Sherwood Forest Faire is a wonderful manifestation of individual dreams, aspirations, and hopes. It is the culmination of a lifetime of ideas and labors and savings invested into a single business venture, which has goals financial, cultural, social, and spiritual. But it is even more…

Sherwood is also a patchwork of gifts, encouragements, and volunteerism. It is Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors.

If I drew solely on my individual resources, Sherwood would fall pitifully short of the ideals which it will become; but, because of family, friends, and total strangers who have pitched in to add their bit of magic, their gifts, and their time to making this Faire, Sherwood Forest Faire is becoming reality.

And so, in my small, but heart-felt way, I dedicate this faire to the faithful and true family of Sherwood Forest Faire.

In gratitude for your belief, your gifts, your labors, and your ideas, I thank each of you:

George Appling – Occasionally, no, rarely, one meets someone in life that they seem to have known forever.  It causes one to consider reincarnation or the transmigration of souls.  Months ago, while giving a tour across the landscape of Sherwood, I was quite privileged to meet a fellow Aggie, a comrade in arms of the renaissance faire experience, a brother in the literary world of George R.R. Martin, Tolkien, Robin Hobb and Raymond Feist.  He also became my partner in the business and the building of this Faire.  And I believe he has likely been my brother in other endeavors in centuries past.  Together, George and I, alongside many of you, are on a grand adventure to build one of the best Faires ever created.  He brings talents and skills in business I could I only dream of; but, more importantly, he brings the spirit of a twelveth century knight into this arena.

Hazel - My dear and faithful wife, who not once questioned this endeavor, even though all of our savings and resources have gone into this project. You have been my best friend, my soul mate, and the mother of our two wonderful young men, my business partner, my travel mate, and my confidant these past twenty years. Your faith in me has allowed me to know walls are not barriers, but rather another building blocks to utilize in achieving one’s goals.

Mom and Dad - From the start of my life, you encouraged me to be a good man, to work for a living. You put me on my life’s course and gave me the tools to survive and prosper. You instilled in me a work ethic, a foundation of core values, a persistence, and the basic belief that mankind is good. You have surely been the foundation stone for everything I have accomplished and become.

Pat and Bill Richmond -  Two beautiful souls who adopted me into their lives over twenty years ago when I was  hitchhiking through Europe.  You showed me the graces and majesty of England—new and old.  You told me stories.  You took me to castles and pubs.  You entranced me with your lore, your history, your culture, and your love of this life.  You made the illusions of a dreamer become real.  You challenged me once to build a watch tower…and now, instead, I will, with the help of many, build Sherwood Forest Faire.  You and your family are always in my heart.  And my sons and my wife love you as I do. Within Sherwood Forest Faire, the two of you will see your effects upon me--left and right.

Zane Baker - Since you were a child, you inspired me with your sense of art, your quirky and twisted view of life, your capacity to never meet a stranger, your love and passion for the journey. You, too, have been one of my chosen soul mates. You have walked with me down life's journey with unwavering faith in the experience. You have added much to my life and have been a constant source of encouragement along this path leading to Sherwood Forest Faire. You have brought wonderful people into my extended family.

Bobby Hubley - Since my own adolescence, I have known you. We walked parallel paths for years. And you have been a constant in my life. You are a true brother and friend. You have traveled with Hazel and me on our strange adventures to foreign lands. You have been beside me through trials and tribulations, failures and accomplishments. And I am proud to have you as my financial right arm along this journey.

Tate Green —A creative individual who knows the passion of life like no other, a brother who has touched my soul with the magic of his own spirit—who dances when others slumber.

John Garza —A dear friend who has listened to my concepts and with his labors and building skills, has nailed and hammered them into material structures.

George Coulam —The father of the renaissance festival movement, a phenomenally creative man. A dreamer who did more than live in the world of dreams, but took those dreams and built what we all have admired and embraced as a “way of looking at life,” as well as a new business model for many of us to find as our means of sustenance. This man is one of the most dynamic visionaries in the realm of entertainment of our times. The Texas Renaissance Festival is his art and his masterpiece!

The following folk have given of their time and resources during the last few months and will forever be a part of Sherwood Forest Faire: