Retrospect and Forward

Rengypsy • May 26, 2010

i have spent the last six weeks dealing with my father having suffered a major stroke the last week of sherwood. it’s been a difficult time, to certain. the finiteness of our lives, the lack of control, the realities that we are all but grains of sand on a vast ocean…and waves wash us where […]

but amidst the struggles and sadness and moments of doubt and despair, i have often found myself wandering amidst the woods of sherwood’s first annual faire…and such memories have inspired me beyond belief.

were you there?
did you hear the drums or the music all about the pub?
did you dance?
did you feel the amazing spirit that permeated the forest?

my wife and i took our young boys to the inauguration of obama in january of 2009. we stood in the capital’s mall with over two million people. it was 24 degrees outside. the experience was overwhelming.

and yet, the season we found refuge in sherwood surpassed even that.

there was a magic about the experience.

i went back and read emails and orders and contracts dating back to 2008 regarding sherwood. all the work. all the planning. all the dreams of many that went into this year.

and here we sit. it’s over. no, it’s just begun.

we wanted the business to succeed; but, more importantly, we wanted to build community and a sense of tribe.

we made enough money to pay the bills. no profits. no extras. we are taking out another loan to build on the infrastructure–permanent toilets, more parking, and a great hall. we are committed to the future of sherwood and have invested pretty much everything we have.

but i am drawn back to my christian upbringing and teachings…when jesus said something to effect of “tear down the walls to the synagogue and the place of worship will still abide.”

sherwood is the culmination of a thousand people’s dreams and hopes. it’s the music and art and conversations and relationships which will outlive the physical structures built on the land.

sherwood is a testimony that we all want to belong and be accepted.
sherwood is the expression of our hearts and minds.
sherwood is the beginning of something greater than ourselves…

i received an email last week that brought me to tears. i asked the gentleman if i could share it in a blog and he agreed…so here it is:

“Dear Rengypsy,

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for creating Sherwood Forest Faire. I have lived all of my life in Texas and for decades I have heard about TRF and Scarborough, but I have never made it to either one of them for a visit.

By divine synchronicity, I met Sherry at a party last February and we struck up a conversation about spirituality, metaphysics and Ren Faires. She told me about Sherwood, that it was new and that it was opening within the week.

My first day to attend any kind of a faire was on March 20th, the day that cold front blew into Texas. I’d promised her I’d go, and after the rain blew through, I threw on my garb and headed out to McDade. The first thing I did after entering those gates was to go buy a warm cloak!

But, dear God, I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. I have always loved history, and European culture, Medieval and Renaissance music, and the days of plain old manners. So this faire was just an absolute feast for my mind and senses.

But in that cold, I experienced a transformation. Sherry’s favorite place is the hookah tent and we went in there to get out of the wind. As everyone huddled for warmth, smoking and drinking, the music began to play. I was sitting just inches from the musicians of Circa Paleo. I felt transported back in time. Back when life was simpler, not easier, but simpler. When people didn’t live such isolated lives. When a person’s world was their village and everyone knew everyone else. And even though most folks there didn’t know me, they accepted me and welcomed me.

And I thought this must be what it was like all those centuries ago. Everyone would huddle in the local pub for warmth and wine and convivial company. A woman sitting on her lover’s lap, the villagers listening to the musicians, the barkeep serving up steaming hot liquids, and the dancers leading everyone in a chorus to the song.

And I felt I was a part of something larger, something primal, something that modern American society has lost and disconnected itself from. I really felt a part of the human tribe that day, and it was the most wonderful experience I had in years, if not ever.

I lasted 6 hours in that cold until I just had to go home to get warm. But I knew one thing for certain. That I would come back. I had to come back, like salmon to the river where they were spawned, driven by some primal instinct. I came back for both days of your closing weekend. On those days I really felt the Spirit of the Forest. I could feel everything alive, like a shaman can, and I could hear the spirits talking to me. Like the faerie of the woodlands, calling me to return again and again and again.

I attended churches regularly and faithfully for 22 years. And I volunteered and gave them so much of my time. But never in my life in those places did I feel what I felt in Sherwood Forest.

