real blast though, was the entertainment.
It started off with everyone eating, and the entertainers just sitting around and talking to people.
Very relaxed, casual, and fun.
Then after a while they did some performances.
Queen Anne's Lace did some numbers that were really good.
Cameron of Bardic Wind told a great story in a way that only he can With help from Brandon D, and smart remarks from Brandon K.
Brandon K has a wonderful singing voice. We were treated to 2 songs by him, with background done by Queen Anne's Lace.
Judy Plester livened things up with some rousing tunes.
And Michael Manderen played some nice stuff too!
A great time, and well worth the price of admission.

We plan on attending again in the future.
Can't wait to see what those evenings are like.

[Hephzibah]

OK Anyone what's to hear them .......I enjoyed this weekend.

[Athena]

I had a lot of fun today! It wasn't as busy as I'm used to, but I'm not surprised since it's a holiday weekend.
Bardic Wind, Manolete & Queen Anne's Lace were fantastic! Angel had a great time too, and wants to come back again next week!

[angelhapisac]

This was my first time at GLMF and it was fun! I met Trevor, Britney, BlackKnight, Capt. Morgan and ATHENA!!!!! So cool to meet people that I have known only on the web. Also made some new friends...Greg at Kilts and More, and the nice lady from the henna stand with the big bubble! Was surprised to see some old aquaintances too...Barrett and Brooke(knew them from PA Faire long ago). Well met everyone!!!

A few thoughts on the faire, from a fresh voice:

I think that there could be more signage on the road to the faire, for nervous drivers like myself who need reassurance that they are headed in the right direction!

The woods were vast and beautiful, but a little hard to navigate for a newcomer...also, everything is spread so far apart, it was quite a trek from chess board to pubsing after carrying my infant daughter all day! But I am told this is partly because vendors are missing. Still, it seems more like a campground than a "village." Next time I will bring a wagon...I saw many there today, some decorated in order to blend in.

Great shows! I love Manolete (have seen him before), thoroughly enjoyed Bardic Wind, and the washer wenches were great. I really like the beginning of the chess match!!! (didn't see the end due to fussy baby!) Was hoping for more music...I love to sing and dance, and there wasn't enough music today for me to get my groove on! And I agree with Trevor that pubsing was too short.

As the mother of two small children, I was interested to see the Fairies grove. I understand it is new this year...I really like the idea of a place for kids to play. They had things to climb on and games to play, and the decorations were cute! I think there are some improvements they could make though...again, spread out a little too much, and it might be a good idea to fence it in(like most playgrounds) so children don't go scampering off into the woods when your back is turned! At other faires I've attended there is at least one show just for children...don't know if there was one today, but the Fairy grove would be a good place for it.

I LOVED Piper's Pub, and the bottle refills!!!!!! Trevor introduced me to it, and I in turn introduced it to Athena. What a great system! Especially for those in garb that don't want to receive their beverages in a plastic cup! And purple money is not required.

I was glad that I knew about the money exchange in advance (Thanks to Trevor and his website!). I brought ones and fives, and checked the prices of the food I wanted before exchanging my money, so I would only exchange the necessary amount.

All in all, a wonderful day! I can't wait until next week...I hear the Rogues are incredible, and I want to hang out with Athena again!!!

[Magda]

Impressions on a past cast member:

The shows I saw (Manolete, Bardic Wind, Chess, Tortuga Twins R show) were all wonderful.

All of the cast I met (especially those returning, who greeted me warmly *warmfuzzy*) was visible, engaging and entertaining. Special props to gypsy Nadja (new cast really called Rachel, I believe) who recognized me as a gypsy by my costume and greeted me almost as soon as I set foot in the shire.

Speaking of which, props to all the gypsies (especially the familiar faces ) for making their new campsite a wonderful place to sit and visit.

The only cramp in my style was being told to bow by one of the cast members, which I had the extreme pleasure of being able to refuse.

My parents and the other former cast member I attended with also enjoyed the day greatly, and wished only that pub sing had been longer, as it is the part of the day we remember most fondly.

