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Welcome, Friends

Hark! Today marks the opening of the festival season of Mount Hopeshire, a land of magic, mystery, and mayhem. It's one of our favorite places.

We are Ax and Lotti, two venturers of the Shire. We go every possible weekend to celebrate and revel at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival. Here we shall share our journey and tips for visitors and fellow travelers. Whether you seek food, theatre, or crafts, we hope to be a trusty and amusing guide for your travels. 

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Week 5, Hour 5 at Mount Hopeshire - 3 p.m. Wizarding Weekend

The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire (PRF) is a land of magic: faeries, furries, witches, and yes-- even time travel. The Wizarding Weekend certainly brings more of the Shire's mysteries to a boiling point in the alcohol-filled cauldron of entertainment. As we enter the fifth hour of our wonderous journey, our time doubles as the cauldron bubbles. Read on to learn more of the marvels of the soothsayer Cosmo's fortunes and fables, pub trivia at the Pyrate Ship, and a bonus review of the Cirque la Vie aerial act.  3 p.m. Cosmo is a delight, and his act on O'Malley's stage is sure to please travelers of all ages. This intimate and accessible setting encourages audience interaction, which Cosmo weaves masterfully into his improvised stories and tales to hilarious and/or heroic effect. Perhaps he will sing thee a charming ballad on his ukulele, or regale curious fortune-seekers with mystic insight into what the stars have written. (It has been said that Cosmo himself is born u...
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Week 1, Hour 1 at Mount Hopeshire - 11 a.m. Fairies & Fantasy Weekend

The Pennsylvania Renaissance faire is a world full of wonder, awe and constant stimulation. The storytelling of our journey will occur through one hour chapters. Through our weekly attendance to this season’s fair, each entry in this blog will be an hour of the day at the Ren Fair. This will not only give insight to our fellow travels about what a day at the Renaissance faire entails, but also an entire summary of this year’s 45th season of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. 11 a.m. The first entry and already you are getting a little bit of a bonus, as the start of the day at Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire (PRF) occurs much before the entry time of 11 a.m.  If you are traveling to the PRF, chances are you are taking the PA Turnpike. Much like the price you pay to a troll to cross the bridge, the price to cross the Susquehanna (if going eastbound) is more expensive each year; however, it is the most direct route. We suggest you plan an extra 10-15 minutes to your travel time as th...
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Week 4, Hour 4 at Mount Hopeshire - 2 p.m. Viking Weekend

'Tis now the hour of two, dear readers, and as we depart the peaceful serenades of the Burly Minstrels at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire (PRF), we find ourselves surrounded by fur-clad and face-painted warriors! For it is now Viking Weekend at the Shire, and luckily, these Norsemen and Norsewomen pose no threat. The Viking week theme is one of our favorites here at The Shire Spectator . The costumes are always the most creative, plus it gives Ax and Lotti an excuse to break out their own furs for adornment. From the divine poetry of Odin, to the courting ritual of writing prose to those you love, poetry was a significant part of the Norse culture. So, it is only fitting that Lotti and Ax head to the next showing of "the wildly inappropriate" poetry of Arthur Greenleaf Holmes. Brace thy selves, faire readers, for with today’s telling, we shall play the Bard Card. 2 p.m. Located at the Ball and Chain Stage, this is without a doubt the most popular show at the Shire. Si...
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