- What is it that you do? I provide information on where and when people can find Renaissance, Medieval, Celtic, Scottish, Viking and Faerie Festivals all across the United States and Canada. I have a website with these details and more. I also set my tent up at smaller faires where I hand out flyers, hang maps and tell people about the faires that I have been to.
- What got you interested in starting out in this business? The first few years I attended Ren faires, I had a hard time finding out where and when the next one was. Fugli the musician suggested that I set up a tent at faires. Even though I didn’t have anything to sell, I set up my tent in 2009 with no website, just the flyers and maps while I was just providing info on these wonderful events in and around Oklahoma. Around 2011, I started my website. I went to a nationwide list around 2015 and added Canada’s events in 2020.
- What was your local faire or home faire? I have had so many over the years. Oklahoma has a smaller population than most states so it’s kind of hard to let thousands of people know about these events and keep the new, small ones going, let alone expand. (That’s the reason I do what I do.) The one I admired and longed for the most was the former King Arthur Faire in Stroud, Oklahoma. It was small but many acts and vendors in the middle of America got their start there or performed there. It ran until 2006. The miraculous thing is, the guy who used to run it is now running a Medieval Faire in Stroud each September with plans to return to his old site in a few years. Huzzah!
- What do you miss most about faire? Oh, I go through this every winter. It saddens me each fall to think that it will be months before I can see my faire friends. I was fortunate to attend an Irish Fest, a Scottish Fest and a Medieval Faire in 2020. I usually get to spend 15 – 18 days a year at faires. I hope to be blessed to visit at least a dozen days this year, including to a couple of faires that I have never been to before.
- Why Renaissance Faires or theme? What is it that made you so interested in this period? They are such a great escape from the Rat Race! That’s what I tell everyone that I invite to them. I am a history buff and it’s so relaxing to be at faires. During my first trip to the Castle of Muskogee, I was captivated by the trebuchets they were firing back then, the hammered dulcimer music of Mary Hanover in the group Tullamore and by the sites, smells and sounds that were totally different than present-day life.
- Describe your first experience with us or your best experience (could be worst experience if you want to share that). When I’m at faire, I try to always speak with an English accent that I have picked up from watching movies and t.v. shows. Some people have asked me where I’m from because of it so I talk like an Okie and admit that I’m from Tulsa. When I was at the Cowley County Renfest in 2014, I was talking to bagpiper and Scotland native, Ian Briggs. A patron asked where we were from. I told him that Ian was Scottish and I apologized to Ian for my English accent which must have been pitiful compared to a true Brit. He just started laughing.
- In five years (or less) my goal is to: Have an archery show like no one has ever seen before. I have a plan and scripts for a show but I need to get Rotator cuff surgery this April which will sideline my shooting for the rest of the year. I also plan to sell some items from my booth, maybe even by this fall.
- At faire, what was your garb/attire your usual go to? I dress as an archer. Before I first started garbing up in 2010, I saw lots of knights, pirates and rogues but no archers. I had taken an archery class a few years before and enjoyed it a lot. The first few events where I was garbed up, people were calling me “Robin Hood” and I tried to let them know that my name was Craigmeister but I couldn’t keep up with them all so I just went with the Hood’s moniker until my trip to the Sherwood Forest Faire. I didn’t want to try to live up to that title there. (I didn’t know how friendly the sheriff was there, either.)
- What makes you stand out? Since I started my website, each month I have gone through the websites and social media sites of the faires I list to see if they have new dates. I put the most current dates they provide on my website. In the past year, there have been times when I was updating it every two weeks as the situations required it.
- Plug your website or fan page here (or both)
Good day. If you are looking for current information on Renfaires and the like across this great country and Canada, please visit www.meistersrealm.com There are many other fun things to find there as well. If you see me at a faire, please come say “hi” or visit my Meister’s Realm tent for a free flyer and let me know what faires you have been to. If you have any questions that I can’t answer, I’ll get your answer after the event and get back with you. You can also keep up with me on the Forums at www.renaissancefestival.com I have thousands of photos at “Meisters Realm Photos” on the Book of Faces. https://www.facebook.com/meisters.realm If you know of any events I don’t have listed on my website, please let me know. You can advertise your event, act or business on my web page for the amazingly low price of $5 per year.
Always a willing lad to help you out!
A/N Thank you to Meisters Realm letting me feature them on this blog. Again, I don’t do any research on the folks that want to be featured, this is just a free promotional service that I provide.
If you, your group, your troupe would like to be featured on this blog, please reach out to us on http://www.facebook.com/renperfmerch to let us know.
Merry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet Again! HUZZAH!
