What a blast we had this year at our Reformation Day Faire! I can't believe it's already come and gone...but, it's never too early to start planning for next year! With this coming year being John Calvin's 500th birthday, the focus of our next event with be on him and his work in Geneva. This year we featured Scotland and John Knox, observed a boffer war and the highland games (and yes, there were participants in these events, but WE were happy onlookers :)), feasted, sang, listened to the delightful music provided by Nathan Clark George, learned about the Reformation in Scotland with some presentations from my dad as well as a short skit. Overall we were very pleased with the event and are already looking forward to next year!
We didn't get as many pictures as we hoped. but thankfully there were other shutter-bugs from church helping to get this event recorded, so you can view more photos here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here! If I come across any more, I'll be sure to put up links! :)
We didn't get as many pictures as we hoped. but thankfully there were other shutter-bugs from church helping to get this event recorded, so you can view more photos here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here! If I come across any more, I'll be sure to put up links! :)
"Yup! Yur my pardner...the one with the big ears, ya' kinda look like Bing Crosby..."(Thanks to Ben for the inspiration for the caption! :))
Em, Dad and Caleb listening to the music.
The Servens who came in costume...only our monk didn't leave the house in that garb. :) Then again, I don't think I would either. ;)
Check out his stylish hat! Isn't he just so cute?!?!
The seamstresses at the Baggins booth.
Marching to the battle field being led by the piper...does this kind of remind you of the Pied Piper of Hamelin?
Setting up for the first rush.
I just loved those cowboy boots! :) What a Tennessee-an!!
The calm before the storm...
Then comes the battle cry.
And the charge!
Going back in time with the bagpipes during the Highland Games!
Yeah...just ignore the modern technology and that name tag...
See...what did I tell you!? We DID go back in time...check out that spiffy outfit and hat!
Nathan Clark George gets ready to take part in the battle.
Lunging.
Nathan and Caleb.
Caleb and his band of Merry Men.
Doesn't he look warm?
Father and Son.
Battle plans.
In the thick of battle.
Some lovely surveyors.
Lunch was provided by our favorite local meat store and a good time was had catching up with good friends over freshly grilled food.
The caber toss...yes, the Highlanders had some rather strange games. :)
Hoping it's a winner.
Aha! Here's a picture of our Caber Tossing Champion! Master Justin Ryken was able to throw that log farther than anybody else...only because the McDonald lasses didn't give it a try, though. ;)
Jessica (a.k.a. Mary, Queen of Scots) and her train.
An interview with John Knox...during which she sat without speaking, quite mad, for fifteen minutes.
Singing the Psalms with the Serven Clan.
Why, yes! It IS the poster family! :)
Our amazing apple and tomato choppers! Y'all were AMAZING!
3lbs of leafy lettuce to go with Mrs. Bandy's fabulous spaghetti...don't you wish you were there? ;)
And this was just the pasta!
A shilling for their thoughts?
And, as usual, we closed the night with dancing.
Great post Tiff! I had such a wonderful time! I just cannot believe it is all over for this year! :( But your right there is always next year!!
ReplyDeleteOh and thank you for not posting that awful picture of me! (The one with my hair in my face) ;)
I cannot wait till next year!!
Love you!
Haha! Looks like you all had a wonderful time - I would love to have been there! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm currently going through a 'tudor' phase - I've been reading biographies of Lady Jane Grey and Mary Queen of Scots, one devoutly Protestant, the other devoutly Catholic, both living during the reformation period. The talk on Knox and the reformation in Scotland would have been interesting.
John Knox was certainly a great champion of Protestantism, but he could be quite venomous towards Mary Queen of Scots - although obviously there was antagonism on both sides. I'm so glad Protestants and Catholics today aren't constantly expending precious energy attacking each other all the time. . . we may not agree on doctrinal matters, but at least we're not killing each other!
Lovely post following up lovely times! I'm rather partial to the picture with the little guy in the boots myself, but they're all such beautiful pictures.
ReplyDeleteLaura
As much as I love the McDonald lasses, I will have to say I am quite proud of my son being able to out-throw the Providence men and visitors. Maybe next year you can give it a try...
ReplyDeleteMakes you wonder what group of people makes up a game like that. It had to be a bunch of young guys after church, sitting around bragging....
ReplyDelete"I bet I can throw that log further than you."
"Bet you can't!"
And thus, a national sport is born.
Also explains why there aren't that many trees left in Scotland!
500 years, has it really been that long? Time just flies when you are having fun. Maybe for next year the California church will have to send out a few diplomatic emissaries, to encourage friendly relations between churches, of course! (I'll volunteer!)
Great pictures! (Do you not love digital cameras? You can shoot as much as you want, and not worry about development costs.) Made me feel like I was actually there. Perhaps there are a few ideas shown that I can steal for next week...
How many people do you think showed up?
Grand party, grand description, grand times, in short, looks like it t'was grand!
Later,
BFH
Meli Dear,
ReplyDeleteIt was a lovely event...next year it should be three days! :) Haha...it's a pretty funny picture, though...and Jess thinks you look cute! :) Love ya!
Editrix,
The whole event was fabulous, but it would've been far better if my mom had been able to attend. :( You ought to try and come next year! :) We had guests from TX, ID, MI, AR, MO, IA, MN, IN, and TN...and some others, but the rest escape me! :) So, please do consider coming next year...it would be so nice to meet you in person!
