So there I was in Wisconsin...

[littletommy]

I always thought it was customary to introduce yourself as Fenway/Texkev when our cover is blown in the wild?

 

[CountryBoy19]

Also - the above is a lie. I told him my real screen name. "CountryBoy19".

When did this all go down? I was within an hour of Wisconsin a bit over a week ago... picking up my new (to me) safe... a nice 62"T X 36"W TL-15 for scrap price!!

It pays to be able to move a 3200 lb safe with ease and no fuss; this is the 2nd such safe I have acquired from this company...

 

[Tanfodude]

Pics of those hot nerds or it never happened.

 

[wtburnette]

Does anyone who went know how this Ren Faire compares to the one in Ohio, or the one in Minnesota? I've been to both of those, with Minnesota being the larger and nicer of the two. Was just curious...

 

[DocIndy]

Did you also sample some of Wisonsins finest brews while there? Spotted cow is one of my all time favorites.

 

[Tactically Fat]

And why would a guy named "Tactically Fat" complain about someone's weight?

I'm not nearly as fat in person as I am online. However, I AM decent enough to always have enough clothing on as to not make people gag.

When did this all go down? I was within an hour of Wisconsin a bit over a week ago... picking up my new (to me) safe... a nice 62"T X 36"W TL-15 for scrap price!!

It pays to be able to move a 3200 lb safe with ease and no fuss; this is the 2nd such safe I have acquired from this company...

We should talk about said place... Though I don't need anything that large.

We were there on July 8th. The place is right off I94 at the IL/WI border. Across the street to the south and you'll be in Illinois.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Renaissance_Faire

The Bristol Renaissance Faire - Home

Eric001: I had it in my mind to track you down once inside - but I never did see y'all again. Wouldn't have thought it would've been too difficult but I was sorely mistaken. Place was just too big and too many people. We may very well have been near one another, too, and just not noticed it. Maybe next year.

The property itself is decently big. A quick and dirty Google Maps perimeter measurement gave me roughly 35 acres of grounds within the service roads. Probably 2x that just in parking. Let me tell you - it seems bigger once you're in there. I'm shocked that it's only 35 acres, actually.

And, sadly, I didn't have any beer while there. A) I'm not a huge fan of beer, and B) I didn't want to pay their prices for it. Plus, I wanted to save that money, calories, and carbs for junk FOOD vs. junk DRINK. I did, however, splurge a whopping $7.00 for a cup of "honey mead" - which tasted a whole lot like Oliver Winery's honey mead wine. Yes, I've consumed Oliver Winery's honey mead wine. I probably even held my pinky out while doing it.

And, as Eric001 said: There were some incredible outfits to be seen. It wasn't even all that hot (Thankfully it was breezy, not that hot, and mostly shaded) and I wouldn't have wanted to be dressed up/out like some of those guys.

Our kids, 4 and 6, had a pretty good time. They were able to do some "kiddy ride" type things, plus eat a ton of junk food that Grandma Cindy paid for. They even enjoyed the joust. Yes - they have actual jousting there. Guys in full armor with actual wooden jousting lances. It was pretty impressive to see that.

I hit up all the "smiths" that I could just so I could see what kind of knives/hatchets/axes/swords were being offered for sale. SOME of them were re-sellers of stuff, SOME were selling actual hand-made stuff. Some of it looked cheap and chintzy and not meant for any kind of real use... Some of it was (Seemingly to me) decent quality and could actually be useful. I was ogling some nordic-style hatchets, but declined the $82 it took to purchase one. I figure that if I wanted one badly enough, I'd spend $40 or so elsewhere.

If any of y'all have a hankerin to go: Go! The people watching is simply amazing. Worth the price of admission. (hunt online for coupons!) Just be aware: It's a legal GFZ in Wisconsin.

 

[CountryBoy19]

We should talk about said place... Though I don't need anything that large.

We were there on July 8th. The place is right off I94 at the IL/WI border. Across the street to the south and you'll be in Illinois.

