Eclipse and Renaissance Festival Changes

Did you get a chance to see the eclipse of the sun yesterday? I managed to see it on the television, but our threatening clouds became a full and thick blanket by the time we would have been able to look up and see anything. It wasn't raining (yet), but that arrived soon too. I know friends who were driving to different areas in hopes of seeing something, so I hope they were more successful. From the TV feed, it was quite spectacular.

There were some fabulous photos of the eclipse, but I really liked
this one from ABC News. The "diamond ring" effect was stunning. 

So, on to Renaissance Festival, which opened last weekend. There were a lot of changes - new tenants in booths and old favorites now gone. There were a few that caught us totally off-guard.

No Niche's! For years we've been enjoying the food of Niche's, who grew
from a single food truck during Highland Festival and Irish Fest, to a
permanent location. It was THE place for breakfast, and their banana cake
with cream frosting was to die for! They did a great business. But no more. 

First of all - notice anything different here? Yes, it says Scotch Eggs and Meat Pies, but it's no longer Niche's meat pies. I don't know where Niche's went, but they are no longer on the Festival grounds and they were sorely missed! The new purveyors have overcooked Scotch eggs, a truly inferior bangers and mash (with tasteless potatoes and a lackluster brown gravy) and a meat pie offering that I didn't see anyone taking advantage of. We tried their bangers and mash. I'll need to find something different to eat elsewhere this week.

Pendragon Chainmail had been one of the original vendors at Fest when
it started back in 1972. To see their space vacant was a shock that stopped
both of us in our tracks. Wow! 

Pendragon's Chainmail has been in it's prime location across from the Queen's Pub since the Festival opened in the early 1970's. They still exist, they're still selling at shows across the USA, but their large, two-story venue was suddenly completely empty. It was a shock.

Lady of the Lake Silks has been in business now for several
years in a small location near one of the food alleys. They
have now moved up the hill and have a lot more space. 

Up the hill from Pendragon, closer to the Main Gates, was a black and white pottery purveyor - lovely goods, but I never really did more than just wander through. It wasn't my style, I didn't need any more pottery, and even though I really liked it, I didn't want to own it. However, they had been there a very long time. They're gone and their space has been taken over by "Lady of the Lake Silks". Merlin and his girlfriend's painted silk scarves used to be lower down near the food and the small hidden entrance/exit. They now have a much larger space and, hopefully, better sales too.

The annual Longbow Competition will take place this weekend
and we'll be there to watch. We always enjoy this, even though
we either seem to bake or freeze over the several hours of
competition. 

Those three changes were ones that stopped me short. There were many more old friends and familiar shops still where they had been, but there was a change in the air. The crowds were surprisingly sparse for an opening weekend despite glorious weather and the Highland Games. I'll be interested to see how the attendance is for this coming weekend. The theme for the upcoming weekend is Fantasy - Steampunk, fairies, unicorns, etc. and the Longbow competition is the draw for us. We'll be baking in the sun (or getting damp in the rain) as we watch the men and women whittle their numbers down in front of the targets and hay bales.

So enjoy your Tuesday. Supposedly our paver stones, all 3000 of them, have arrived. I get to phone the store and schedule their delivery among other tasks for the day. Oh joy! LOL