On Labor Day weekend, Maryland was humid, muggy, rainy and muddy, but I loved it since Dallas was a brutal 110+ degrees.

The site is very pretty. The terrain is very hilly with lots of good size trees and some imaginative architecture interspersed. A number of the stages are situated along the edges of site, further downhill. This provides amphitheater-like seating and acoustics. There were a good number of the standard crafters along with some unique ones. MDRF has a wide variety of entertainment. The quality of the shows were of a good standard as evidenced by the fact almost all the shows that I saw or passed by had decent size audiences. Highlights of acts I saw first and foremost include the Pyrates Royales (I have a weakness for singing pirates). They're a charismatic act that performs rousing songs with the occasional pretty number. They make full use of the different voice types in their arrangements and combine it with good, off-the-cuff humor to provide an energetic performance. They are also incredibly friendly people. I also caught Master Lee who nicely combines comedy with some very impressive martial arts. I danced the Lilt at a couple of Rogues shows. Any comments on them of course would be redundant. After reading all the urgings on the AFR board, I saw Teatro, a comedy piece, on Sunday. The actors in that show performed with great vigor. The day ended with the Pub Sing at the White Hart led by the Pyrates. This was a fun event and was about one of the best examples of its type of show that I've seen.

The previous description and all these wonderful images are brought to you by Frank Hui. Because of his devotion, I have nothing to add. --Robyn Sotherby

For information regarding the faire, check out the Maryland Renaissance Festival's Official Website.

As Always... click on the image for a larger view...

Rehearsing at the petting zoo	Pyrates Royale performing "Bonnie Ship, the Diamond"	Performing "Swing a Kat"	A tender song
Singing The Mingualay Boat Song w/ the Corsairs	Hemloche, their CD wench	Johnny Fox, Swallower Extraordinaire	Wonderous bubbles
Master Lee	Master of comedy and karate	Master of comedy and karate	A ransom shot
Peg and a "scarred" Peglet	guessing their weight	Teatro	A series of challenges issued

The pictures on this page were initially captured at a resolution of 2048 x 1536. Though they are presented by Robyn's Roost at a maximum of 640 x 480, the larger image files can be supplied for prints (does a great job at 8x10 and larger) or other things. For those I have captured a picture of, I'd be happy to supply prints via mail or other exchange for the cost of materials (printed off of an HP-970Cse). This service, of course, is intended to supply a copy of the images to the subject of the picture. Distribution for any other use (in any media format), common sense dictates, will need to be okayed by faire management and/or the subject(s) of the picture.

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This Page Last Updated:   10/7/00