Yeah, I'm having a hard time finding a place to put it; can't put it on the floor in the house unless it's directly over a support post. 3200 lbs on 8 square feet far exceeds to floor load rating of any standard home. Homes typically are designed for no more than 40 or 50 psf live-load (things you put there like furniture, people etc). That's 400 psf heavily focused in one area.

BTW, they said this is the last safe they have so there likely won't be anymore from them. It's a travel company that is downsizing.

 

[Tactically Fat]

Does anyone who went know how this Ren Faire compares to the one in Ohio, or the one in Minnesota? I've been to both of those, with Minnesota being the larger and nicer of the two. Was just curious...

Just physical size - again, my quick and dirty measurements puts the one near Shakopee, MN at ~ 41 acres and Google tells me the one near Harveysburg, OH is ~ 30 acres. The one up near Cleveland, OH is physically smaller at about 20 acres.

The wiki article above for the Bristol Faire says they're between 200k and 400k for a season's attendance. Wiki also says the Harveysburg, OH spot has an average attendance of 165k.

 

[eric001]

As per TF's numbers, the one in MN is a little bit bigger in size. I thought that one and WI's were pretty much on par as far as the experience. Slightly different stuff at each of them, but overall pretty similar. I think there were more variations on food at the MN one. I thought both were significantly better than the one I've been to in OH (by Harveysburg)--that one is pretty much in a minor league compared to MN, WI.

I can also recommend taking a long weekend to go up to MN, visit their state fair, which is MUCH better than ours IHMO, and go visit their renfaire as well. It's a long drive, but one I'd do again.

 

[wtburnette]

Just physical size - again, my quick and dirty measurements puts the one near Shakopee, MN at ~ 41 acres and Google tells me the one near Harveysburg, OH is ~ 30 acres. The one up near Cleveland, OH is physically smaller at about 20 acres.

The wiki article above for the Bristol Faire says they're between 200k and 400k for a season's attendance. Wiki also says the Harveysburg, OH spot has an average attendance of 165k.

As per TF's numbers, the one in MN is a little bit bigger in size. I thought that one and WI's were pretty much on par as far as the experience. Slightly different stuff at each of them, but overall pretty similar. I think there were more variations on food at the MN one. I thought both were significantly better than the one I've been to in OH (by Harveysburg)--that one is pretty much in a minor league compared to MN, WI.

I can also recommend taking a long weekend to go up to MN, visit their state fair, which is MUCH better than ours IHMO, and go visit their renfaire as well. It's a long drive, but one I'd do again.

Thank you both for the comparisons, that's good information to know. When I lived in MN, I went to that Ren Faire several times and always enjoyed it. Great food, events and lots of crafts to look at and enjoy. I'm a fan of both mead and hard ciders, plus I'm a die hard fantasy nerd, so Ren Faires are awesome fun for me

I went with a buddy a couple of years ago to the Harveysburg Faire and I enjoyed it, but didn't like it as much as the MN Faire. I may have to take your advice eric001 and take a long weekend and head up to MN for their Faire. I have a ton of friends that I would love to stop in and see as well, so it would be a win-win

 

[1775usmarine]

I was at breast fest with my wife, aunt, uncle, and cousin on Saturday. Our 5yr year of going. My wife naturally dresses up. The only time of the year where I can speak out loud or blatantly stare about/at other women's assets.

 

[Audie Murphy]

When I went to that fair many years ago, allot of vendors were selling pickles. Guess they loved them back then

 

[Alpo]

State food of Minnestoa: Lutefisk and Ambrosia.

Indiana: Tenderloin.

Michigan: Pierogi.

I'm headed straight north.

 

[Tactically Fat]

I was at breast fest with my wife, aunt, uncle, and cousin on Saturday. Our 5yr year of going. My wife naturally dresses up. The only time of the year where I can speak out loud or blatantly stare about/at other women's assets.

There were a TON of those pickle booths around. I thought it somewhat odd.