Two videos for you this morning concerning The Great Dickens Christmas Fair (opening in San Francisco on November 22nd). The second of these videos is from 2010, but gives an excellent idea of the time and effort that goes into putting on a show of this scope and scale.
If I could have just one Christmas wish this year, it would be to be able to attend the Dicken's Fair! I am going to need to settle on drinking so much eggnog, that I can watch these videos and THINK I am at the Fair!
Do you remember ever dancing around the Maypole as a kid? What a fanciful thing, holding a ribbon and skipping happily around a pole while music played in the background!
The Maypole dance occurs all over the world at different times and for different reasons. It usually consists of a pole adorned in green garland and ribbons woven into intricate patterns. The festivals may occur on May Day or Pentecost (Whitsun), although in some countries it is instead erected at Midsummer.
Although we may remember the simple skip around the pole, it can be quite complex. It requires concentration and coordination on the part of the dancers. However, when it all comes together with the music and the dancers, it's quite exciting to watch.
Next time you are at a Faire or Festival that is doing the Maypole Dance, give it a whirl!
I have always been told that one of the great secrets in business is to find a niche market and then work to dominate that niche. This is a business credo that certainly applies to anyone that operates within the renaissance faire world, but it applies IN SPADES to this guy...
Frank Dellapenna (Cast in Bronze) has made it his life's work to travel the country with one of the world's only portable carillons. No small feat when you consider the fact that a carillion is an instrument made from 35 bells and weighs four tons! Oh, and just in case that is not impressive enough, Frank actually has TWO travelling carillons!
The music is of course amazing and mezmerizing, perfect for the renaissance faire atmosphere. I would encourage you to visit his website (it is put together exceedingly well), and to take a look at his videos on youtube (one of which I have posted below).
Additionally, he has an online store, and I would encourage you to consider buying one of his albums. All to often, it is easy to see an artist like this, be amazed for a moment, and then simply pass by without another thought. Individuals like this are trying to create and preserve something wonderful and new within our world and they deserve our respect and support.
The Bristol Renaissance Faire just closed its doors for the season this past Labor Day Weekend. Now we start the long wait for next year. Hopefully, these highlights will help us remember what a great year it was...