Renaissance Productions to produce Willits Faire in 2009
October 26, 2008 by Bill Watters
Rusty Sword Productions announced last week that Renaissance Productions would be taking over the production of the annual Willits Scottish Renaissance Faire in Willits, CA beginning with the 2009 season. Rusty Sword Productions will be focusing it’s efforts on expanding it’s work with MS Moms as a benefit organization operating Alestands, Winegardens, Foodbooths, and other activities at a range of events to better focus on promoting awareness of their Charities.
Look for more information on the dates and applications for Willits in the coming weeks.
LARPD to partner with Renaissance Productions on Scottish Games
October 22, 2008 by Bill Watters
LIVERMORE, Calif. ─ The Livermore Area Recreation and Park District is gearing up for the sixth annual Livermore Scottish Games and Celtic Celebration, coming up in spring 2009. This time around, the District is partnering with event producer Renaissance Productions to design, market and bring to life the 2009 Scottish Games.
Patrons to the event will see an array of new offerings and excitement as LARPD and Renaissance Productions plan to extend the levels of entertainment diversity and interactive experiences to the show. Family-friendly events and Scottish activities will highlight next year’s event. Attendees will enjoy bagpipe bands, Celtic rock bands, drumming, fiddling, highland dancing, Olympic-style competitions and kids’ games. There will be genealogy and clan tents and plenty of Scottish merchandise and food.
A new “Calling of the Clans” ceremony will introduce and honor all the Scottish clans in attendance for the weekend. Historically, the Calling of the Clans was a gathering of clans in preparation for battle, unifying all the clans as one.
In a nod to their original incarnation centuries ago, modern Scottish Highland Games will revolve around athletic and sports competitions. Heavy athletic events such as the caber toss, weight toss and impressive displays of strength and skill will draw in visitors, who will be able to try their hand in the competitions. Numerous historical re-enactment groups offering a glimpse into the past will educate patrons on the history of the times.
LARPD selected Renaissance Productions for the team’s knowledge of event production and marketing experience. Renaissance Productions runs successful events throughout the West Coast and consults on events of all genres around the country.
“We’re very excited to be a part of the upcoming Livermore Scottish Games and Celtic Celebration,” said Marti Miernik, Vice President and Co-Producer of Renaissance Productions. “We are thrilled to partner with the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District and are focused on engaging the local community to help grow this phenomenal event. We are looking forward to crafting this celebration of Scottish heritage for the people of Livermore and the Bay Area.”
“With the great response we’ve received from the attending public over the last few years, we’re excited to work with Renaissance Productions to help expand our offerings and outreach,” said Katrina Hole, Special Events and Volunteer Coordinator for LARPD. “Their established track record of successful events and growth is directly in line with our hopes for establishing this event as one that will be on the area calendar for years to come.”
The Sixth Annual Livermore Scottish Games and Celtic Celebration will be held on May 16 and 17, 2009, at Robertson Park, 3200 Robertson Park Road, Livermore. For more information, please visit www.larpd.dst.ca.us or www.livermoregames.com.
Rain, rain go away…
October 10, 2008 by Bill Watters
Ok, so we’ve been profoundly fortunate over the past 7 years with zero rain during any of our events (except for a few during the Symposium, but at least that’s indoors). This past weekend with Shasta was our first time dealing with a wet day (Saturday).
I’ve been around faires which have had incliment weather and it’s always hard – how people deal with it can range from the sullen to the angry to the upbeat. In this case we can’t speak highly enough of our Volunteer core which soldiered through a very long, cold, and damp Thursday and Friday setup and kept their spirits high as well as their attitudes.
While you can never have too many volunteers (and lord knows the Monday after a faire is often very very rough due to people having to head back to the day job), I am proud of the team we’ve collected. We need to plan a special end of season thank you to them all to say thanks for dealing with the roughest part of a weekend of any event.
We did around 3k people for the weekend for Shasta, which is indeed down from the 5-6k we were hoping for, but it was enough. Next year, better weather, and back to the up-curve we’ve been getting throughout the rest of the events.
Dates for the 2009 Renaissance Symposium
October 9, 2008 by Bill Watters
The dates have been announced for the 2009 Renaissance Symposium. Returning to the Doubletree Hotel and Convention center in Modesto, CA, the Symposium will celebrate it’s 7th year from February 6th to the 9th.
Bringing in more session tracks than ever before, new instructors, and more. For full details, check the website at http://www.rensymposium.com
The Renaissance Symposium
October 2, 2008 by Bill Watters
Title: The Renaissance Symposium
Location: Modesto, CA
Link out: Click here
Start Date: 2009-02-06
End Date: 2009-02-08
Shasta Dragonwood Renaissance Faire
October 2, 2008 by Bill Watters
Title: Shasta Dragonwood Renaissance Faire
Location: Anderson, CA
Link out: Click here
Start Date: 2008-10-04
End Date: 2008-10-05
The Folsom Renaissance Faire
October 2, 2008 by Bill Watters
Title: The Folsom Renaissance Faire
Location: Folsom, CA
Link out: Click here
Start Date: 2008-10-18
End Date: 2008-10-19