A Passionate Post About Oklahoma's Only OPEN Medfaire This Year
Craigmeister • September 6, 2020
Here's a letter I was asked to post about the only Medieval Faire that WILL HAPPEN in Oklahoma in 2020. It's filled with the heart and soul that many of us feel about this frustrating year. Won't you patrons, performers and vendors join us in Glenpool the first weekend of November, even if for just this one time? It could be epic!
Hi - my name is Tina Nettles, and I have a friend who runs a Medieval Faire in Glenpool (formerly Kiefer) every year. I’m not in any way a legal representative of the King’s Medieval Faire nor am I employed by them. I’m just a friend of the owner / manager of it. But I wanted to reach out to you and all the other canceled faires and events from 2020 to suggest an idea.
I don’t want to step on toes. I don’t want to try to steal YOUR acts, vendors, or employees away from YOUR FAIRES and FESTIVALS I’m not in any way an official contact. Please understand this.
During the summer, the Tulsa City County Library couldn’t hold its usual in-person summer reading program events for kids. So I volunteered late this spring to produce 26 short videos and interviews with ren-faire / med-faire musicians, artisans, and other entertainers for the library to release each week on their website, so kids would still have fun and entertaining things to look forward to all summer, attending a “virtual” faire.
Do you know what I found out during that time? These faire entertainers and craftsmen are HURTING this year. I’m guessing that you are too. Sales are WAY down while there are no live, in-person events, and without the energy that comes from meeting patrons face to face at faires.
Ancient arts aren’t being practiced, as the practicers of these arts are working mundane jobs instead. Everyone’s a little sad, not to get to see old friends every month or two on the faire circuit. Everyone’s a little worried about what the future looks like for festivals of all sorts.
So I have a little bit of good news. As of right now, my friend says that Glenpool has not canceled the King’s Medieval Faire, the first weekend in November. To my knowledge it’s the only medieval / renaissance faire to go on as planned in Northeast Oklahoma, in the entirety of 2020. She’s still accepting applications from vendors, people eager to get out of their houses, garb-up, and have a faire.
I know there’s nothing in the budget right now to pay for a bunch of extra acts, but I suspect that if you are a comedy act, a musical act, a jousting act, swordsmen, pirates, bellydancers, vikings, fairies, mermaids, falconers, harpists, dancers… or any kind of renaissance performer whatsoever, and you wanted to get on the schedule for November, to just dust of your garb, to bring an instrument, sell some beautiful things you make, you’d be welcome.
This could be historic. The ONLY medieval / renaissance faire in all of 2020 in this area. The ONLY one. Even if you wanted to just come as a patron, you are welcome. Please, let’s get together and just enjoy doing what we do.
If you are interested in renting a booth, or getting an unpaid slot on the entertainment calendar, please visit King’s Medieval Faire on facebook, and message her.
Guys, this is as much to cheer her up as you. This has been a rough year all the way around for every one of us. And our patrons. And YOUR patrons. We all deserve something good, safely distanced, but really really good, to show for 2020.
Remember, after the plague comes the Renaissance!
Also of note, Glenpool is allowing her to have a Christmas Market for makers, every weekend from mid-November in the same location (Black Gold Park right on highway 75 in Glenpool) until close to Christmas. If you sell something wonderful and would like to be a part, even if it’s just for this year, get your name on the calendar for this opportunity. 2020 doesn’t have to be a total loss for any of us. We’ll get through this together. It’s been said a million times, but it’s true. Let’s not let all of 2020 be stolen from us. It’s time for a little joy and revelry, don’t you think?
-Tina Nettles
patron
Were YOU at The Medieval Fair of Norman in its early days? I hear tell that it was by the Duck Pond. I am anxious to find out about what went on back then. There's a Zoom link in the Details page of the event. I plan to tune in this Friday evening. Huzzah! https://www.facebook.com/events/1147838004139580/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22attachment%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22newsfeed%22%7D]%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3Anull%7D
I can now present the large project I have been working on for a month & a half. I visited 11 parks in the Tulsa Metro area, making videos showing the amenities each would provide in holding a Renfaire in them. 'Tis high time that someone starts a Renfaire around Tulsa again. It is too large of a city not to have a Renfaire. 800,000 people live in the Metro! Catch just 1% of them & have 8,000 people walk through your gates. That would be a very successful starting faire! There are links to tips on a running a Renfaire in the video's description. Feel free to contact me if & when you decide to bring a Renfaire to Tulsa County. Some friends & I will be happy to assist you. Huzzah! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6wdSba0848&t=24s
Ever wonder what it takes to become a Renfaire vendor? Would you like to see what makes a stone carver tick? Well, you can do both by listening to Renfest Info And Fun Podcast episode 2025 18. 'Tis a conversion of a YT video I made with Gary Bennett a few years ago. (I have been a bit tardy with podcast creations this fall. I have been working on a different project that is almost complete. More to come soon...) You can find Episodes 18 on Podbean, Amazon, Player FM, iHeart, Apple and/or Podchaser.
The most famous archery battle took place on this day in the Year of Our Lord, 1415 at Agincourt, France. The French outnumbered the English by some say 3 or 4 or more to 1. Yet, the English army was comprised mostly of longbowmen. Those archers decided the outcome of this battle on Saint Crispin's Day. It was a disastrous defeat for the flower of France. For the overall story, check out the 1st link from The History Squad. The 2nd link gives more of a personal account that an individual bowman would have experienced. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnpcd-HX5FE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW3XElkafkg
Greetings, fellow Renthusiasts! The 2025 Renfaire season is rapidly coming to a close. For a good dose of faire, head to Bentonville, AR this weekend. You can catch Fugli, the Fortress Dwellers , Athren the Red and many other performers, vendors to make many memories. Huzzah! https://rentopianwa.com
'Tis a Three-fer Thursday on the Renfest Info And Fun Podcast. My 45 minute YouTube interview with David Leroy from a few years ago has been published in episodes 15 - 17. I hope you enjoy the banter, tales and reminiscing from the 2 of us. Pastor Dave knows a lot about vending and putting on a Renaissance Festival. You can find Episodes 15, 16 & 17 on Podbean, Amazon, Player FM, iHeart, Apple and/or Podchaser.
'Tis another kind of "Twofer Tuesday" on the Renfest Info And Fun Podcast. This week, you can hear 2 parts of an entertaining & informative interview with beloved patron Teresa Lynn Hall Pershall, known inside the gates as Lady Teresa. You can find Episodes 13 & 14 on Podbean, Amazon, Player FM, iHeart, Apple and/or Podchaser.
It is Twofer Tuesday on the Renfest Info And Fun Podcast. Tune in to episode 12 to hear back-to-back hits from some amazing Renfest performers. I hope you enjoy the show. You can listen to the podcast on Apple, iHeart, Podbean, Amazon, Player FM and/or Podchaser.
Seeking some Scottish or Celtic entertainment? Click on the link to my page that re-visits several such events around Oklahoma over the past 2 decades. Since the OK Scotfest has been canceled for 2025, you can visit the Oklahoma Highland Gathering in Choctaw on October 10 - 12. They have Highland Games, bagpipes, Celtic music & more. It is a great event! This rounds out my special visit pages. I will add links to them as I venture to events this Fall, 2026 & beyond. https://www.meistersrealm.com/re-live-an-oklahoma-celtic/scottish-fest-here
Do you think Oklahoma only has Renfaires in the spring? Ha! I say "nay, nay". Visit some of the wonderful events that occur in the 2nd half of the year here: https://www.meistersrealm.com/visit-a-fall-oklahoma-renfaire-here