Betsy Snow White Bibliophile

Category: Wenchy Things

  • Medieval Monster Mash at the Forge

    Medieval Monster Mash at the Forge

    Saturday night I went with my Sister, Traci, and our friends Susan and Liz to The Forge Tavern for their Medieval Monster Mash starring Jameson’s Folly and special guests Fiendish. The Forge had a wonderful set up that allowed for safe play in times of Covid. Out table’s theme was witches, so we decided to dress as the witches of American Horror Story: Coven. I was Fiona Goode, Traci was Zoe Benson, Susan was Nan and Liz was Misty Day. Liz was in the running for Best Costume, but got an honorable mention instead. Our table got an award for having a great theme. Which was awesome, but wasn’t why we were there.

    Jameson’s Folly was on fire, and they were dressed as Joe Exotic (Chance), That Bitch Carole Baskin (Jennifer) and a Tiger (Johnna). Chance even managed an Irish step dance in cowboy boots. Then Fiendish took to the stage which was made up of our favorite three whiskey witches from the Renaissance Festival. They were also amazing and I am excited to hear more from them in the future.

    My sister and I shared a Rum flight, which lead to us finding one we are absolutely going to have to purchase, the waitress also said there is a Mermaid on the bottle which makes it even better.

  • Magical Days, Madrigal Nights – Final Weekend

    Magical Days, Madrigal Nights – Final Weekend

    Saturday was the final day of the Ohio Renaissance Festival’s Magical Days, Madrigal Nights and it was an absolutely magical day. For this final adventure it was just me and my friend, fellow wench and lady gang member, Susan.

    We arrived about 3:30 and almost immediately ran into friends who were attending for the first time this year (I managed 4 out of 5 somehow). We arranged some custom pieces from the glass artist, recruited several new wenches with any luck, sat and spoke to friends, sang a bit, conferred with witches and ended singing incredibly anachronistic songs at the pub sing in the Three Fools. It was a beautiful end to the season that wasn’t, but also kinda was. Here’s a health to the Company…

  • Magical Days, Madrigal Nights – Part 2

    Magical Days, Madrigal Nights – Part 2

    My husband and I’s 8th wedding anniversary was on the 6th. To celebrate we bought feast tickets to the Magical Days, Madrigal Nights event happening at the Ohio Renaissance Festival. We also decided to indulge and do the Witches of Willy-Nilly Whiskey Tasting.

    The Whiskey Tasting was fun and delicious, for $35 per person you get 7 shots of whiskey including a premium shot. The girl seated beside me, Becca, was absolutely adorable and we had a blast toasting and fist bumping our way through the drinks. My favorite was the black barrel, as was Seth’s but there honestly wasn’t a bad one in the mix. The witches sang an amazing conjuration song, and regaled us with whiskey facts as we got drunker and drunker, oops. I gave out several cards for the IWG to fun ladies, and I hope they join us.

    We met up with some other wenches after that and walked around to kill time. We got soft serve (with sprinkles), I bought a walking stick/crook, and we had a nice conversation with the glass artists about commissions and cats.

    Then we headed back to the feast. While we were waiting I snapped a picture of an adorable gnome and got my photo taken with the witches who I just love!

    The feast was delicious, but I forgot to take photos of the food. There was entertainment throughout including the faire’s improv troop made up mayhem, the queen’s choice singers, the witches and the pirates. It was very entertaining, and once the feast was over we headed home.

    These Magical Day, Madrigal Night events are not exactly like a ren faire day, but they keep the spirit alive. Huzzah!!

  • Welcome to Blogtober!!

    Welcome to Blogtober!!

    It is that time of year again, my favorite month and the month when I blog everyday. I have no idea what that might involve for 2020, but expect lots of fun fall, Halloween and other such content. Also some poetry, because that is what I am studying currently in school.

    On a gorgeous Sunday in mid-September I met with several members of the International Wenches Guild as well as The Witches of Willy-Nilly to record our version of the Hexenbrut. We gathered in the Sunhenge at the Renaissance Festival dressed in our witchy finery. After a few practice runs, we created a masked and socially distanced dance. The video was finally released by the Ohio Renaissance Festival, so I am free to share.

    This was an absolute blast to do, and it looks pretty good too! Dance along if you know it.

