The Spirit of Sherwood
My blessings at Sherwood are overwhelming. On a daily basis, George and I have folk from all over who extend a thanks or praise for bringing Sherwood into existence. It is rewarding, humbling and meaningful; but, let’s be clear: we are only the catalyst for the artistic and creative spirit within many who have longed […]
My blessings at Sherwood are overwhelming. On a daily basis, George and I have folk from all over who extend a thanks or praise for bringing Sherwood into existence. It is rewarding, humbling and meaningful; but, let’s be clear: we are only the catalyst for the artistic and creative spirit within many who have longed for the canvas to paint their version of Faire upon. This festival and all the gatherings and activities around it are about a much greater experience—it is very much about sharing this life with each other. I had one individual give me a big ol’ bear hug this weekend and express, “Sherwood is a beautiful place where there are no kings or religions or edicts. Yet everyone feels a part and understands their responsibilities as part of this place.”
The trees of Sherwood stretch upward and outward. They are symbolic of the philosophy of inclusion within our woods.
We walk these lands with open arms. We are envisioning something grander and larger than ourselves in the experience.
We embrace difference.
I don’t know if many of you have worked your way throughout the entire Faire during the day examining the vastness of perspectives displayed within the Faire experience…but it’s really extraordinary. An example of this is at day’s end. The Pub Scene is a vibrant and exhilarating expression of Gypsy music with Wino Vino…that starts soon after the last Full Contact Joust of the day. But simultaneously, another music scene is taking place on a small pavilion near the front gate where the Bedlam Bards, Abby Green, The Rambling Sailors, and many more get together to jam. As soon as that ends, the tribal dance and drums let loose at the fire circle at The Seven Sisters. And then, after the cannon sounds, volunteers entertain us outside the gates with the phenomenal fire spinning show.
Our Faire—your Faire—is filled with talent. It is very much a manifestation of love and art and theatre.
Our enchanted creatures—25 strong—are all volunteers. Their passion and wonderment is unbelievable.
We have folk flying and driving in from all over the country to see and feel what this Faire is becoming.
And it’s not George and myself—it’s every one of us…the patrons who fill our grounds in costume or blue greens. It’s the campers and clans that entertain us with their own tribal gatherings way too late into Friday and Saturday nights. It’s the cast of Sherwood who work all year and now don’t even memorize a script, but rather live the experience of their twelfth century characters. It’s the stage performers who have accepted less than what is due them because they feel the energy and spirit and want to paint their art upon this wonderful canvas. It’s the grounds crew, the lepers picking up trash, it’s the operations team who makes sure everything is working most of the time. It’s the hundreds and hundreds of you who send us emails with praise and critique. It’s our sponsors. It’s Kevin and the Dragons of the Round. It’s the hundred or so who faithfully come out in the off season to volunteer your blood sweat and tears to clean the grounds and build a stage as folk did in the middle ages. It’s the children dancing around the fire and playing in our sand. It’s the vendors and artisans who invested in this dream and stay positive and see the big picture when we don’t get the numbers through the gates on occasion to make payroll. It’s the county which has allowed this strange and eccentric group of rennies and hippies to find a place to express themselves at the edge of the Lost Pines of Texas. It’s the family that is continually growing and becoming stronger around our Faire.
We are dreamers, you and I. And seldom in one’s life is there the real and plausible means to actually build one’s dream into reality. This is our dream, Sherwood. Be a part of it. Take up your brush and paint your masterpiece upon this fabric. Make us better because you felt a part of this tribe.
Bring others into the wonderful experience. We want to reshape and redesign the paradigm for Faire, for Community, for Inclusion.
Much Love and Appreciation,
Rengypsy
