Save the Great Lakes Medieval Faire! Help spread the word!

Trumbull Township Trustees Meeting
Thursday, August 13th, 7pm
@ Trumbull Township Fire Rescue
2443 OH 534 S, Geneva, OH
approx 6 (six) miles south of I-90
approx 1 (one) mile north of the faire site


Most people who know me know I love the Great Lakes Medieval Faire. Every person who has ever called themselves Beshaldes has worked at the Faire at one point; I've been attending the Faire since 2000, and became involved with the world of Renaissance and medieval faires through GLMF in 2004.

GLMF has been the home faire or stop on the road for many acts now traveling the circuit: Bardic Wind/Barely Balanced, Swash & Buckle, Porter & Stout, the Washing Well Wenches, Wonderfool, Johnny Phoenix, Broon, Dragon Tales, Axel the Sot, Silent Lion and many many more talented and well-loved performers.

For seventeen years, Great Lakes Medieval Faire has brought record-breaking numbers of patrons into Ashtabula County, Ohio, and stimulated the economy of the county with the patronage of the faire's performers and employees, as well as the thousands of visitors each year.

Over the years, various members of the county and (Trumbull) township government have filed frivolous lawsuits against the faire and its owner, Larry Rickard, none of which have been found to be credible, and which have cost Mr. Rickard a great deal of money to defend.

In a last ditch effort to close the faire, a member of the township Board of Trustees has threatened legal action against many of the faire's vendors and employees.

A town hall meeting has been called for Thursday, August 13th at the Trumbull Twp Fire Department, located at 2443 OH 534 S, Geneva, OH. It is located approx 6 (six) miles south of I-90, and approx 1 (one) mile north of the faire site.

If you wish, as we do, to help the faire, please plan to attend the meeting at 7pm, Thursday, August 13th. We ask that you dress and behave in a professional and peaceful manner; to do otherwise would only injure our cause.

If you cannot attend the meeting but want to help, please contact one of the Trustees who are taking action against the faire and make your thoughts known:

Ron Tamburrino
6666 Dawsey Rd
Rock Creek, Oh 44084 440-474-4216

John T. Monahan III
6419 St. Rt 166
Rock Creek, Ohio 44084 440-474-4202

Willis Clay
4695 Hoffman
Rock Creek, Ohio 44084 440 563-5476

Well, The Olde Caravan (and hence, me, as I am it's director) opened its 2009 season at Buck's Eye Hollow (OSU Medieval & Ren Faire) on Saturday. The day was nice; cool, breezy, no rain. We warmed into the day, doing Stupid Gypsy Tricks, exploring as we went. I was feeling pretty good: new garb, well-rested (this is relative) and excited.

The faire opened at 11am.

By 12:30 I was down for the day.

We were having great fun entertaining and were getting into a good game of gypsyball (which was invented at the same faire last year). We played for about ten minutes before I came up to bat. I miss the first pitch, but the second was pretty good. I head for first base, and when I'm almost safe, I land wrong on my heel, and instead of the knee following through, my knee locked and I hyper-extended it in the wrong direction.

When I got my breath back, my folks took me to the ER, and I ended up on crutches (which are harder to operate than one might think). I gimped around and for the rest of the day, mostly sitting.

In spite of my ill-luck, the rest of the crew did great. They got their photos in the Columbus Dispatch:

Anyway, long story short, I'm doing much better; my knee still kills me, but I'm walking on my own. I can only hope that this is not an omen of the season to come.