Spider Michaels

October and November are fast becoming my favorite months of the year because of the Texas Renaissance Festival. I attended 6 out of 8 weekends last year and I’m going to try and attend all 8 weekends this year.

This blog post is about the first weekend of the festival. Each weekend has a theme and this weekend it was Oktoberfest. These first pics are from Saturday.

In this first photo, let’s just say that I like to arrive early.

The walkway from the parking area to the festival entrance looked clean and spotless. The people at TRF take pride in their work and event. The Kingdom is always kept in great condition.

I took a picture with Willie. He is quite the character and an asset to TRF.

Rudy plays the character of Hamish MacGregor. In the mornings, he plays his pipes and tells jokes and funny stories to the patrons as they wait for the gates to open. He also plays as the lead of the parade every weekend day at noon. And he also plays at the front of wedding processionals.

I said it last year, but he deserves a raise.

Tens of thousands of people will cross through these gates to enter New Market Village.

The Spanish Queen Juana. Such a beautiful Queen.

Hamish MacGregor striking a grand pose.

Phil Brayton has been around the TexRenFest for many years. I try to get a pic with him every time I see him. Such a mountain of a man with a great soul.

Every weekend morning, the festival characters put on a show to start the day. It’s the first thing the patrons see as they enter the gates to the Kingdom. Quite entertaining.

Each day, I go to the upstairs patio of ‘Tea and Strumpets’ to get these area pics. ‘Tea and Strumpets’ has the best bacon sandwich at TRF. And a great patio to enjoy the view and your meal. You can also sign up for the tea party, which is an upscale affair.

The team at Catskill Mountain Moccoasins are always so nice to me. Becca, Sara and Greg allow me to store my backpack and extra business cards at their booth. If you need great moccasins from a friendly staff, stop by booth 212.

I met Greg a while back at a comicon and we’ve been friends ever since.

Sara always impresses me with her outfits and hair styles. Such a cutie.

Erika was named after Erik the Viking and works at the Asgardian Armory. They sell leather goods and weaponry. Their slogan is, “Come stop by Bloodbath and Beyond.”

Alex told me all about Rennies last year. I’m not a Rennie yet, but I hope to be one day, lol.

I’ve gotten to know several of the workers at the various food stands around TRF. And they are always happy to pose for me.

I make it a habit to go around and get their pics. I think they appreciate my efforts to showcase them.

Amanda works at the Sea Devil area in a bar called The Glory Hole. She’s one of the nicest people that I’ve met at the TexRenFest. She and I visit during the day and have some fun conversations.

The Wishing Well Wenches are two fo the funniest characters in the Kingdom. I’ll get them to show me their map of New Market Village soon. You’ll laugh.

I enjoy taking staff photos of the many shoppes. It’s a lot of fun getting to meet old friends and new people.

One weekend, I’m going to try the coconut water. They drink it on Survivor and seem to like it so I’ll give it a try.

Blaze is one of the more photogenic people that I photograph. I enjoy getting her pics and talking with her. Their food stand serves fried alligator, shrimp and crawfish dishes. I love it all.

This young lady was kind enough to hold up one of their dishes for the pic. I’ll try this also.

I had a hamburger and fries at this next booth and the service was great.

A great cheeseburger and fries.

Kevin attends the TexRenfest several days of the season and I enjoy getting his pic. I met him last year and we’ve stayed in touch through Facebook.

Pam works at the Sea Devil area also. She’s funny and a delight to chat with. I also ran into her earlier this year in Galveston at Mardi Gras. Such a nice person.

Stephanie wears an outfit with a lot of color and calls herself Spectra, as in the Autism Spectrum. She does this to raise awareness. Great gal.

One of the favorite things about TRF is the food. There is such a variety and so many choices. And it’s all very good.

Many people enjoy the turkey legs. I’d prefer something else, even though they are delicious.

Trying the chicken is definitely on my list. The smells of food in the Kingdom make your mouth water.

A chef and his creations.

MJ works at Ravenswood Leather. A very cool shop with great merchandise.

These young ladies work there also and are very friendly.

I’ve yet to take a carriage ride around the village. Maybe if I had a date.

Skidmark never disappoints. He’s always funny and quick with a remark. He’s one of my favorite characters.

I enjoy taking group shots because it is a chance to please several people, with one photo.

I took this guy’s photo then I asked him to remove his helmet. He really liked this pic.

I stopped by the Wyrmwood Public House and Mickey started making my usual Kamikaze before I even asked. When he served me, he said that my first drink of the season was on him. And it was a large one.

This is a pic of Monsieur Bunny and Shelbelle. They also work at the Wyrmwood Public House. Monsieur Bunny prefers to be called Daddy.

The Wyrmwood has a great upstairs patio that overlooks the festival. It’s a great area to have a drink and hang out.

I call him Daddy and I laugh every time.

Here is one view from the Wyrmwood patio.

Great wings and awesome colors. Very beautiful.

I met Haley last year and I try to get her pic every day that I’m at the festival. Can you blame me?

This shot was at the Sea Devil. A Queen and her Court.

A funny story about this next pic. I went up to this group of cute girls and asked to get their photo. The brunette in the middle turned to me and said, “Only if we can get a pic with you.” Then she turned to her friends and said, “Am I embarrassing you yet?”