And I saw the most wonderful thing on the last day of faire. Two men, in full regalia, hand in hand. And this lonely man thought to himself, “this is what I want. I want to find love here. Because here, my love is not scorned. It is celebrated and welcomed and accepted.” And I have to tell you, I hate the modern bar scene. It’s just not a place for meaningful conversation and connection, at least not for me. But out in the forest, I believe I can find that love. I know it. Let the spirits lead me where they will. I will find it.

That Easter Sunday afternoon I was taking my cloaks out to the car and stopped by Two Spools to pick them up. I hugged Stacy then went inside to shake Chad’s hand. And that big ol’ pirate pulled me in for a hug. I was moved. And that’s when I knew.

I had found my family.

A new family, a new place to belong. To be where I was accepted and not judged. Where I didn’t have to prove myself. Where I don’t have to live in fear of being rejected or abandoned because I am not what someone else wants or expects me to be. To be where everyone is free to be who they are. How I have looked all my life for such a place. I had begun to think it was mythical. That only in the After Life could I find this. And then I came to Sherwood Forest.

And I’ve been reading your blog and I really resonate with your spiritual outlook on life and living. And everyone who has been going to faires for years has told me how completely unlike a first-year faire this is. And how spiritual it is and how there really is magic in this forest.

I am a dreamer, sir. I have been studying my dreams for over 20 years. And I had this dream that I was helping to build a castle in Sherwood Forest. A Norman castle with crenellated towers, a drawbridge and a moat. And a medieval garden inside the walls. Oh what a wonderful thing that would be!

And I read in your blog how you have these gatherings out there in the forest. And how I so want to be a part of this. And I will be there on June 12th. I don’t have much to offer you, sir. I am lousy with a hammer, but I can paint. I do not possess great physical prowess. But I will do what I can to make this dream keep coming alive. Because I want more of what I found in the Spring of 2010. And I want to get to know you all and help make these dreams come true.

I am yours sincerely,

David”

this, my friend, is what sherwood is about. and this is why our beautiful faire will continue to grow and prosper. it is a spiritual faire. it’s a human spirit that yearns for the best in the human experience and expression.

we are grateful and much humbled by your presence this year. we hope not to disappoint you in the developments and evolution of sherwood. we urge each of you to consider the faire as yours…to take some ownership and responsibility to mould and form and nurture the faire into what it can become.

we are planning for 2011. we will continue to have gatherings under the trees, within the seven sisters, around ye olde trip to jerusalem pub. bring your best to the tribe. lift up your cares and know that sherwood is as much your doing as ours.

send us your thoughts, criticisms, suggestions. tell others to join us in 2011…as there is always room for another within the protective walls of sherwood.

we love you. we appreciate you. we need you.

HUZZAH!!!!

