With the renn fair in 2 weeks, i’ll probably be posting a meetup on the calendar soon to see where we are at and what help is still needed.
New castle wont be ready so we’ll probably be taking the old one.
The replacement parts for the tent have shown up
We’ll probably need to do more talking with the event coordinators with the new area we’ll be setup in and make sure we have our bases covered
We’ll probably need more help coming up with interactive activities for kids and kid-ults (we have a few 3d printed catapults and laser cut throwns, but we may need to get creative on more targets for them to fire at and scenes to have fun with)
I have about 50 catapults printed off right now that may need some cleanup before we hand them to kids, and LaDeana has quiet a few throwns ready to go, but if someone has ideas for more interactive projects, feel free to share, especially if you already have a design ready to print or cut.
Thank you for everyone that showed up today, there was a lot of productive discussion, and I think we may have found a big niche we can help fill at the renaissance fair. I also met up with the event coordinators to find out what all was going on for next weekend.
Setup
Our old spot is being taken over by a pirate experience (with pet goats and apparently a 2nd massive ship)
Our new spot will be behind the short stop by the entrance, with Arkillion being next to us, and the authors between Arkillion and the Siege War field (there isn’t much shade, so sunscreen and water are a must!!!)
Vendor registration has been closed for next weekend, which means it’s gonna be packed
There are a few new acts for this year and the ‘pirate smoker’ is being replaced with the ‘pirate power hour’… keep in mind that the fair is meant to be kept PG-13
We’ll try to get the castle out to the hallway Thursday night around 7pm, and then meetup around 1pm Friday (if not sooner) to load up and roll out
Stuff to do:
finish the kits for the catapults, thrones, and possibly a 3rd project (hand fans?)
come up with a wooden barrel (they’re friggin’ expensive online! over $150 for one big enough to hold all the ammunition!)
retrieve the big yellow forged tent stakes from the garden
make/build new hex head bolts to replace the square bolts
come up with foam or random weaponry
make a new bow string for the ballista
come up with some outdoor friendly items to display (especially is someone has a wax seal project, stained glass, tapestry, other fun project they would like to display for the weekend)
Events:
Meet Your Makers
So we have a lot of people wanting to do videography and phototgraphy, turns out there aren’t a lot of people at fair that take the time to document their work (sounds like a familiar problem)
The idea behind Meet Your Maker is to give MakeICT members, Ren Faire Actors, and Playtrons a chance to showoff and spotlight their work
The event promotors have greenlighted the idea and would like to see us tag GPRF and coordinate with their digital team to post the videos in more places
So far, it sounds like we have at least 4 people interested in helping with doing the filming and the interviews
We do need to come up with a basic ‘script’ to help people that might get stage fright before the camera
Siege Engine Warfare
We’ll do our typical fight at 3:15, but it will be on a new field
3 sides will be barricaded off with the 4th being the outside edge of the fair ground
there isn’t going to be much shade on the field (beyond what the actors throw at each other)
We’ll use the same targets, but we’re trying to figure out how to make them louder and more exciting (they need more cow bell!)
Davis, Jessi, and I have also been asked to come up for more filler for between rounds… possibly including live combat
Siege Engine Science
Arkillion and MakeICT have been asked to bring out our toys for kids can get a closer look at these marvelous machines and learn more about what makes them work and why they were such devastating weapons on the battlefield
This may mean another opportunity to fire the ballista
Maybe for next time:
Finish the new castle build
Figure out how to make more exciting targets (we might have to do some experimenting with confetti cannons)
sand burr roller - we have an idea of how to build one from concrete sonotubes, closed cell foam, and screen door mesh, but it would take a couple more hands to make it happen in less than a week
I would put converting the bolts to hex head low on the list. The hex nuts I put in the toolbox will alone make it 87 times easier to assemble. I recommend taking a 1/2" deep socket, extension, and ratchet or a drill/impact driver.
Sorry I had to miss the meeting! Is setup all happening Friday afternoon or is there any help needed later - Friday night or Saturday morning? If not I’ll just get there Saturday morning at opening time to help staff our tent and teach kids to make thrones like last time.
For Friday, the plan is still to meet up at the space at or before 1pm to load up everything and head to the site. Depending on how much help we have, it could take 3hrs, or more. The new location by the entrance may take some adjustment.
The current to do / to done list:
bolts are taken care of
parts have been picked up for the bow string
matthew may have a metal bucket we can use for the event
throne kits are in good shape, catapults are still being cleaned up, materials are on hand for the fans, but we probably need to try making a few before the event
yellow stakes have been gathered up, and realizing that there is also a set of orange stakes added if needed
materials have been picked up for the seige engine contest ‘weaponry’… i may need a sparing partner…
we might consider a faux wall if we decide to store stuff behind the tent (there won’t be much covering the backside from the parking area)
Also, they are looking for help Thursday with setting up the entrance and marking stalls if anyone would like to help out before hand, probably starting around noon.
