For the second weekend of the TexRenFest, the theme was 1001 Dreams. I arrived early again and got my front parking spot on row 10. For the Saturday, I shot 395 photos and 3 videos.
I added a magnetic door sign that has the logo plus the word Media. This will help with parking during the Summer’s comicon circuit.
I like all of the decals on the rear window. One of my favorites is The Call of Booty decal. It goes well with all of the others. I may camp out this season to hang with them again. Always a great time.
I enjoy arriving early and seeing the gardeners watering the plants, the grounds crew placing the trash bags and the Beefeaters at the ready for a busy day.
Willie, on the right, is one of the best members of staff at TRF. He always has a “Guest-First” attitude. In this photo, he asked me to take a pic of the first patron of the day. He then told her that I would give her a card so that she could get this pic for free from my site. I love the job that Willie does. A+.
A pic with Ace and Willie.
Each morning, I get Ace to snap some pics for me. He’s always happy to help me out and I appreciate that.
The Front Gate Beefeaters.
This is the morning cannon crew. Alan, Lisa and Kenny.
Two great guys and good friends.
Here is a short video of Kenny igniting the cannon.
These people are the ones that take photos of the patrons as they enter the festival. A short time later, a guest can purchase these photos and by Monday, they can download a digital copy. This is a good service for people that want a memory of their day.
The Royal Guard. They lead the way for the wedding processionals.
Lots of fairies and winged beauties on this weekend.
And I love great face makeup.
Jade is a favorite to photograph.
Rudy has some great clothes for a RenFest.
I made my usual stop by Ravenswood Leather to get a pic with MJ.
Taylor sells flower wreaths and looks cute doing so. Great pose.
I snapped a pic of this crew and the lady on the right wanted to hold up a piece of their chocolate covered cheese cake. Damn, that looks delicious.
I ran into Nuria. She is catching fairies with her net.
I run into Nuria at TRF each year and also at comicons throughout the year. She’s fun, friendly and beautiful.
She wanted a selfie and I was happy to do it.
The crew from the Thirsty Pirate Pub.
A cool pirate ship.
This is Jazi Love. She works at the Polish Pub. Very nice and cute with her wings.
Eva, Kasia and Danuta from the Polish Pub.
Kasia has become a good friend. She is a hard worker and gives it her all.
Elephant rides for the kids.
Baubles sells cigars. I’ll buy one from her one weekend.
Lovely ladies offering some great drinks.
Elizabeth, Hannah and Amber. So fun and friendly.
This is Bri. I asked her if her name was Briana and she said that was her government name. I laughed. That’s funny.
Jeanette and Fifi are holding their stuffed turkey legs.
The turkey leg is cut in half and filled with something good to eat.
This is their chicken. They call it Naughty or Nice.
The fried chicken is naughty and the grilled chicken is nice.
Another fun crew.
Fernanda is holding the fried crawfish plate. It comes with potato wedges and sauce. So damned good.
One of my favorite dishes at TRF.
I stopped by to get my daily pic with Hayley.
Greg competes in fitness competitions. When I saw this pic, I mentioned to him an old saying, “Sun’s out, guns out.”
Erika has some of the best clothes of any woman at the festival and always looks great.
The Asgardian Armory has some awesome merchandise and clothing.
So talented.
Mindy works at Ye Olde Portraits. Another very nice person.
Plenty of seating to enjoy a snack, meal or drink.
The Queen’s Pantry is a popular place to eat.
The festival had a good crowd for this Saturday.
The village was filled with smiling, happy people.
Lots of people in this pic if you look off in the distance also.
Kevin is one stylish pirate.
I try to get pics of a pirate’s rings.
Kevin has some nice ones.
In the following photo, I’m wearing the rings from my past.
From left to right, here are my rings… The first ring on the little finger of my right hand is a memento ring that I got when I covered the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
The next ring is from when I worked in the NHRA (Natl. Hot Rod Assoc.).
Next is an IndyCar Championship ring from when I worked in that racing series with Sam Hornish, Jr. and Panther Racing.
The ring with the blue stone and the number 24 on it is a Jeff Gordon NASCAR Championship ring from when I worked with that team.
On my left hand, the ring on my index finger is a PADI Scuba Diver’s ring that I designed. I’m trying to get PADI to offer them worldwide. Currently, I’m the only Scuba Diver on the planet to possess a PADI certification ring with their logo on it.
The ring on my middle finger is a NASCAR Brickyard 400 Champions’ ring when I worked with Jeff Gordon.
The ring with the skull and bones on it is a Lifeguard Championship ring. I was a 13 time Lifeguard Champion when I worked at WaterWorld.
The ring on my little finger is a McNeese State University graduate’s ring.
When I worked in motorsports, I wasn’t concerned with collecting rings. Only years after my career did I care about memories.
Recently, I found out that I will be receiving a Daytona 500 Champions ring from my work with Jeff Gordon’s team. I’ll wear that ring in place of my NHRA ring when I receive it.
And now you know the rest of the story… lol.
Two stylish pirates.
A good pic of Kay.
This young man saw me walking by and asked for a pic with me. I took their pic first then posed with him for a pic. I thought he had recognized me from social media but when I gave him my card, it was all new to him. I guess that he wanted a pic with me because of the way I was dressed. That’s all I can figure.
Entertainment can be found everywhere at the TexRenFest.
Alex, Fernanda, Tonya and Kelsey. The Steak on a Stick staff.
Elizabeth made a cute pirate fairy.
