#Minnesota Ren Fest

[plebeiangoth]

Was gonna make a killer pirate hat for the MN Renaissance Festival but decided against it because my wardrobe is just chock full of different ways to assemble an elf costume.

So elf again it is

[foldingfittedsheets]

Your kind of beverage

So one year I went with my beloved to the Minnesota Ren Fest which is one of the largest in the country. It’s so big in fact that one of the booths is called Fest Friends.

Theres several locations all over the grounds and if you buy a pass you get access to shaded seats, snacks, and…. A water cooler full of watered down pickle juice to drink.

When my beloved told me this I was supremely weirded out but it turns out it’s a great electrolyte restorer.

Drinking it felt extremely forbidden but did quench the thirst well.

[firewolf-pyro]

Petition for the safety of Bettafish

If a small mom and pop shop can then so should petsmart and petco

[fcukfodmap]

Low-FODMAP Gluten-free Tamales

The teen got all excited about making tamales because we had some at the Ren Fest -- look, I know: super period-authentic -- but they really aren't available here in the town we live in. (One thing I miss about living in a bigger city is the variety of ethnic food available. I was just waxing rhapsodic over this one Ukrainian deli, sigh.)

I'm a white person from Minnesota, so I have very little experience making Mesoamerican food other than Tim Walz-style Mexican-themed hotdish. This is my disclaimer that nothing about this is authentic. But I'm always game to try things, so the kid and I waded in. Turned out just fine! To the recipe!

Low-FODMAP Gluten-free Tamales

3/4 c quick grits, not instant

1 c boiling water

3/4 c masa harina

20ish large dried corn husks

1 stick lactose free butter

1 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 c shredded cheese

2 tbsp minced pickled jalapenos

1 c shredded cooked chicken or pork

Put grits in a bowl, whisk in boiling water, and let sit for about 10 minutes until the water is absorbed. Stir in the corn masa to form a dough, cover, and let cool until room temp, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts of water to boil in a large pot, stir in the corn husks, cover, and simmer until soft and pliant, about 10 minutes. (You could also use this time to cook either the chicken or the pork for the filling. I used ground pork here because I'm lazy.)

Process the dough, corn kernels, butter, sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor until the mixture is light and fluffy, about a minute.

Toss together the meat, cheese, and jalapenos in a small bowl. Working one at a time, spoon in about a 1/4 cup of the dough into the center of the husk. Press a tbsp or so of the meat and cheese mixture into the center of the dough, then roll using the husk so the filling is surrounded. Fold the sides over, then the bottom up. Rip strips off a corn husk to tie around the tamale to hold it together.

When all of the tamales are assembled, fit a large soup pot with a steamer basket, fill with water up to the basket, and bring to a boil. Fill the pot with the tamale packets with the folded side down and the open side up. Cover and steam for 1 hour, checking to make sure the water doesn't boil off, until the filling no longer sticks to the husks.

Of course, it took us a half dozen -- I made a double batch -- to get the hang of it, but it's not as hard to do as it looks. I could have used more of the minced jalapenos in this recipe, but otherwise the tamales were good. I also couldn't find a steamer basket so punted with this jury rigged contraption made out of tin foil. It was fine. Oh, and the original recipe called for 1/4 c butter and 1/4 c lard, but I forgot to get lard.

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how low-FODMAP this recipe is, though I am sure it's gluten free. Corn can be problematic because of fructans. Corn flour is fine in a decent sized portion -- 2/3 cup -- and both grits and kernel corn are as well. The issue becomes putting all three in the same dish: you could get a FODMAP stacking effect. All the other ingredients are low FODMAP. So I would be judicious with portion size unless you know specifically how fructans affect you. That probably ends up being 2-3 tamales in a sitting.

Everyone liked the tamales and we have hella leftovers, which is great for next week. I don't think I'd make these again just on a random Tuesday, but I can see cranking out a bunch for a party or something. Which is probably why they're associated with weddings and Christmas. In fact, I remarked while we were cooking that the process reminded me of making plum pudding for Christmas: all the putzing and steaming. Glad it worked out.

Disclaimer: I am no dietician. I'm doing my best to minimize FODMAPS in my diet, but it's possible for me to be misinformed or mistaken about various ingredients.

[sabreean]

Went to the Minnesota Ren Fest today. Can you tell?

[twincitiesgeek]

This Week in Geek (8/28/23–9/3/23)

This week, if you need a break from the state fair and ren fest, you can practice the craft of 3D paper art, learn about the inner workings of local wildlife at Fort Snelling, and more!

Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, August 28, to Sunday, September 3. (Jump to In-Person Events) Virtual Events Minnesota Fringe Presents Hollywood Fringe What: Movies When: Now through Sunday, September 10 Where: Virtual via Pennant This year Minnesota Fringe, in conjunction with their annual festival, is…

[taraljc]

oh hey the word I was trying to remember that wasn't pantaloons was bloomers! also I should note they are not exactly historically accurate but they do help with the chafing (the fair used to run different dates in the late '90s early aughts so they didn't overlap with Minnesota Ren fest except for final weekend which meant we were open most of June and July and August which are historically the hottest stickiest most miserable months of a Wisconsin summer).

so much chafing.

it's funny although a little exasperating how artists designing "princess" or medieval-esque gowns really do not understand how those types of clothes are constructed. We're all so used to modern day garments that are like... all sewn together in one layer of cloth, nobody seems to realize all of the bits and pieces were actually attached in layers.

So like look at this mid-1400's fit:

to get the effect of that orange gown, you've got

chemise next to the skin like a slip (not visible here) (sometimes you let a bit of this show at the neckline) (the point is not to sweat into your nice clothes and ruin them)

kirtle, or undergown. (your basic dress, acceptable to be seen by other people) this is the puffing bits visible at the elbow, cleavage, and slashed sleeve. It's a whole ass dress in there. Square neckline usually. In the left picture it's probably the mustard yellow layer on the standing figure.

coat, or gown. This is the orange diamond pattern part. It's also the bit of darker color visible in the V of the neckline.

surcoat, or sleeveless overgown. THIS is the yellow tapestry print. In the left picture it's the long printed blue dress on the standing figure

if you want to get really fancy you can add basically a kerchief or netting over the bare neck/shoulders. It can be tucked into the neckline or it can sit on top. That's called a partlet.

the best I can tell you is that they were technically in a mini-ice-age during this era. Still looks hot as balls though.

Coats and surcoats are really more for rich people though, normal folks will be wearing this look:

tbh I have a trapeze dress from target that looks exactly like that pale blue one. ye olden t-shirt dress.

so now look here:

(this is a princess btw) both pieces are made of the same blue material so it looks as if it's all one dress, but it's not. The sleeves you're seeing are part of the gown/coat, and the ermine fur lined section on top is a sideless overgown/surcoat. You can tell she's rich as fuck because she's got MORE of that fur on the inside of the surcoat hem.

okay so now look at these guys.

Left image (that's Mary Magdelene by the way) you can see the white bottom layer peeking out at the neckline. That's a white chemise (you know, underwear). The black cloth you see behind her chest lacing is a triangular panel pinned there to Look Cool tm. We can call that bit the stomacher. Over the white underwear is the kirtle (undergown) in red patterned velvet, and over the kirtle is a gown in black. Right image is the same basic idea--you can see the base kirtle layer with a red gown laced over it. She may or may not have a stomacher behind her lacing, but I'm guessing not.

I've kind of lost the plot now and I'm just showing you images, sorry. IN CONCLUSION:

you can tell she's a queen because she's got bits I don't even know the NAMES of in this thing. Is that white bit a vest? Is she wearing a vest OVER her sideless surcoat? Girl you do not need this many layers!

[magicfortunecookie]

Three Idiots at a Festival- photograph, 2019

[kwensposts]

Started getting back into costuming during 2021. Some Highlights.

[alyssathestormwitch]

[inkylemons]

“Some day, you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”

– C.S. Lewis

~ 🍁 ~

Things were a lot different for me at the Renaissance Festival this year. Typically, I spend a lot of time with friends and family throughout the season, but I only spent a handful of days with my friends this year. Also, instead of wandering the grounds and following where my lens took me, I spent the majority of my time at the jousting arena, where I made a few new friends.

What originally drew me to the jousting this year was a new horse named Thor. I’ve spent so much time photographing them over the years that I’ve grown to know and love them all, so a new horse was really exciting! As it turns out, he wasn’t just new to us, but to the jousters as well. Our first weekend was only his second weekend at a joust. He was flighty and uncomfortable with all of the smells, sights, and sounds that the crowded Festival grounds had to offer. His tall and lengthy awkwardness was definitely a blast to watch every weekend for nearly two months. By the end of the Festival, he was doing the morning “joust” with ease. Though it’s not really a full joust, it is really just a fun show where they make passes cutting apples and cabbage from the top of poles that are stuck in the ground, but it’s a step in the right direction. I also became good friends with his rider, Mark. He seemed pretty excited to have Thor’s journey documented, even though it was just for one Festival.

Aside from documenting Thor’s progress through photos this year, I also had a lot of fun photographing the rest of the jousting crew. You’ll never meet a group as hard working and fun loving as this team of great people. They are always laughing, always enjoying what they do, even on the hottest days (and we did have a 98° F day with high humidity). Even with their heavy armor, they still go into the crowd after every joust to chat with people. Mark’s armor is the lightest out of the group at 85 lbs, and David’s is a whopping 140 lbs. When it’s hot, they are basically trapped inside of a metal hotbox. I still watched Mark go into the crowd and spend nearly 40 minutes taking photos with children, smiling, telling stories, and just chatting with the people around him. These guys truly love their job, and it really shows.