rengypsy

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A Thought about Community

By Rengypsy • March 9, 2021

From the onset of the Sherwood dream, faire was about community—about the clans, the gatherings, the shared vision. It was about the fire circles, the potluck dinners, the communion at the Seven Sisters. It was about much more than the business of Faire. And over time, it incorporated Summer Camp and the Celtic Music Festival and Highland Games. But still, the experience was about attempting to create a place, experiences, and an atmosphere that encompassed a sense of belonging and comradery. Sherwood was to be a place similar to an artist’s blank canvas where everyone who wanted to be a part of COMMUNITY would have their own paint brush to add to the collective collage that would evolve over time. It seems appropriate to put our recent Covid 19 Safety Plan in the context of the origins of Sherwood. When we were preparing to open Sherwood in 2021, after all of us having endured the ravages of the pandemic, we drew a panel of volunteers to the table—consisting of patrons, clan leaders, merchants, entertainers, and management. Our goal was to examine what would be the best plan that all of us around a table could get behind and support … one that would forward the objectives of operating an outdoor venue safely and in accordance with the CDC recommendations. It was not going to be a political decision. It was not going to be a financial decision. It was to be a safety plan that would focus on the health and well-being of our patrons, our participants, and our staff—and still be an event that folk could enjoy and celebrate. After weeks of zoom meetings and listening to all who participated, we arrived at a plan that we thought was reasonable and would meet the overall safety and health concerns. I must digress a bit to discuss community. Since our species moved from hunters and gatherers into communities, we set forth what the thinkers of the enlightenment coined “Social Contracts”—the agreements we would work under to live together. Different tribes formed different terms—different laws. But in general, there was a common thread—what would be in the most functional, best interest of the majority—what would work for the common good while allowing society AND the individual to grow and prosper. Society from its origins set rules and expectations. Eventually, those were encoded into laws. It was a “give and take” scenario…again based upon what was best for us living in a community. Some would not agree and go their separate ways…either to live outside of community, or to form or join societies that better met their own beliefs and mores. Tribes formed. City-states arose. Eventually, national identities took shape around various philosophies or perspectives of groups of common minded people. But in all circumstances where society and community prospered, there were written and unwritten social contracts that outlined what values the community held—defining where the individual’s desires and wants would give way to the overall good of the group. So as others have done in times of danger or emergency or public crisis, we gathered to determine what we could and should do in amidst the Covid pandemic. When faced with a crisis—war, terrorism, smallpox, polio outbreak, and the like—we have come together to decide on a course of action that will best protect our society, our community. And at times, we sacrifice freedoms, we forego plans, we defer gratification, for the benefit our family and friends and fellow citizens. Again, our decision in implementing the Covid-19 Safety Plan was not politically motivated or swayed by anything except what we as a group thought would be in the best health and safety interest of our community. And the plan Sherwood presented was a consensus. Then we approached the clan leaders because the Prime Directive (mask mandate and social distancing) would have some changes to previous year camping experience. The reaction of the clan leaders was heart-felt and touching. The support to the Safety Plan was accepted. The overall attitude was vocalized so beautifully by one clan leader, “We will embrace this plan and agree to follow its edicts for the good of our community; but in 2022, we plan to party like there is no tomorrow out here.” So, there it is in its origins, its purpose and goal—temporary requirement to mandate masks and socially distance. And we believe Faire can still be exciting, meaningful and a profound statement that while Covid may cause us to restrict a few of our otherwise normal activities, for the good Sherwood, for the good of the Sherwood community, for all our brothers and sisters who might not have the vaccine in time, for all who might be immunocompromised, we will follow the Prime Directive—believing each other’s health is worthy of the minimal inconvenience. We will lay aside our political persuasions for the greater good (and actual survival) of each other for this one season. Isn’t that what the symbols of the Seven Sisters, the Fire Circle, the Clans, have all been about? Bringing our best to each other!!! We understand some who will stay away out of protest. We understand some will stay away for criticism we have not done enough. We understand the inconvenience. But we believe it is the most moral and responsible action we can take to protect our community. We ask each of you to offer some understanding that we made this decision collectively and in hopes we could pull off a masked event that would be meaningful, responsible, and fun. Join in the story line of Robin Hood!!! Join us this season in revelry, music and fun—think of it as a Sherwood Forest Faire masquerade. Rengypsy

By order of Bastrop County, Sherwood is closed until further notice

By 7063710789 • March 16, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sherwood Forest Faire Announces Temporary Closure Popular Festival Ceases Operation in Response To Emergency Declaration McDade, Texas (March 16, 2020) – Sherwood Forest Faire, the popular medieval entertainment event outside of Austin, Texas, has announced it will cease operation in response to the Emergency Declaration issued by Bastrop County Judge Paul Pope. “The health and welfare of our patrons and participants is always our foremost concern,” said George Appling, founding partner of Sherwood Forest Faire, LLC. “We will comply and cooperate with all local, state, and federal directives and try to do everything we can to support our community during this unprecedented health event.” The Faire is suspending operations during the fourth week of its eight-weekend season. It has not been determined at this point whether the event will be cancelled outright. “Since there is no solid determination of how long this emergency declaration will last, we have not made the decision to outright cancel the event,” said Appling Patrons who have purchased tickets for upcoming weekends should contact the Sherwood Forest Faire offices by email at info@SherwoodForestFaire.com or by calling their offices at 512-222-6680. About Sherwood Forest Faire Named one of the “Best Renaissance Fairs In The U.S.” by TravelAwaits.com , Sherwood Forest Faire, LLC offers a wide variety of medieval and Celtic themed events year-round. Established in 2008, Sherwood Forest Faire, the company’s signature event, now attracts over 100,000 visitors each year to its 162-acre village and campground in McDade, Texas. In addition, Sherwood Forest also provides unique summer camp experiences for both children and adults. The annual Sherwood Forest Celtic Music Festival is held every September and offers the best in world and Celtic music. For more information, please visit the website- www.SherwoodForestFaire.com . ###