She told me to grab her wings like I had caught a fairy. Her face makes the pic, lol.
Another cool pic from my travels around the Kingdom.
One day, I will take a carriage ride.
The facepainting tent near the main entrance is always busy.
Patrons still arriving by the hundreds.
Here is one of those photographers in action.
Smiling faces as you exit.
Ace and Willie at their post.
A pic with Todd Wold, the Marketing Director of TRF. Very cool dude, indeed.
I snapped this pic of these cute fairies as I was leaving for the day.
Stormy greets the patrons as they approach the front gate area with a great smile.
Many more cars than when I arrived at 7:30am.
On Sunday, I was at the festival early again.
By the time the festival ends its’ 17 day run, hundreds of thousands will have passed through this area.
I’d be curious to know how many photos have been taken on this throne.
Willie, Spider and Ace.
Ready for a busy day.
Lady Iris will begin facepainting before the festival even opens to the public by working on the cast and crew of TRF.
She’s loved by one and all.
These guys have a good show and should be watched.
Spider, Alan, Lisa and Kenny.
Here is a short video of George Millard igniting the morning cannon.
This is Hayden, Zak and Aislynn. They sell programs at the entrance of the festival. Aislynn asked me what I put in my hair. I told her, “Glue.” She had asked because her friend has curly hair also. I explained to Aislynn that if I didn’t use gel or spray, my hair would look like Kramer’s, lol.
A little dab to start the day.
“Dabbing” was developed by the rap group Migos and done a lot by Cam Newton during his playing days.
The Royal Guard.
Elizabeth enjoys her job and it shows.
Glenda the Good.
The TexRenFest is comprised of friends and families and they all love their jobs.
The ladies of Ravenswood Leather.
Rebel, Spider and MJ.
Such a happy young lady.
With a great hat and smile.
This shop is called Big Hat Pirates.
They have some great merchandise.
The counter looks like something out of a movie.
I love this shop and the staff.
Kettle corn being made and bagged.
This popcorn is delicious.
The kettle corn is made and bagged at this booth. They also sell it throughout the Kingdom with vendors. A pic of that will come later.
The food at the Polish Pub is fantastic.
Jazi Love and Moi.
Baubles looking cute.
Sexy pirate.
Hair everywhere.
For a RenFest wedding.
Jenna usually lets me get her pic and I’m glad.
Fun pic.
Cris asked me about tipping me or donating so I explained to her about our charitable foundation. After the weekend, she made a donation to help us offer aid to disadvantaged children in the Houston area. To make a donation also, visit https://TheSTORMFoundation.org
Julie is one of the nicest people at TRF.
On this day, she was working at the Cajun Food booth with Vendella and Reagan.
Alex and Kelsey holding their steak on a stick.
Two of the best pieces of meat in all the land. Delicious.
As I travel the Kingdom, I will chat with each group of employees at the many food booths that I stop at for photos. I hear interesting stories about the festival or the employees that I’m speaking with. Here is one such story.
A worker told me that she works in the rental car business for her day job. I told her that I bet she sees some interesting things when people return the cars. She went on to tell me a story.
She said that one time a car was returned with some weed in it and the car cleaners didn’t find it before the car was rented again. The car was then rented to a DEA agent. When he got to work, the drug dog sniffed out the marijuana and he had a hell of a lot of explaining to do. Finally, the rental car manager had to get involved to clear his name.
That story makes me laugh because finally a DEA agent was saying, “That’s not my weed!”
Great clothing.
Beautiful.
The drinkware is a great collectible from TRF.
Most will have the date on them.
Next year, these will be even more popular because it will be the 50th season.
Super selection.
Absolutely amazing.
A work of art.
Greg has some great RenFest clothing also.
Catskill Mountain Moccasins: Fish, Greg, Eric and Patrick,
A colorful group of young ladies.
The Sanderson Sisters.
This is Opal, the fairy.
Such a beautiful young lady.
She does a great job of entertaining everyone.
The Greek area.
The food here is delicious.
And the staff is very friendly.
Lots to choose from.
The smells are fantastic.
And the salads taste great also.
And you can get a salad with meat on it.
I enjoy a salad from the Greek section.
The dressing is really good.
Scott was working on leather headbands on this Sunday.
Elizabeth, Hannah and Amber.
Hayley makes a cute fairy.
Mickey served me a Necromancer.
Here is a video of him making that Necromancer for me.
Taylor works at the Wyrmwood Public House also. Very nice.
Shelbelle and Mickey.
A favorite pic of mine.
The Tease of the Seas ladies.
They have a great show at the Thirsty Pirate Pub.
I passed by the Spanish section for some pics.
Ligia has some great employees that all love their jobs.
Smiling faces.
You can try your hand at archery while at TRF.
Something fun to do.
Adults and kids love shooting arrows.
Tartanic always draws a large crowd.
A great band.
Stephanie, Tee and Hayley.
This was a fun couple.
Erika and one cute barbarian.
A great pic.
And yes, she deserves a close-up.
Here is a kettle corn vendor that I mentioned earlier.
Sunday had a great crowd.
I snapped a pic of Aislynn as I was leaving for the day.
The guests were still coming in.
This is Mel, Todd and Sara, in the Marketing Department. Notice how neat the table is.
I pick up a Media Pass and ticket from them each weekend day of the festival. Such nice people. It is a pleasure working with them.
Stormy was again the last smiling face that I saw from the festival.
That concludes this post about the 1001 Dreams weekend. To see all of the photos, visit the link below and click on Photos.