    Happy Blogtober!! Happy Full Moon!! See you tomorrow!!

  • It Should be Opening Day…

    It Should be Opening Day…

    If the world was as it should be today would be the opening day of the Ohio Renaissance Festival. Seth and I would be making our first wander around the grounds saying our hellos to our Rennie family. We would have gotten there early in order to finish dressing in the parking lot, and would have met up with friends by the opening gate where the Queen and the cast would lay out what this year’s story is. I might have had game boards to hand out to patrons for wench collecting, holding my blackboard with some clever saying to gain people’s interest. I might have been handing out business cards for the guild inviting women to join us in our shenanigans. I would have hugged my friend, fellow wench and madame of vice, Sarah, in her booth the moment I was inside the gate and we would have caught up for a few minutes before the rush of patrons hit to begin shopping. I would have wandered to the Vikings hoard to say hello to the vikings and so Den Mom could tempt me with some beautiful new fur to add to my collection.

    This year there will be no faire as I know it. I am feeling the absence in my soul like a great weight which is fueling my anxiety and making my life feel shockingly off kilter. Faire has long been for me a place of escape and succor, and to lose that is a strange thing indeed.

    Seth and I had already made the decision in July to have our season passes rolled to 2021 because of the pandemic. With Seth working in a school he is already in a higher risk environment and we did not want to make that risk any greater by being in such a public space, even with the precautions they were taking. When they cancelled completely in August, though, it hurt. Partly because even with our passes suspended we had planned on attending at least once or twice during the run, and partly because it made the threat of the pandemic seem even that much more real.

    On the plus side, OhRen has created some limited ticket smaller events called Magical Days, Madrigal Nights and I have tickets to two out of three days,including tickets for the Madrigal Feast on Octber 10. IWG 73 is planning to meet up to perform the Hexenbrut which we can publish on our Youtube channel for Halloween. And I am sure we will find some other things to get into as well.

    There will be things that will fill the space on my calendar that faire is leaving behind, but I am not sure about the space in my heart.

    Here’s to a better, healthier 2021. Hip, Hip, Huzzah!

  • The Wenches did a thing!

    The Wenches did a thing!

    The lovely ladies of International Wenches Guild Local 73 did a pass the cup/ wench up video. I am at 1:48. We (well I) also set up a youtube channel, so we will be doing so many more things. We don’t know yet if there will be a Renaissance Festival this year, but that won’t stop us from playing.

  • Isolation Chronicles: Support Your Local Businesses

    I had posted earlier in the Isolation that I purchased a mystery book box from one of my favorite local bookshops The Book Loft. Since that purchase I have been trying very hard to support other local and small businesses in any way I can. Whether that is ordering food, buying products, or just providing support. Here are some of my favorite shops, stores that I could not recommend more.

    1. Elder Forest Soap – I call Katie and Nathan our soap people. Seth and I have almost exclusively used their soaps for the last several years. We have stalked them in a friendly “man I need soap” way to many a festival, and we think of them as friends. I also swear by their pain balm, their salves and their natural deodorant. Recommended soap scents: Rosemary, Patchouli Spice, Sandalwood Rose and Woodland.
    2. Brother’s Drake Meadery – One of the first local meaderies to open in Columbus Ohio. They make amazing meads and if you are local and no longer in lockdown you can take an awesome tour with them. They are also delivering locally and nationwide. Recommended meads: Strongarm and Battleaxe
    3. Blonde Swan Hats – I have owned many Blonde Swan hats in my life and I love them. Blonde Swan is based out of Northern Ohio and they make absolutely amazing leather and suede hats. I ordered a new hat for Ren Faire and an amazing feather piece to wear on it in the last week. My wedding hat was a Blonde Swan that cost more than my actual dress, lol. Seth’s wedding hat was also a Blonde swan. If you like Blonde Swan on facebook she is offering some amazing deals as Warehouse Wednesday too. Recommended Buys: Any and all Witch hats!
    4. Prologue Bookshop – Prologue is another amazing local bookstore in Columbus. I am a member of their LGBTQ+Allies book club, and I have been buying my books for that directly from them to support them because I have the funds available to do so.  This book club reads books written by LGBTQ authors and is a wonderful open group.
    5. Zen Bee Meadery – Yep, another meadery. I love mead. Zen Bee is a smaller part time local meadery that creates delicious session meads, which means they are lower ABV than some other meads. They are delicious and easy to drink. Recommended Meads: Braspberry, Karma Apple
    6. Witch Baby Soap – This is my favorite place to get bath bombs. They smell amazing, sometimes they have crystals and stones in them, and they are totally witchy. They offer quarterly spell boxes which give you one bomb a month for the quarter, plus soaps and extras. Recommended: Psychic Bath Bomb, Rune Stone Bath Bomb. and the Astrological Cake Bath Bombs.