COVID-19 Statement

By 7063710789 • March 11, 2020

Sherwood Forest Faire has become a favorite spring event for the people of central Texas, who have visited our 160-acre enchanted realm. Our foremost concern is always the health and safety of our guests, participants, and staff. Like others around the country and the world, we are following ongoing developments regarding the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. We have implemented preventive measures in line with recommendations from local, state, and federal health authorities and the input of our medical teams. We have health and safety protocols in place, including: Training for our staff, entertainers, merchants, and food and beverage servers on the most effective preventive health practices. Defined procedures and protocols for the frequent cleaning and disinfecting of public areas. Easy access for guests and participants to handwashing and sanitizing stations. Positioning hand sanitizer dispensers in all restroom facilities and counters of food and beverage shops. We will continue to collaborate with health officials, monitor the situation, and act accordingly. We strongly encourage everyone to familiarize themselves with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Prevention and Treatment Guidelines which include: Staying home when sick Washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds Following proper respiratory cough etiquette Avoiding close contact with people who are sick Avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands A complete list of prevention and treatment guidelines can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html “We understand that for many people these are uncertain times,” said George Appling, co-founder and Marketing Director, “but we think the kind of first-rate, immersive entertainment offered by Sherwood Forest Faire can be just what the public needs to escape for a while. We encourage everyone to use their best judgement to decide what is best for themselves and their families, but if they want to get away from it all, Sherwood Forest Faire will be open to welcome them to step back in time and forget their cares.”

10 Years In

By Rengypsy • February 27, 2019

Over twelve years ago, this dreamer who had been an artisan and merchant at Texas Renaissance Festival for many years, and a patron long before that, heard through the grapevine that the owner of TRF, George Coulam, was selling his faire. I was not a wealthy man. I was raised by two public school teachers who took odd jobs with the school system to make ends meet. I had graduated in 79 from Texas A&M University and taught high school myself for 8 years. During the fall of 1985 or 86, I decided to go back to graduate school and signed up for a class in medieval history with a renowned Mediaeval and Renaissance professor by the name of Zolton Kostolnycz (Hungarian by birth). I sat in a room of about 30 at the beginning of class. When time had ended that morning, there were eight of us left. He spoke in a very deep accent—and in a high shrill voice. I knew it was gonna be one hell of difficult time in his class, but the knowledge, the stories, the way he weaved mankind’s past together, was addicting. I ended up taking him for 7-8 classes. They were all pretty much the same—early church history through the Renaissance. But in the middle of my last class after having finished 30 prior hours, and all that was left was this one class and writing my thesis to complete my masters, I quit. I walked out with one paper left incomplete. I put a back pack on and hitchhiked across Europe for 7 months living in a tent. I had to feel and witness what and where he had spoken of…that land of Celts, Anglo-Saxons, Picts, and the like. I had to chant in Celtic caves, walk Robin’s Sherwood Forest. I had to drink a pint at the base of Nottingham Castle in Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem. I had to baptize myself in the land, the people, the buildings and streets, the history I had become so enamored with. When I returned, I started working for a not-for-profit where I have been for the last thirty years. Back to sitting in my booth at TRF years later when I heard the faire was up for sale. So, Monday, back at work, I made appointments with two prominent businessmen in my area. I had one simple question for both. “Could someone with my meager means ever dream of such a venture, such a financial undertaking”. Both said “Of course. You just need a business plan that can convince either a bank or an investor”. So I was off. For months I put together and tweaked a business plan. I had back in forth with a critical investor. Then, I remember it as clear as day…when he said, Eric, we can do this.” He had used we. There was a chance. Well, after I had spent approximately 10k on legal fees trying to get a real estate and business contract in place, Mr. Coulam was no longer interested in selling his creation. But I was not deterred. My family would get in the car or truck some 75 Saturdays and Sundays as I walked throughout tracts of land throughout Texas from Katy to San Antonio to Austin and back to the Brazos Valley. We saw land that was perfect. We saw mining sites. We woods and pastures and land without easements to land almost inside town propers. I must have executed some 15 contracts during that time, but for a myriad of reasons none went through. Mostly because they didn’t touch my heart as the right place. One or two would have been great, but others purchased it before I would get a contract executed. So the search continued. Then one early morning traveling on U.S. 290 from Bryan-College Station to a meeting in Austin, I saw a for sale sign that had just been placed on the land where Sherwood currently stands. I pulled over, called the realtor, asked a few questions, and without walking the property, and told him to work up a contract. We would walk it later. There was of course a grace period where I would only lose my earnest money if it wasn’t a fit. But with 1200 feet frontage off 290…wooded…it felt that morning I had found the home for the faire. That weekend my family walked it. I could see it all. We fought our way through land that had not been walked on for decades. It was perfect. And thus, Sherwood was born. But as you know, birthing a child is only the beginning. Soon after, we would begin the tradition of holding Gatherings, meeting at pubs where playtrons gathered, holding tours for those vendors who might join in on this dream. And they did. I would be walking through recently cleared woods telling folk where stages would be, where paths would be, where booths would be located. We had fire circles and drumming. We had pot luck dinners and broke bread together. Volunteers would come to the Gatherings, camp, cut wood, help build structures, and over time, with sweat and shared vision, this little faire was dream becoming manifest. One day, I think in September, I was giving a tour through what would be a stretch to considered much more than a dream constructed of thought more than of materials. But on that walking tour with some 30+ people, a tall man stood out and asked, “Are you Rengypsy?” to which I replied, “I am he” and he proclaimed “I Love Rengypsy”. And soon after, George Appling became my partner…and through magic, unbelievable hard work by so many of you, the gates of Sherwood Forest Faire opened for the first time in February 2010. Sherwood was and will always be a Shared Vision—a mosaic where rennies, platrons, artisans and management all have paint brushes, all add their dreams upon this canvas. We welcome you to our 10th Season. It’s been an amazing venture. Thank all of you for making this faire what it is, what it will become. Respectfully Rengypsy

