So I just had to share LRF with someone. Now as it turned out, I happened to get reacquainted with a young friend of mine -- Regina -- earlier this year at the Texas Renaissance Festival. She had been off the faire circuit for nearly two years due to a serious illness, but a dramatic improvement in her health over the summer allowed her to make a triumphal return to TRF this Fall. Or nearly triumphal. As a playtron, she normally attends TRF as the faerie Aviana (Photo, Left: Regina playing Aviana at LRF Closing Weekend), but most of her Faerie garb -- including her wings -- were misplaced following a house fire at Christmas. Even so, I just knew that Regina would make a big hit at LRF, especially if she could go as Aviana. For one thing, LRF has always had a very active Faerie Court. It might be a small Court, but it has always been open to new ideas. As an outstanding example of Faerie garb, Aviana's costume would certainly catch their attention, I was sure. For another, the LRF Court had developed a positive working relationship with the TRF Fey last year. For example, they adopted the whistling, chirping, trilling language which is the hallmark of the TRF Faeries in the course of a single season. Surely, Regina's personal experience as a Fey playtron at TRF would interest the LRF Faeries, greatly. Then, too, LRF has already established an outstanding reputation for unstinting friendliness and open hospitality. Since Regina makes friends easily and likes to play at faire, I had no doubt but the good folks at LRF would receive her with open arms and a very warm welcome.

Our visit to Louisiana almost didn't happen. At the last minute, Regina had to quit her day job abruptly over a personal issue. With no income and no immediate prospects of employment on her part, it looked like our plans were ruined! But sensing how bitterly disappointed she was over that sudden turn of events, I made her an offer: if she'd bring some tunez to keep our drive lively; hold up her end of our conversation during our trip so I wouldn't fall asleep at the wheel; and use her map-reading skills to help us navigate crosscountry to Hammond and back, I'd pick up the full tab for the weekend. Free. All expenses paid. Absolutely NO obligation on her part. Admittedly, it called for a great deal of trust on Regina's part, but she agreed -- and, as it soon proved, it was an excellent bargain for both of us!

Getting there was half the fun. As usual, the State of Louisiana tried to keep us out by tearing up miles and miles of Interstate Highway, snarling weekend traffic with road construction. Regina and I left Houston before 3pm on Friday, fully expecting to make Lafayette no later than 10pm that night. Our trip started out uneventfully enough, until we encountered a major traffic backup this side of Beaumont -- a traffic backup that stretched clear to the Texas-Louisiana border some 30 miles away, where they were working on the bridge there. Praise the Godz for an onboard Navigator! Regina took one look at my road atlas and quickly plotted us a course around that obstacle. Unfortunately, there was MORE road construction between Lake Charles and Lafayette, necessitating another long detour through back-country Louisiana. So we didn't arrive in Lafayette until almost midnight and were only able to secure a motel room because I'd had the forethought to make a prepaid reservation a week in advance!

On the other hand, the long drive upcountry was an excellent opportunity for both of us to simply talk and share our personal thoughts, beliefs and experiences together. Fortunately, Regina could not only carry the conversational ball but run with it as well, so our chat ranged freely, widely -- and sometimes wildly! -- from the trivial to the tragic. Now Regina had always impressed me as a very intelligent, thoughtful and expressive young lady of considerable talent and imagination right from our earliest email correspondence. What I didn't know about her -- yet was delightfully surprised to now discover! -- was the sheer depth and range of her thoughts, intelligence and personality. In just nine hours we learned a whole lot more about each other than we had in the previous five years as faire friends! Not that all our conversations that night were serious, mind you. Like many young women these days, she has quite a crush on Orlando Bloom, the actor who plays Legolas, one of the elves in the movie version of "Lord of the Rings." I couldn't help but tease her gently a bit then, suggesting that she might meet an Elf at LRF, become friends and watch it bloom into a warm and lasting relationship. As it soon proved, those were prophetic words, indeed!!!

LRF 2001 -- The Second Season at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival, with links to their First Season Review and a Virtual Tour of LRF for your viewing pleasure.

Standard Disclaimer: This webpage is strictly an *Unofficial* look at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival held near Hammond, LA in the Parish of Tangipahoa. The author of these pages is in no way, shape, manner or form connected with the Louisiana Renaissance Festival (OFFICE ADDRESS: PO Box 220, Robert, LA 70455-0220) and/or any of the sponsors associated with this event. All opinions expressed are strictly this author's own. LRF logo courtesy of the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. Unless noted otherwise, all photographs are copyright ©2000-2003 by George Laking.