photos by Andrew Kierens

Introduction

The year is 1510 and it is not long after Steller’s Grove was visited by King James and Queen Margaret of Scotland as well as disrupted by the pirates of the Jade Dragon. In this short time news has reached King Henry the Eighth that Charity’s plea for innocence and the release of the warrant placed on her and her crew’s heads has been honoured by The King of Scotland and that they have been released of the original warrant’s claims.

What James does not know is that a witness has been discovered and can personally ID Charity and her crew as the architects of certain crimes. With this new tool coming to light Henry reissues a new warrant and sends it out across the land.

When the Sleepy Shire of Steller¹s Grove receives the new warrant they also inherit the witness, who has decided to settle there as a way to finally begin a new life. The moment the Sheriff reads the new warrant he goes about preparation for any possible return of Charity or members of her crew. A wise move as Charity has decided she has grown fond of Steller’s Grove and believes the Sheriff and the villagers would not toss her and her crew out if they are merely there to relax.

Her return not only stirs up memories of embarrassment for the Sheriff but also puts her, her quartermaster and her firstmate at the mercy of their own lies and deception. To make matters worse The King and Queen of Scotland return. Frustrated by Charity’s now growing fleet blocking their paths, the King is on the warpath. His insistence for her ships to leave him, and his ships, alone may lead to one conclusion. The King may have to make Privateers out of this ragtag group of pirates… and so the story begins… http://www.bcrenfest.com/storyetc.html

Welcome Dear Readers!

Christina Carr , Executive Producer of the BC Renaissance Faire in British Columbia has kindly accepted my offer to share her story with you, my Kind Readers. Please read on to learn Christina’s amazing and intriguing story as to how the BC Renfest Came to Be , and how it progresses today.

Executive Producer of the BC Ren Fest Christina represents a group of dedicated performers, entertainers, actors,

Christina Carr also known as Captain Charity shows a rare moment of Quiet

artisans, volunteers and vendors with the dream of establishing a permanent site Renaissance Festival British Columbia. Although the history of the Renaissance Faire in British Columbia has previously met with some unique challenges, Christina brings solutions and innovations to a staid, and stately community. In short, she’s shaking things up a bit, and with not a little success.

How the BC Renfest came to Be

After immigrating from her home of Ontario with her husband, Martin Hunger, a professional Prop Maker and IATSE member and currently working on the Stargate Universe project, was faced with a number of unexpected challenges stemming from the British Columbia film industry’s policies and Union laws. After leaving a long and successful professional career as an actor in her home of Ontario, she found herself suddenly at odds with the system. Rather than be overwhelmed by the complexities, Christina chose to make opportunity out of opposition. How, you might ask?

With over fifty Renaissance Faires in operation in North America currently providing jobs and unique opportunities for professional and personal growth, she saw no reason why it could not be done in lovely BC. Her plan was to emulate the format and development plan as many of the successful Renaissance Faires, using volunteers initially, and when able, converting volunteers into paid staff while providing a venue for the milieu of talent who have been over looked a an opportunity to perform and share their gifts with those like you, Dear Reader.

2001 was the birth of the British Columbia Renaissance Faire, also known as the BCRF. Christina states “the first year was very difficult, something we discovered very quickly. We knew of four prior attempts in BC to produce a successful Ren Faire…and communication was poor by those who had made prior attempts.” Location was a huge factor, and based upon historical information Christina sought to find a venue between Vancouver and the Border. Tremendous amounts of time, research, and consumer research were conducted before Christina and her team were ready to move to Stage Two.

Such Galantry Promises Much to Come

Ready – Set – Go!

2007 marked the first Faire. Entertainment was primarily local, with the only Americans being Keith and Gabby from Quick Silversmith http://quicksilversmith.com. (You can see a brochure of their wares by clicking on the links below). The first year Christina wasn’t ready…it was truly a learning experienced. Her initial goal had been to start after the Olympics. Her initial collaboration with a local Agriculture Faire proved problematic, nearly disastrous, but true to her nature she rose out of the ashes once again to find inspiration in the form of what she hopes today to be a permanent venue.