    These are some of my favorite local/small businesses. Do you have some you are supporting right now? Share with me so I can check them out.

     

  • My Birthday in a Post.

    My Birthday in a Post.

    Yesterday was my birthday. I am officially 39. I spent most of early yesterday with curlers in my hair getting ready for the Fancy Dress Party at the Forge Tavern later in the day. My husband, Seth, surprise d me at midnight while I was putting my curlers in with my birthday present from him: Dungeons and Dragons Castle Ravenloft the Board Game. It is a stand alone version of the Curse of Strahd which is a module for D&D that I am planning to Dungeon Master later this year. We can play it to prepare, and also use the figurines from the game when running my game later. I am super excited.

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    Once we were ready we met my mom and sister for dinner at Tomatillo’s in Worthington for dinner. They gave me my present from them then. They got me a new Fitbit Versa, the game Punderdome and The Literary Witches Oracle. They also got me a unicorn hand sanitizer holder, which my mom bought before all the chaos really started, but it is super handy now.

    Then we all headed to The Forge Tavern for the Fancy Dress Party. Jameson’s Folly, which is made up of the Wenches a’ Wailing from the Renaissance Festival and their friends, was performing as a St. Patrick’s Day celebration.  The Forge made the decision not to cancel in spite of the covid-19 restrictions and instead to limit the number of people who are allowed to attend. I would say there were about 50 of us in attendance in the end, but it was a lovely night. I was gifted a lovely unicorn music box from my friend Carol, an adorable birthday wineglass from my friend Mary, and my friend Susan made me a necklace based on the book The Starless Sea. I will absolutely admit to having far too much to drink, but in spite of that it was a lovely night. Jameson’s Folly even wished me a happy birthday in a bunch of languages, did a toast to me and sang an encore song just for me.

    All in all it was an absolutely amazing birthday. Today they have officially closed all the restaurants and bars, and I am so thankful that I was able to have one more night of fun before that hit. I am 39 and the world feels like chaos, but last night I was surrounded by my favorite people so it is all okay.

  • I Am Featured on the Ohio Renaissance Festival Blog!

    One of our lovely new Wenches, for International Wenches Guild Local 73 is the primary blogger for the Ohio Renaissance Festival. She let us know that she would be writing about the Local on the blog and since I am the Madame she asked me to write a bit about how I came to be Madame and how I got involved in the Guild. There is also a video from December and the Krampus Parade where I talk about the guild and what it means. You can check it out Here.

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  • March Onward!!

    It’s March! It is my and my husband’s birthday month! I will be 39 on March 14th and Seth will be 36 on the 30th. I was very excited that The Forge Tavern is holding another Fancy Dress Party on my birthday, so we have decided to attend that as my birthday celebration. I am going to be doing some random about me posts through the month in honor of my not almost forty birthday.

    On the first day of March here is a photo dump of things I got into in February.

    On the 15th The International Wenches Guild Local 73 met up in my hometown of Newark at the Buckeye Winery, for a Galentine’s celebration. We also hit up the new Sand Hollow Speakeasy and The White Cottage, a shop that sells beautiful jewelry and clothing.

    Last week we saw Stadium Virginium IV: Rock of Love featuring Virginia West. As usual it was an amazing show with amazing performances. I am always so blown away with the quality and production of the West Family shows. They are beyond expectations. There is definitely a reason they sell out all the time.

     

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    February was a mixed bag with super highs and lows that included being sick for nearly two weeks but also amazing shows, several runs of dungeons and dragons, wenches, the lady gang, and amazing shows. I cannot wait to see what March brings.