Anyone who knows me - well knows we love the Pennsylvania Renaissance Fair, Wine, Music and parties! This past weekend we put them all together and had a blast. The entire family traveled the 4 hour hike to sample the wine and hear Albannach play. Yup, 4 hours.... We were less than a mile away from the entrance and traffic stopped for 45 minutes. We though there may have been an accident and traffic was being diverted. No such luck. This was the largest crowd I have ever witnessed at the Renaissance Faire. It too us 45 minutes to basically get into the parking area. Crazy.

When we entered the Faire we could hear the music of Albannach -

"Albannach - (Jamesie Johnston, Jacquie Holland, Donnie MacNeill, Kyle Gray, Aya Thorne, Davey “Ramone” Morrison) Born and bred in Scotland, Albannach is far, far from just another Scottish Pipes & Drum band. Their style of music is exciting, energetic and driving and promises to leave you begging for more!"

It is nearly impossible to sit still while this band plays live. You may say but its bagpipes and drums... All I can say is that if you enjoy music and have any primal blood in you - you will be moved. This band is high energy on stage - jumping around with a huge base drum strapped to you is very impressive. They are all extremely talented and worth a listen but if you can I would highly recommend seeing them preform live.

Wine was a plenty but long lines and crowds of people kept us sober most of the day. We did enjoy a glass while walking the grounds. Many grape/wine oriented events this year but we found ourselves just enjoying the atmosphere for the most part. It was a beautiful day to be outside and with friends and family.

We stopped several time to see our good friend Albert Alfaro - Master Puppet Maker from www.imaginariumgalleries.com but each time the shop was full to the hilt. We will catch up with him next time I am sure. This was our first time coming home without a new puppet.... we have over 30 so I guess we have reached a limit of sorts. My wife was looking at a few but we left empty handed. We will be back Albert no worries:)

While there I approached the resident walking stick authority and he seemed genuinely impressed with my attempt at a walking stick. He asked me how much I would sell it for and of course I said I would not sell it. The he asked how much I thought it was worth, how many hours I had tied up in the carving, etc. He then suggested that the true value of my time and effort was in the neighborhood of $400. I never stopped to think of the value while I was carving my wine harvest walking stick. I just enjoyed the time with my daughter and solitude. Being able to focus on one thing without any outside expectations. I will probably be doing another sometime soon.

We stayed for the Finale in Song for the first time and might I say.... WOW! We will stay for this from now on. All the characters from the day come together for a show stopping extravaganza. Worth the price of admission by itself.

The final 3 weekends will be "Halloween Daze & Spooky Knights". May I recommend packing up the family and heading to the Shire?

Labels: day trip, family, renaissance fair, vacation, Wine

We had a blast at the Vibes, Vines and Dance fund raiser held Saturday, September 29, 2007. We donated a couple of Anita's hand crafted seasonal centerpieces for the silent auction. The premise of this "party" was to raise money for the Central Delaware Jazz and Blues Fest coming up May 10, 2008.


Pizzadili had a wine tasting set up were several kinds of wine to be sampled - all pretty good for a local winery. We were pretty impressed with the layout of the vineyard and the large pavilion surrounded by a wonderful stream and fountain pond. The store itself was laid out very nicely plenty of room to browse the bottles. We were hoping for a few more options as far as types of wine but it was nice to know we could get a nice dessert wine so close to home.

The event started off a bit slow but picked up a bit once the band started playing. We went to support Mr. Matt (my neighbor, President of June Jam and Co-Producer and Technical Director of Delaware Charitable Music Inc) and the rest of the crew. It is such a worthy cause and as parents we can appreciate what they are doing. Raising money to help out local school music programs with instruments and such. The arts are way too important to let them die on the vine while "No Child Left Behind" fails our society. Let me stop there before politics come into play on my blog--- that would not be good.

I would recommend that all parents with children in school attend the next Central Delaware Jazz and Blues Fest that will be held at Killens Pond State Park right in Felton, Delaware. I mean the price of a ticket $25 gets you a all day pass to hear some great music from both students and jazz and blues veterans. Last years turn out was pretty good but I know there are more people interested in raising money for such a great cause. Hope to see you there.

Labels: Blues, Delaware, Fund Raiser, Jazz, Pizzadili, Wine, Winery