She did get a pic with me and when I was telling them how to get their pic from my site, she said to me, “You’ll never know where that pic we took will end up.” Then she started laughing.

She was quite the little pistol.

This girl was fun to meet and photograph. She was having such a good time.

She had on a great outfit and looked fantastic.

I photographed this couple at TRF in 2021 and also at Dickens on the Strand. They’re fun to shoot and always look so good.

I love steampunk and this guy is good.

After I had the encounter with the brunette, I realized that I didn’t get a pic with her. I caught up to them and got this pic. Such a fun girl. If I were 25 years younger, haha.

Chelsea sells the little bird whistles. You can hear them all over the Kingdom as kids enjoy the hell out of them. Chelsea is a sweet girl and fun to talk to.

I enjoyed getting this guy’s pic. I’m always impressed with good face work.

As I was leaving on Saturday, people were still coming in by the hundreds.

On Sunday morning, I arrived first again and the parking attendants directed me to this spot on row 5. Usually when I’m first, they start the parking on row 11 or 12. I loved getting a spot on row 5. More about this at the end.

Each morning, the TRF Grounds Crew walk the walkway and parking areas to pick up any trash left by the thousands of patrons from the day before. People should take note of the effort it takes to keep this place so clean and good looking.

The gateway to fun and frivolity.

If you choose, there is a valet parking area. This is right near the front gate area.

Beautiful colors and great work.

I stand on the King’s throne to get these area shots. TRF put down some new concrete since last year and it looks nice.

If you didn’t purchase your ticket ahead of time, these ticket booths will sell you some.

Here are the Media, Wedding, Security and Will Call offices.

TRF has plenty of restrooms located around the Kingdom. This one is in the front gate plaza. And the restroom staff keep them all very clean.

I didn’t notice this statue last season. It’s a nice photo op.

Thanx, George.

My morning pic with Willie.

I usually don’t have a hard time finding someone to take my photo on the throne. Sometimes the pic gets messed up.

Before the morning entertainment gets started.

Mornings in New Market Village are great.

A pic with Queen Juana.

Jade always plays some awesome characters. She’s wonderful.

I love her energy for the job.

This couple was nice enough to put down their food to take a pic.

I loved this lady’s costume.

Another great face.

You’ll see characters everywhere while at TRF.

A funny story about this next pic.

I was walking to the Pirate Pub and passed this guy. He yells out, “Look at you, looking all Sid Vicious.”

I laughed and went over to get his pic. As I was leaving, he said, “You’re looking very metal today.”

Here is the crew at the Pirate Pub. It’s new this year and a great addition to the Kingdom.

This lady wanted to pose by the leather goods that she makes. Nice stuff.

Big Hat Pirates has some great merchandise. If I were to ever get a pirate’s hat, I’d get it here.

Lots of items to choose from.

Plenty of Jolly Rogers.

The shops in New Market Village have many different types of items to purchase. In this shop, you can find some great musical instruments.

I always try to get pics of the pickle vendors. And they are always nice enough to hold up a pickle. Last year, they would say, “Three bills for a dill.”

Another thing that I like about the TexRenFest is that the food stand staffs all dress for their jobs. They wear some great outfits and head pieces.

I’m starting to know a few of them by name. And they are always happy to see me and get some pics.

Notice how well her head piece matches her shirt. I appreciate the effort they all put in to look nice.

Kids will love riding these animals. What kid wouldn’t?

These guys were stirring the coals under their chicken. It smelled good.

I love these hats and will probably end up getting one before the season is over.

Any type of kilt you could ask for.

These custom made leather vests are beautiful. One of these might be on my shopping list also.

When I approached these next ladies for a pic, they were speaking Polish. I enjoyed listening to them.

Savannah works in the area where there is elephant and camel rides. She remembered me from last season. Nice girl.

I went inside the Museum of Cruelty. It costs $5, I think. They let me in for free with my Media Pass.

They asked me not to photograph everything. I thought this one pic showed what it was like inside. It’s worth a look.

Here’s the elephants.

And the camels.

Kids also love a good carousel. And this one is nice.

The green and yellow colors look superb.

There is always a crowd for the trained birds show.

At TRF, you can find many different dinking vessels.

I’ve seen a lot of people drinking out of these.

These ladies work at the Red Lion Tavern.

Haley never disappoints.

I met Shiny last season also. I may buy my coconut water from him.

When you are in New Market Village, make sure you tip your servers. They work hard for your pleasure.

And if you can, try several different foods during your stay in the Kingdom. Variety is the spice of life.

Visit Blaze and her co-workers for some fried alligator or another creole dish.

Erika and Melissa from the Asgardian Armory.

Another view from the ‘Tea and Strumpets’ patio.

This pic makes me want to take a carriage ride through the village.

When it is really crowded, you’ll see thousands of people from this view.

As I was leaving on Sunday, there were people continuing to come in.

When I returned to my Tahoe, I realized that they had parked me on row 5 and no one else all day. Sometimes it pays to arrive early.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at the Texas Renaissance Festival. There will be several more blog posts about this event.

Thanx for reading and I hope you come back to read the other posts.

Very metal, indeed.

To see all of the pics from TRF, visit the site below and click on Photos.

http://www.TheSTORMFactory.com