[Hokie Bird]

This was the start of my second season at the Faire, and I enjoyed it! It was great to see Olive the Ox Lady back with her delicious breads and cheese, some familiar faces in the cast as well as some new ones, and some great shows. It was certainly weird not seeing Isaac's magician show, I think I caught it every time I was there last season. Some of the vendors moved around a bit which made it tough to find, but I managed I did enjoy seeing more cast out in the lanes this year, especially at the opening on Saturday. I got a little bit of the story line then. Enjoyed Hobb trying to make me vouch for his debt to Artifice Fraud...tho I think I still owe Mr. Fraud 6 head of cattle. Jail Show was excellent like always And it was nice seeing Menagerie again, their little naughty ballads are great.

While some things were different, some were the same and I'm keeping an optimistic view that the season has just started and like fine wine it gets better with age. I'm looking forward to this weekend and if you see a dopey guy in a Hokie hat feel free to say hi thats me

enjoy the short week

Rob

[wyldfire]

I had an awesome time the entire weekend!!!! I was really impressed with Queen Anne's Lace, they are AWESOME!

I got to meet a lot of different people and have a good time and really interact and play all day!

Looking forward to another fine weekend in just a few short days!

[Hephzibah]

Others may know ummm but umm what's a Hokie Hat

[Hokie Bird]

Oh heh its a hat that says Hokie on it or Virginia Tech Hokies or some variation lol

[Sir Trevor]

Glad you had fun.
Very interested in your opinions.
I love to hear from new guests to our shire.
And I hope the staff does as well, since that is who they really need to win over.

I would like to address this one though.

angelhapisac said:

As the mother of two small children, I was interested to see the Fairies grove. I understand it is new this year...I really like the idea of a place for kids to play. They had things to climb on and games to play, and the decorations were cute! I think there are some improvements they could make though...again, spread out a little too much, and it might be a good idea to fence it in(like most playgrounds) so children don't go scampering off into the woods when your back is turned! At other faires I've attended there is at least one show just for children...don't know if there was one today, but the Fairy grove would be a good place for it.

I don't look at is a too spread out, but sized to accomodate a lot more children. It used to be much smaller and it really felt kind of claustrophobic in there.
And they used to do childrens shows on the stage outside fairyland (by the checkerboard)
They stopped doing them last season though, since it seemed no one ever attended them.
Our first two years there, the bleachers were pretty empty for every show they had.

Also, another place that is good for children is gypsy camp. I have seen lots of kids really enjoy the gypsy stories.

If you have any other thoughts, please post them.

You brought up some good points.

[Hephzibah]

To expand on what I said it was a blast being able to "Play with the cast". The Duke remembering our faces from past years and showing such courtesy .Rayka ,Crusty,George Le Forge(love him),the sweet Blossom,Nadgi and sorry another gypsy that right now can not think who it was with Dearth that a silly little lane act was played out that I was in.

And of course HIS MOST ROYAL HIGHNESS OUR KING

[Sir Robert]

First impressions.
The good -
I like the new encampments.
Combat chess looks a lot better.
The storyline, while being a tad light, is a bit more fun and unencumbered.
Cast not tied to a bunch of stage shows is a plus.
The thing in the feast hall is pretty good. A great idea that I hope catches on and continues.

The bad -
The shire seems a bit empty. A lot of open space with no booths.
I miss some familiar faces (cast, performers, and vendors)
Pub sing is too short.

The indifferent -
The joust. While being a bit more entertaining, the actual joust portion left me wanting. Hopefully this will improve as the run progresses.

[Melissa]

And isn't Polly (the little female pirate) so adorable

*hehehe*

- GYAR!! -

[Daisy Canard, French Flirt]

Opening weeked wasn't what I expected, but it was a lot of fun nonetheless. I am hoping that as the weeks go on, the more people we will see, though a part of me says that we aren't going to reach record breaking numbers like last year.

Sir Robert, I agree with you wholeheartedly about the joust. I was floored when I found out it wasn't the same men as last year. I did enjoy the ground combat though.

And Angel, yes, Piper's Pub is a GODSEND! I love it! And the Ox Lady. Everyone has to love her. If you don't, then something is wrong with you.. ;D

Oh, and yes, Polly is quite the adorable pirate. *hehe*