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Maryland Renaissance Festival |
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Nine weekends in a virtual 16th century village, the annual Maryland Renaissance Festival features hundreds of professional entertainers — King Henry VIII and his entourage, jousts on horseback, 12 stages of continuous entertainment, comedy and skills, swordswallower extraordinaire Johnny Fox, magicians, acrobats, authentic costumes, music, taverns, yummy foods, and superb craftspeople. For a closer, more intimate look at many of the individual performers, visit the Revel Grove unofficial but clearly very loving site. It's the next best thing to being there. Photograph by R. H. Grainger. Click for larger view (51KB). The Kadon gamepuzzles booth is aptly named "Ye Olde Gamery" and provides an arcane arcade atmosphere with challenges and laughs galore. There is a $1.00 playing fee per puzzle, refunded upon purchase. Our award-winning new pavilion (above), constructed in 1998, is a spacious 20x24x24 ft. and replaced the long-outgrown original booth used since 1985.  Photograph by Angelika PetrikPatrons in costume make merry at the gaming table set in front of the shop, a special attraction with a large market umbrella providing shade and atmosphere. In black leather is Sir Kenneth Isbell, who inspired and for a number of years manned the game table featuring the Royal Game of the Goose. This Festival is our home show. We've been a fixture with fairgoers for 25 years as of the 2008 season.  Photograph by Arthur Blumberg The spacious interior of the Kadon booth has lots of room for displaying many puzzles on the walls, and plenty of seating for players and puzzlers to be entertained.
For many years, visitors were greeted by the friendly smile of "Sir" Fabian (above left), who also built much of the pavilion. He is greatly missed since retiring to Florida. Filling in during the 2004 season was the energetic Bjarne Viken (above right), a handsome "pirate" from Norway. After the season, the Kadon crew, in costume, celebrated an evening of dinner and horsemanship at Medieval Times. Here's the official group portrait (70KB).
Making an entrance, Mistress Katrina, the proprietress, is seen here in her finest regalia, with streaming sleeves tied up, bodice laced, and the famous puzzle necklace around her neck. Must have been chilly that day.
"Sir" Kenneth Isbell explains the finer points of the Game of the Labyrinth, a unique and exclusive feature at Ye Olde Gamery. His many years' tenure as goose master ended in 2006.
Mistress Rolinda Collinson, our lovely and vivacious goose mistress who came on board in the 2008 season, brings fun and delight to visitors of all ages in experiencing an authentic Renaissance game.
As Kadon's resident gamemaster, Sir Richard is one of the most colorful and esteemed characters of the "village." Here he is again, a year later, this time with longer hair and shorter beard, pondering a particularly strategic move. Note the now-finished stucco walls. |
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