In another realm
Farnhamville hosts inaugural Renaissance Faire
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FARNHAMVILLE -- For a few brief shining hours Saturday afternoon, Bob Meyer, of Callender, wasn't Bob Meyer, of Callender.
Instead he was Merlin the Magician from the Realm of Camelot.
He was visiting the Kingdom of Farnhamville to partake in the wonders of the town's inaugural Renaissance Faire held upon the fair meadows of the realm's park.
He brought his magic hat, his staff and his long blue cloak.
"You take on a new personality," Meyer said. "You fall into that role."
Members of the Society of Creative Anachronisms were in attendance to help demonstrate period era crafts and skills.
Kei "Robin Corbett" Burke, from the realm of Des Moines, was demonstrating her skills at tablet weaving.
"They lured me in with promises of all the arts I could learn," Burke said. "I fell in feet first."
Her loom produces a patterned band.
"It can be used as trim on a garment or to reinforce cuffs and collars," she said. "It's an art that's thousands of years old. It was popular with the Vikings."
Lance "Elkahna Mcdonald of Arden" Cartty, also from the realm of Des Moines, has been in the group since 1978.
His character does full contact fighting on the field of battle.
In all that time, he's spent exactly nothing on chiropractic bills.
"I'm 64," Cartty said. "The secret is staying in shape."
In addition, his armor is built to work good as well as look good.
"Safety is built in," he said. "I can take a hit that would crush someone and shake it off."
Josie Rivera, of Dayton, brought her family to the event.
"I love anything with a Renaissance Faire atmosphere," Rivera said.
She's attended many of them and grew up around the environment.
Was there anything she missed Saturday?
"The Scottish eggs," she said.
Rebecca Slawson, director of the Farnhamville Library, was on hand in a costume of the "faire maiden." She helped organize the event.
As she looked around the realm, holding a dragon hastily named "Airborne," she smiled.
"It makes me really happy to see this many people here," Slawson said. "We have a wizard and all the other organizations."
That wizard, aka Merlin, just had one request.
"Please address me as Merlin," he said, "not as Gandalf."
Someone did just that -- they were last seen hopping away in their new toad form after emerging from a cloud of acrid green smoke.