Kage Baker would roll her eyes, shake her head and scold me. But in the end, she’d be proud of me.
I got a call Thursday from a dear old friend – Luisa, who was (in our mutual youth) one of the many APQ’s – the brave, tough and talented women who played the Queen at Renaissance Faires. I’ve been fortunate enough to be good friends with most of the APQs (Actress Playing the Queen), which led me into many strange and wonderful adventures when we were all young.
In these latter years, the APQ’s have inexplicably gotten younger and younger. The current APQ at the Irwindale Faire is only a couple of years older than my nephew Mike; and I can remember her birth and in fact her whole life – one of the many, many Faire brats running through Faire in a noisy pack, leaping off hay bales and cutting through back stage areas and living on the free lemonade I dispensed …
But most of the older ladies retired years ago to start their own families and live real lives. The gravitational pull of the Faire cannot be denied forever, though, and this weekend several reunions for the oldtimers were announced … so Luisa called me up and asked, “Hey, wanna go on an insane adventure?”
Well, no other argument would have worked as well. Appeals to my sense of nostalgia would have been useless – the Faire changed hands some years back, and I quite loathe and detest the current owners. This sentiment is cordially returned, too: I was a trouble maker until I walked out – and I have never, ever desired to see what they did to my Arcadia, my Wood Outside Athens.
But a call to an insane adventure with an old friend? One with whom, in point of fact, I have had many other insane adventures? Oh my yes, I was up for that!
So I spent Saturday at Pleasure Faire, knee deep in more fun, more joy and more horror than one would ever expect from an outdoor event selling something as mundane as Miller Beer. I’ve spent most of today asleep and recovering – my body held up through our excursion, and then just quit once I got home.
So tomorrow I will share my most unanticipated adventure with the redoubtable Luisa, and all the wonders we encountered ( and some we shamelessly dodged) as we tore through the Faire. Okay, as we tottered from hay bale to back stage to welcoming hooch, leaning on one another and giggling.
I’d forgotten how interesting sunscreen tastes on one’s lips in the morning …
Kathleen, Kage and the Company 
I’ll be going myself next Saturday on the invitation of an old friend – be interesting to see how different it is.I think Sue Honor’s guild is there
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I’ll be going next Saturday on the invitation of an old friend – I think Sue Honor’s guild is still there?
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Anne – yep, Cuthbert’s is indeed still there, with a good big Guild area. And many folk you used to know are still there, too. Are you taking the girls, or is it just you?
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Annie’s still at school so it would just be Katie – and Deirdre, who offered the tickets. If the old crowd is there it will be a lot more fun. I will wear my old solar, and Faire amulets (with the ram’head and goblet!) and think of our younger days……
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There are a lot of the old timers out there, and with Deidre with you, you ought to have a lovely time. It’s a very, very pretty site – lots of shade, grass, even a lake on one edge. I think you will have a good time. Heck, even I did!
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It was *so* good to see you & Louisa out there at fair… Yes, it certainly isn’t the fair of our youth, but there were flashes of that old joy… Even from kids too young to remember, but still influenced by the good work that those who came before, when dinosaurs like us roamed the fair….despite all that the current administration has done to devalue the fine old product.
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This universe conspires against us. We had initially planned to be down this weekend for the Italian Anniversary, and ultimately decided against it. Your presence would have tipped the scales considerably though… I am so glad you had an excellent time.
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Well, it was awfully hot Saturday – I’m not a sure young Conner is up to that kind of heat yet. I’m sorry to have missed you, too. But my presence at Faire was a State Secret, ordered at the Very Highest levels (snicker). We just ran around and ambushed people.
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Can’t wait to hear the Tale! You and Luisa loose at Faire. Any video?
Very glad to hear that you made it through the entire day before collapsing at home (an entirely reasonable reaction in the heat!)
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No video, but many photos. I will upload ASAP – bear in mind I’m not a good photographer, but by God, there are pictures!
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Photos are good! I was thinking that I usually see Luisa with her video camera at Dickens.
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The Empress of Mars a troublemaker? In dispute with Oppressive Management? Hard to imagine.
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Kage made it more heroic than it was … and more lucrative, bless her. The melodrama was spot on, though.
Kathleen kbco.wordpress.com
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