So, a big shout out to Shelby, Kelly, Mark, Harrison, Sam, Thomas, and David for the awesome opportunity to photograph not only the amazing animals they work with, but themselves.

Shelby on Millie

Kelly on Titan

Mark on Thor

Harrison on Abraham

Sam on Tara

Thomas on Penny

David on Abraham

~

Even though I did spend a ton of time at the joust, I was sure to make time to see the rest of my favorites with friends. The petting farm is always a favorite for us (who doesn’t love baby goats!?), as well as the herpetology club (reptiles/amphibians). This year, the petting farm had the option to hold one of their tiny baby goats for $1. It was completely worth it. Collette also got to ride the ponies, which has consistently been her favorite “must do” thing every year. She got to come more than usual this year, and also got to bring a friend of her own! They really enjoyed themselves.

Elisabeth

Collette and Sophia with the mermaids

Jessica and Milkyway

~

On top of stepping out of the norm this year, the weather was completely out of hand, which added a whole other set of interesting set backs. It always rains a good chunk of the weekends during our season of the Renaissance, but this year it was different than usual. It was dry most weekends, but when it did rain, we got the amount we would normally get over a week all in one day. The last two weekends were dreadful. The second to last Saturday was so hot, I can’t believe anyone was even there, let alone myself. I also managed to lose my wedding ring that day, so it was just a bad day all around. Then the very last day of the Festival, all of the dirt turned to clay mush under our feet. Even though it usually floods more than this, this was probably the worst I’ve ever seen it get with the mud. However, despite the weather, we still really enjoyed ourselves!

After only 4 out of the nearly 10 hours we spent there.

My boots compared to Mark the jouster’s boots.

~

Overall, it was a truly glorious season with fantastic friends.

Jess, me, Collette, Jaime

Ashley and I

Jessica and I

Steph

Elisabeth and I

Steph and I

Mark and I

~ 🍁 ~

Thanks so much for reading, and for enjoying my photos.

All photos are mine, and those that are not include me and were used with permission.

If you’d like to see the rest of my adventures at the Renaissance Festival this year, you can go to my photography page on Facebook; Moose Blossom Photography.

Renaissance Festival 2017 "Some day, you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." - C.S. Lewis…

[babbushka]

justanotherhockey-blog replied to your post “I'm at ren fest and lemme tell ya, it hurts my poor poor history...”

I live in Minnesota so the fact that you have leaves on your trees is odd to me.

Trees have leaves year round here lol, they don’t turn colors it’s just green 24/7/365

[crimsondomingo]

I don't know if there is anyone from the Twin Cities around (well, I know a few of you), but if so, I will be at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival this weekend selling my books in the theme weekend area - Wine, Chocolate, & Romance. Come see the Amanda Meuwissen Books tent with the rainbow colored posts at the front. Ren Fest is always a blast!

[hclib]

A Time Old Tradition

The Minnesota Renaissance Festival will be celebrating its 48th season late this summer starting August 18th and running until September 30th in Shakopee, Minnesota.

The festival has been a long standing tradition in Minnesota dating back to 1971 where it was first held in a field in Jonathan, Minnesota. Participation in the festival has grown over the years starting with an estimate of about 25,000 people visiting the grounds to 300,000 people, marking it as the largest Renaissance Festival in the United States.

The Renaissance Festival has many things to offer such comedy acts, wine tasting, music, food and so much more. The Renaissance festival is a celebration of people and time old traditions.

Photos from the subject vertical files and the Hennepin County Library Digital Collections. This post was researched and written by Sumaia Nur a 2018 Urban Scholar intern at the James K. Hosmer Special Collections. Sumaia is a current student at the University of Minnesota majoring in Communications with a double minor in Management and Leadership.

Hennepin County Library is a participant in the National Archives Hashtag Party. This month archives, libraries, museums, and galleries across the country are sharing collections material related to festivals. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram #ArchivesFestivals.

[plebeiangoth]

The Minnesota Renaissance Festival is still awesome. But they need to put COVID restrictions in place, starting last year. I feel very strongly that this is probably the reason the majority of performers I was looking forward to seeing weren't there. My friends and I were of the like <12 people on Saturday wearing masks, which tbh I've only once gotten out of the ren fest without disease so I thought it was a no-brainer. It was a ton of fun and I can't wait to go with my friends again, but I can't possibly be the only one who gets sick after nearly every ren fest, right?

[floralgothpersephone]

Its the first weekend of the Renaissance Festival! If you see me out at the fair, be sure to say hi and get one of my original ren fest maps! 🧜‍♀️🏰🧚‍♀️⚔🦄 #mnrenfest #renfest #renaissancefestival #purplemaplady (at Minnesota Renaissance Festival)