Humility and Respect

By Rengypsy • May 2, 2017

The eighth season of Sherwood Forest Faire ended last evening. We were plagued by six rain days, thus for the first year, our attendance numbers were down… but the last weekend was still a testimony to the future of our Faire. I wanted to reflect on our community, the faire, experiences I have gleaned as […]

A Living Tale

By Rengypsy • March 16, 2017

About the time we were clearing a woods and thicket that had not been traipsed across for some 20-30 years, I was thinking of the theme for Sherwood. It seemed so many of the names known to most history buffs or rennies had been taken. But as a commoner, as a proletariat, in my upbringing […]

The Evolution of One’s Dream

By Rengypsy • March 13, 2017

The Evolution of One’s Dream Imagine an artist sitting before an easel…charcoal in hand…sketching an idea from the heart and mind—one that somehow encompasses his inner dreams, hopes and aspirations. Day after day, the artist returned to this very place. Stroke after stroke, there appeared a picture. Still very much impressionistic. All shades of black […]

Sacred Ground

By Rengypsy • September 17, 2015

Before Sherwood Celtic Music Festival opened for this season, that Saturday morning I was making my rounds saying hello and thanking the vendors and all for participating. Believe me, it’s important to thank the artisans and artisans because many times the weather or lack of attendance weigh heavy on them…as this is their livelyhood (and […]

A Changing of Seasons

By Rengypsy • September 14, 2015

Tens of thousands of years ago, man began a journey toward civilization…an evolution of the human consciousness away from mere survival and one toward planning and development. In the caves of southern France, we can witness the evidence of man finding both the time and desire to express himself/herself through art. New tools were invented. […]

Faire, its attraction to many…

By Rengypsy • June 1, 2015

Have you ever considered what it is about faire that has allowed the “business” to survive and even prosper these last 50 years? It is, from my perspective, because it offers so much—so many different facets—to so many. For some, it is an escape from the humdrum existence of the mundane life…where one can dress […]