So- I am now mostly recovered from the 4th annual Elizabeth Celtic Festival, after a long, hard (and very fun!!) weekend. For my account of the weekend, I will start at the beginning, as all stories should:

Friday night- we arrived to see the Renaissance Scots Living History Society getting camp set up. Our camp consists of one tent big enough to easily accomodate 40 people plus furniture. This big main tent is known as the Knotty Dirk Pub, and serves as a water/shade bar for festival goers (the water is free and there are always Ren Scots in the pub doing something, so water is free and entertainment is cheap- and bad... You get what you pay for!) Second is the Wick & Woolery, which is where our weavers and spinners ply their trade. We used to have a candlemaker, hence the "Wick" part- but no longer, sadly. Third is the Wolves den- the tent of the fighting element of the Ren Scots (which includes myself). We have the smithy where our blacksmith forges all of our metal gear, from S hooks for hanging things to tent stakes, to our penanular broaches, to whatever else we need. And last but not least is the baker's tent, which is home to our clan chief. We got to the site in time to set up the baker's tent and the smithy. We were delayed due to the fact that I couldn't get off of work early. So we helped with what setup was left, and socialized with the other living history groups- the Fjellborg Vikings, the Lgio II, Castle Wall Productions, and The Kingdom of Matis... something that I can't spell. One great thing about this fest is that the living history groups are not only allowed to camp onsite- we are encouraged to stay- as long as our tents and lighting are all period, which really enhances the atmosphere. With all the groups and clan societies, it was shaping up to be a fun festival.

Saturday- My family slept in the Knotty Dirk. We woke bright and early- 6:30 (Ick!!)- and got right to work preparing the pub for the arrival of Virginia, the clan chef. Virge is a freakin saint!! She cooks for the whole group, she cleans up (with us all pitching in as much as possible), she puts up with us... If there ain't a place in heaven reserved for Virge, then heaven is full and no one is getting in! So we all feasted on Virge's wonderful caserole of ham or chorizo and eggs, the nice fresh fruit, and so much else. Gods bless that woman... And then the day really got started.

The gates opened at 9:00 AM to a small crowd. They filtered in and were suckered into our camp, since we were the first bit of entertainment you come to as you enter the gates. We were all doing our thing. I taught a few people to play Farkle in the pub, the weavers wove, the Wolves fought amongst themselves, and all was well- except for the fact that Daniel Sorenson, the lead swordsman of our group, wasn't there. Dr. Dave, the group chiropractor, had talked to him earlier that morning- and sent him to Highlands Ranch as a joke (the games in Highlands Ranch are in 3 weeks, and we are there, as well. Danny didn't remember which fest was this weekend, so Dave sent him to the wrong one. We all took bets on how long it would take Danny to figure it out get to Elizabeth. I was off by 5 minutes. I give him more credit than most of the group apparently... )The weather was great- mid 70's instead of blisteringly hot like last year- but the turnout was disapointing. We spent most of the day hanging out with the other groups because there were so few people coming to the festival. But that's OK I guess. It was fun messing with the other groups and watching the Highland games.

So- Saturday evening, and the festival is now closed to the public. At the Elizabeth fest, that's when the fun actually starts! Local wise craics Gobs O' Phun showed up at the Knotty Dirk right after dinner was over (not planned well, guys- we would have fed you!) and set up and jammed. The Vikings came over, the Romans came over, we listening to Gobs's bad jokes, and then we spent a lot of the evening telling our own. The pub was filled to beyond capacity, so it's good that the walls come off! It's always a blast to party with Vikings.