An afternoon in Abingdon, Huzzah!

On what was originally supposed to be "closing day" (more on that in a bit), I finally made it down the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, to the Royal Abingdon Renaissance Faire. Held on a portion of the lands of the Royal Botanical Gardens, just over Cootes Paradise, it's about an hour away from home.

It was a worthwhile afternoon, I think. It is important, first, to admit that I am a refugee of the Ontario Renaissance Festival, closed last fall after 9 increasingly successful seasons, for reasons which are the business of its owners and financiers. It is tempting to approach the Royal Abingdon Faire with comparison in mind, but that is something that really should not be done - that would not be fair to anyone involved. Abingdon was put together by some of the dispossessed actors and vendors who lost their summer incomes when the OntRF closed.

One must walk up and take a look at this as a first-year Renaissance Faire, one with a limited budget, and one which did not even contract for its faire site until the month before gates opened. The event has run for a full season mostly in tents at this point, with severe budget constraints compared to most large Renaissance Faires, and more than a little contention amongst its community over various operational things. Such things happen when creative, enthusiastic, and determined people take on such challenges.

All in all, the day was most enjoyable. The folks who picked up the torch and ran on deserve commendation, and I think they're earning their admission fee. The professional stage shows drew some performers from the former OntRF, who were as good as ever despite the limited stage structures. Where a performer unable to return left a gap in the venue, similar acts have stepped up, such as the Mudd Show, who did an admirable job of ruining front-row clothing. Stage space was also given to SCA members who presented a show of traditional dance, complete with lessons. The usual Morris Dancers were also in the programme though I did not see them today. I was also enthused to see a Samurai show in the programme, but that became a disappointment as they didn't appear to be there. Printing mistake left that in from earlier weeks, oh well. Those things happen.

Many of my "old neighbours" were still among the vendors, and many asked why I wasn't working there (easy answer: my employer of the last 6 years was not there), and it was nice to feel someone might have missed me. Many had done admirable jobs of relocating, some having even managed to build structures despite the very short time frame.

The joust was still conducted, which was nice to see. I'm always happy to watch the horses, who are often more competitive than their riders. The tournament is being conducted as a points tournament only, no combat, which is probably in keeping with the experience of the two remaining knights who were there today.

I'm afraid I missed the Court show, so I don't really know how that was. I glimpsed King Henry only once, and I suppose that the fact that I, even as an experienced patron, had trouble identifying cast actors or fathoming what was up is a bit telling. One of the two major flaws I could bring up was a seeming lack of fanfare around the court intrigues. When I did see those who were cast, many were identifyable to me only because I knew them from the OntRF, and I really witnessed no play going on. Many sightings involved actors trying to stay cool and shaded and chatting amongst themselves without much street interaction.

It is quite possible that my observation around the casting is related to the second flaw I found hard to miss, and that is the creation of the site. Now, ALL criticism must be tempered with the knowledge that, as I said, the site was only finalised in the month before it opened. It is a lovely area they are in. Abingdon is constructed in the northern parts of the Avenues of Trees in the Arboretum, RBG. It is, however, a challenging area and I do not think the layout was done as best it could have been.

The Avenues of Trees, unlike the forested areas often present on such Faire sites, consist of large expanses of soccer-field-like lawn, dotted with single trees, each one representing a species in the collection. This necessitated long runs of security fencing, which is bright orange plastic and completely unable to conceal roads, storage facilities, and parking beyond. This was likely necessary - there was no time and perhaps it was not permitted to build a fully walled compound. It did make it a bit difficult to imagine oneself back in the 1530's at times, watching traffic go by over your meade at the pub.

I hope in the next years to see a bit more cohesive arrangment to the property. I think the structures there still might have been arranged better. They seemed to be a bit haphazard, necessitating patrons walk beside or behind some booths - and even stages - to reach the fronts of others. Despite the openness of the site being a real limitation, the arrangements could have taken better advantage of what cover there was.

I thought it was a shame that they weren't in the adjacent RBG space behind the Hedge collection, which afforded more hilly areas which could have been used as natural theatre space and also more forest coverage and a more coherent tree line which might have served to conceal fencing and contain and move patrons in more efficient ways. I would guess that not using this space is due to the nature of the lands and collections there and the greater risk of patrons damaging the shrubs and smaller trees more than the large ones in the avenues. It would also have been more difficult to service, the buildings and support needing level ground.

All in all, for a fledgeling faire it had the variety and expanse of one a few years established as a "temporary" faire. Certainly comparable to the Royal Medieval Faire in its 3rd year or so - despite some set up issues, it is leaps and bounds ahead of what might be expected for something brought together in only weeks. I now hear it is due to run a few more weeks into the fall, something I hope gets enough publicity to take off. A hearty "Huzzah!" to all who have put heart, soul, and lots of muscle into it. I hope to spend summer days in Abingdon for many years yet to come.