Wine Tasting at Fort Winery

In 2008 Faire production retained many difficulties and money was tight. The BCRF Command team faced continuing negative fallout from their prior relationship with the Ag faire stemming from negative feedback to local politicians. Unlike many U.S. venues, residents of BC receive financial support from local governments in many instances. This has instilled a certain level of conservatism in Christina’s vocalization, and she states “I am still trying to fix the damage done in 2007, and so I must, by necessity remain neutral when faced with other Renaissance Faire debacles, such as the Washington Renaissance Fantasy Faire’s ongoing property disputes. http://www.seattlepi.com/local/371224_faire18.html?source=rss. So the belts were tightened around the home front…”I can do it if I get enough support”…and so the sweet talking began” Moving from their temporary home of Aldergrove, they began looking for a winery. That’s when they discovered the Fort Winery http://www.thefortwineco.com Choice Fruits make a wonderful base for a variety of Wines at the Fort Winery. The winery has every kind of fruit, and offered a wonderful environment, but the problem lay is the fields surrounding the winery. They were owned by others and a sale was being considered. Rallying the Flag once Again, Christina gratefully notes “the Fort winery still wanted to support and help the BCRF team and finally found Aldor Acres Farm http://www.aldoracres.com/, a large property owned by one family. They do various things at different times of the year, with a Petting Zoo, Fresh Corn, a Pumpkin Patch, and Christmas Tree farm.”

For the BC Renfest as it is now known, the owners of the Aldor Acres Farm mow the hay field, and that’s where the Faire is built, and it is used for parking and the village. The lower pumpkins patch is used for jousting, and they block off an area for pub that is a picnic area. The Fort Winery runs the pub, and it is indeed well managed, much to the relief of Christina. The Petting Zoo and Dairy Center are used for backstage areas. This is convenient if water or additional hay is needed, and the owner of the property is a vet so safety for the animals is assured. The equipment barn is offered as a club house, and as long as the performers behave themselves all goes well. However this is only offered for the primary cast. Altogether a wonderful and welcome solution to this merry band of performers!

This year, Christina is not expecting much support from the local government until after the Olympics. However, the BCRF Team will not take a year off. Her current concerns primarily focus on the volunteers needed for the faire. For information on how to volunteer go to: http://www.bcrenfest.com/Other under the “Get Involved” heading.

Volunteers assist the Guests at the BC Renfest

Christina faces additional problems which result from Vendors not coming back do to their own issues regarding space allotments and fees, and she continues to be plagued by historical reenactment groups insisting upon “in period” representation rather than creative innovation for entertainment. However Audience Satisfaction remains high, and in the spirit of historical reenactment, this signifies a success!

So what’s happening at the Faire this year?

For a Visual Experience at what’s happening at the BC Renfest this year visit http://www.youtube.com/bcrenfest
The Ensemble AKA Storyline characters: At the renfest, in the morning, a story starts at the main gates and continues on and off during the day. It weaves through areas of the renfest itself and usually wraps up at the Pubsing. You can follow these characters or simply stumble on them, either way they restart the story the next day so, if you missed a piece, you can come back again and try once more. Note: For the Pubsing we provide words to the songs in case you would like to sing along.

Wandering Performers/Villagers: We are the Village of Steller’s Grove and therefore have village folk. Wandering characters like the village fool, wenches, monk/nun, pub master, squires, a lord and lady, smiths, etc. wander the property during the day. You can talk to them, say hello to them and take pictures with them. These folks have welcomed you into their village for the day and expect you to be merry. If you miss a story piece, go ahead and ask them what has happened.

A Hardy Community Welcomes You

Stage Performers: With four stages and a jousting field there are plenty of opportunities to provide scheduled stage performances for the masses. Hosting performances like comedy, music, jugglers, dancers, magic, etc… these stages give you the opportunity to set up your day productively and get the most for your entry. Some shows are child friendly which means that the shows we put on those stages are definitely friendly to the young ones. Other shows are not guaranteed to be child friendly so check the schedule before planning to attend those shows as they may not be what you want for your child. If you wonder what ‘non-child’ friendly is…We ask performers to provide for us a target audience for their show. If they feel that their own show is not child friendly then we pass that advice onto you and let you decide for yourself.

My word to you, my Dear Readers -

Don’t miss this Faire, it’s a fine example of all that is good and inspiring in our world today. When things are difficult, economies are tight, and politics seem overwhelming this team of Dedicated Performers and Artists deserve an Ovation…from the Faire Reporter – Bravissimo!

http://www.quicksilvermint.com/quicksilvermint-brochure-order.pdf