A Decade Working at the New York Renaissance Faire
I’ve always been a voyeur. Not the creepy type who sits quietly in a corner while watching a couple perform intimate acts. I’m more the type who’s been intimately involved in different scenes but mostly just sat back and observed. I guess that’s the writer in me. I’ve fallen into different cliques throughout my life, however, I’ve never actually actively participated in many of them. For me, it felt more like research than involvement. The Renaissance Faire was no different.
I somehow had lived for over four decades without knowing that Renaissance Faires existed. Yeah, I know, crazy, right? The Ren Faire scene is huge and has been going on for longer than I’ve been alive, but somehow, I had never heard of them.
My introduction to this world of history and fantasy began when I was in a new relationship with a woman who was a long-time business owner at the New York Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo, NY. She was part owner of a face painting and henna business there, and a few days before the season was starting, she brought me to the fairgrounds to get her booth in order before opening day. (Thanks, Sandy of Fyne Body Art!) I was fascinated with all I saw, and honestly, I felt kinda cool getting a behind-the-scenes look at something patrons paid big bucks to enter.
