The wandering gypsies were a never-ending source of fun. The girls would 'steal' men from wives, make off with the pouches of other characters, and generally make a nuisance of themselves. However, one did make an interesting offer. They were willing to buy Morgan for the sum of one hundred and twenty gold pieces, plus a 5% commission once she was trained and sold. While I considered the offer, I figured I can get more for her if I sell her at next year's festival.

In all, the faire was wonderful: an obsession in the making. I'm already planning my costume for next year and working out a schedule to attend all of the Florida fairs. I recommend that everyone should try at least one.

As expected the faire had shops of every imaginable item related to the time period: bows, staves, jewelry, clothing, incense, swords, headpieces, fairy wings (yes, I had to buy Morgan a set), and even a cart that sold devil’s horns-I got Morgan a set of those too. Through all the standard fare, there were a few interesting items such as: chainmail choker necklaces with crystal beads (I got one in cobalt blue), gypsy jewelry of all kinds (belly chains, finger cymbals, chailmail headdresses, etc.), toe rings, lace and feather fans, and original artwork. Other more mundane shops featured leather and wooden mugs, chalices, wooden swords and shields, and of course, souvenir shot glasses and T-shirts.

There were services to be bought as well: face painting (somehow I scaped out of that one), henna tattoos (Morgan got a ladybug), tarot readers, astrologers, and other psychics. Another section had a booth with family history printouts. Morgan had to have her hair wrapped and equipped with a length of beaded hair-jewelry.

Then there was the food: mmmm food. Soup served in bread bowls seemed to be very popular as well as the pig-on-a-stick. The kettle korn booth was also quite busy. Though I have to admit the ale and beer booths had the longest lines. (BTW, Harp’s is a really good beer.) The sarsaparilla was also quite good-the fact that it came in a cobalt-blue bottle with a Valhalla Brew label on it has nothing to do with my rating.

There were also games from the traditional strong man ring-the-bell-game to hurling water balloons at an opposing mini-castle. There was also a storm-the-castle challenge to see if you could climb to the top of the castle wall. Other activities included: archery (Morgan hit the target once), throwing stars, axes, and daggers (I was given an honorary knighthood for my ‘killing’ of the target), darts, and the challenging ladder-climb.

There was also an entire section just for kids. Puppet shows were featured almost every hour. Plastic castles provided romping room and a large swinging horse gave even little ones a chance to lance a dragon. There was also a wooden dragon ride for kids that was pushed wildly about by a particularly buff individual.