Getting Medieval Again

The Colonel and I attended the Sarasota Medieval Faire again this year. Every year it seems to get bigger and better. This was the 16th annual faire.

This year's theme was Joan of Arc and the Siege of Orleans (1428 AD). The siege was part of the Hundred Years War between England and France.

The young woman that portrayed Joan of Arc looked authentic to me. She and her soldiers fought against the English army on the Human Combat Chess Field.

The day we attended the faire, a Joan of Arc costume contest was held. Our friend (who happens to be our "boss" for the county history programs we work) was one of the contestants. Crystal is a fabulous artist. She designed and built her costume from scratch. The Colonel and I were impressed with her costume (we had seen the preliminary sketches). She portrayed the burning Saint Joan of Arc. Crystal won the contest.

Many people dress up for the faire, adults and children alike. It is always fun to people-watch. Here are just a few interesting costumes we saw.

Cast In Bronze was at the faire again this year. This musician and his instrument are incredible. The instrument he plays is called the carillon.

 Frank DellaPenna studied music in Valley Forge, PA and is a graduate from the French Carillon School of Tourcoing, France.

As a Master-Carillonnuer, Mr. DellaPenna expertly plays an instrument that was created five centuries ago in Flanders. The carillon has a modified keyboard that is played with fists and feet.

Originally, carillons were located in bell towers around the world. In the 1960's, a Dutch foundry made the first mobile carillon.

The carillon that Mr. DellaPenna plays contains 35 bells and weighs four tons. It takes musical dexterity, strength and endurance to play the instrument. Mr. DellaPenna has played this instrument since 1991. He combines the many bells of the carillon with other musical instruments to create unique and beautiful music.

Mr. DellaPenna spoke to the audience when he was done playing. He told us that he was not a young man (68-but not ready to retire just yet). He told us about his non-profit organization that he formed to create scholarships for qualified musicians to study at the North American Carillon School; The Cast In Bronze Society (CIBS).

I met and spoke with Mr. DellaPenna. I told him I agreed with his philosophy of "passing the torch" of  his unique musical talent to future students and that The Colonel and I would become supporting members of the CIBS.

There was a new addition to the faire this year...Mini Pigs!  OMG...they were soooo cute. For a nominal fee of three dollars one could hold and feed the little darlings...and I did.

After paying my fee, I was let through the gate and into the fenced enclosure. The straw-strewn floor was home to several mini pigs. I carefully stepped my way around the pigs to a straw bale and sat down. The "pig wranglers" put a large towel on my lap and handed me a small plastic cup that was filled with minced veggies. 

As soon as I had my cup-o-veggies, one of the smallest of the mini pigs jumped into my lap and began to scarf down the food. The lady sitting next to me asked one of the wranglers if the pigs could bite. He said that anything with teeth could bite....duh.

Once the food was gone, the mini pig didn't stay long in my lap (another slightly larger one tried to join us but realized the food was gone). It was time for me to leave the enclosure and make room for the next person in line. 

Mini Pig factoids: On average a properly fed mini pig will reach 35-55 pounds, about the size of a medium sized dog. The pigs have a lifespan of around 15 years.

The Colonel and I are looking forward to next year's faire.

Before we headed home, we traveled a bit further north to put some pretty, holiday flowers on the graves of My-Favorite-Father-In-Law and The Colonel's grandmother.