The Killington
Renaissance Festival
Photos by Lise Winne ©2004

 
Her Majesty the Queen tries to keep peace in her realm between fighting factions while greeting us all to the faire. In this photograph, one of her loyal, yet Irish, subjects speaks of the advantages of being aligned to England and the Queen while one of his countrymen (at right coming up the steps) looks on in rage and disgust. 

The Killington Renaissance Festival, held at Pico Mountain the first two weekends of August (2004), has been running since 1998, but this was our first year performing for the faire.

The festival, in effect, starts on Friday evening (before the gates at Pico Mountain open on Saturday) at several area restaurants including Cortina Inn, Cascades, Heli’s and the Red Clover Inn with “Royal Meals”, complete with menus from Elizabethan England. Entertainment is provided at several of the restaurants by the festival’s entertainers.  

The second weekend of the event also featured an evening performance of “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” by Tom Stoppard.  The play is a hilarious interpretation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, told from the view-point of Hamlet’s befuddled friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

The faire also featured the following:    

22 arts and crafts vendors (includes clothes and accessories)
3 food vendors (turkey legs and pork pockets included)
3 musical groups
16 actors
magic shows
skits throughout the day (includes sword-fighting)
knighting ceremonies
birds of prey demonstration
dancing (participatory, including English Country Dancing)
face-painting
labyrinth
fencing and juggling lessons
human chessboard
horse carriage rides
fire-eater

Our fellow musicians included a large group from Cape Cod called “The Solstice Singers”, performing madrigals, instrumentals and period songs incorporating acting and dance into their routine. They often perform Christmas concerts with the Boston Pops and were a great group of people to know. They have fun together and were eager to reach out to other musical groups. On our last day together we collaborated a bit, always a wonderful experience for everyone, including the audience.

Also featured were a duo from Massachusettes called “The Harper and the Minstrel”, also known as Sellador, the Harper, and Tarma, the Minstrel. They play a lot of Irish pieces as well as compositions from John Playford, King Henry the Eighth, J.R.R. Tolkien and Turlough O’Carolan. Their performances are also sprinkled with a few of their own compositions. We all marveled at Sellador’s carved harp, fluid playing and flowing robes and Tamara’s beautiful vocals, which have a similar timbre to Loreena McKennit’s. Sellador and Tamara also perform at King Richard’s Faire in Carver, MA and at the Maine Renaissance Faire in Lebanon, ME.

 
The Solstice Singers


Sellador, the Harper and Tarma, the Minstrel


Three of our boys from The Spirites Consort

 


Her Majesty’s Court taking to goading, swords and blows


More depictions of "mortal" combat

 


"Take that!!!"


The Queen attempts to discipline

 


Carriage ride for the Queen and her entourage


Her Majesty's subjects await her permission to
proceed to the ceremonies


Another photograph of the opening ceremony


The Faire gate with ski slope in the background

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