Ahhhh...I love the costumes from the Tudor era. One of these days I'll get around to making some. :) Jane Grey is one of our greatest heroines and we've studied quite a bit about her. We actually had a short skit last year about her, even though the theme was Martin Luther. :) While it is true that Knox and Mary were not friends, and neither was perfect, Knox always sought to treat her with the utmost respect, realizing that she was the ruler of his beloved country. It is also true that he often made her mad and even brought her to tears. But it was only done because he was so desirous that she might embrace the Reformed faith and help put an end to the murder that was happening across the world. They were sad times. But we are so grateful to be able to look back and learn from those who have gone before us. As was our slogan when we published Homeschooling Today magazine, we are learning from the past with a vision for the future. :)
Laura,
It was so nice to see y'all again, and I wish y'alls visit was so short. :( We should seriously consider heading back down to TN for a visit. :) And those boots with that kilt was soooo cute! :) William put his cowboy boots on with his little "dress" that morning! :) Silliness...
Mrs. Ryken,
Yes, your Justin was amazing! I only wish I had been there to see him throw it! If we do try it next year, it might take all three of us to pick it up and give it a try! :)
Ben,
lol...I'd never thought of that! :) How funny...but really, all the people to participated said it was tons of fun.
YES...I do think that we need some visitors from CA. Maybe the Chairman and his family...doesn't he have assistants, rally organizers, etc that NEED to come as well? ;)
This year was simply wonderful, but we're hoping next year will be even better...like I said above, please try to convince your family (and church family!) to come out...the more the merrier, eh?
William looks sooo CUTE!! Well... everybody does! Wish I could of been there!
ReplyDeleteDid Mom go or was here back still hurting?
Love you!
Christa,
ReplyDeleteIsn't he just a dream? :) Next year maybe Joshua can wear that outfit. ;) Unfortunately, we don't have very many pics of the rest of us...but I'm sure some of the other links have some of us.
Mom went for part of Saturday and then I took her home right after lunch. She had to forgo Sunday as well, but thankfully, she's feeling much better today!
Oh, call me when you get a second...I need to run something by you!
Love ya!
I would LOVE to come Tiffany - but if I want to go next year I'll have to start saving for a return flight ticket from Brisbane to x in the U.S., lol! But who knows, one day I might go to America :)
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about John Knox/Mary Stuart. I'm getting the feeling that the bio I'm reading was not written by a Christian, hence she may be a little biased against Knox and the radical new reformed faith (well, 'new' 500 years ago!) of which he was such a great advocate. It's still a great book, though.
Good grief! I am glad that I did not make an appearance in that outfit. It looks terrible!
ReplyDeleteIt was a delightful day, Tiffany. Thanks for all that you did to help make it so for all of us who attended. I wish we lived closer so that we could have stayed around to help clean up afterward. Hoping that it works out for you to come up for the "Messiah".
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Jessica
Editrix,
ReplyDeleteI had no idea you lived abroad! Well, if ever you do make it out here, try to schedule your visit around Reformation Day! ;)
My sister read a book on Mary, Queen of Scots which was not written by a Christian, so it was rather biased. :) I don't know that there is a book on her that is from a Christian though...there are some on Knox, but I can't think of any on Mary.
Peter,
Aw...it doesn't look that bad! It just looks monky... :) But, it really would've made the war a little difficult. :) So glad y'all made it up here!
Jessica,
Yes, it would be so nice to live closer to y'all...but as my mom was telling me the other day, the road is never long to a friends house. :) And it looks like we'll be able to make it to the Messiah! So long as we don't forget the tickets this year. :) I think my sister and brother-in-law will be in town and they're very interested in going as well! :) Hopefully we'll see you then!
Looks like SO much fun!! Especially the costumes:-)
ReplyDeleteWe were wondering... when are you getting married?:-D
I enjoyed meeting you, William, and your parents when you came for our WA state Christian Heritage conference a few years ago! We totally loved the line your father used about big families: "Whenever you get out of the van, diapers and napkins follow!":-D We can totally relate, so we were dying in our seats long after everyone else finished laughing!:-P Then on our way home from the conference, we got out at a restaurant and the potty chair fell out.:-D We couldn't stop laughing, and our grandma had no idea why it was so funny!:-P
Great pictures Tiffany! We didn't capture many photos so we REALLY enjoyed looking and viewing those of you who did! ;) We sure had a nice time...Thank you to your family for putting so much effort into a lovely day! Sure wish your Mother could have enjoyed it as well! We'll have to catch up with her another time...Looking forward to seeing some of you in December I hear at the Messiah...Should be GREAT fun! Hope you are recovering from the big weekend...Much Love
ReplyDeleteHello Tiffany!
ReplyDeleteI love the pictures since we weren't able to be there. Although we probably wouldn't have come, I still thought that it would be really neat to.
I made my little brother, Jaden, a 'monk' costume (like the Serven's one, only much much more small) and I have to admit that he looks very cute in it! Also, I made a costume (a mix of Rebecca and Sarah Servens' costumes) for me. It was fun making them and we're going to wear them on Reformation Day! My older brother, Caleb ;), liked the costume (that I made Jaden) so much that he asked me to make one for him!!! :) LOL
Blessings In Christ,
Johanna Kautt
Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteIt looks like y'all (Is that correct in Texan'?:)) had a wonderful time. I am so sorry your Mom wasn't able to fully enjoy it - we pray she's already feeling better.
We are off today to finalize our Reformation Day. We will use the RV as our supply hauling vehicle. Even though Ben's in charge, it's definitely a family (and church family) affair!
Hopefully, it will be as successful as yours.
Blessings, Mrs.H
Hi Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteDon't forget Nebraska. We were there too. :-)
I've posted some pics on my blog - and tracking back to yours today.
http://frommeandmyhouse.com/blog-fromme/2008/10/31/reformation-day/
Lisa @ Me and My House
http://frommeandmyhouse.com
Laura,
ReplyDeleteIt was fun and we are really looking forward to next year being even better! :) Unfortunately, Jared and I are no longer betrothed. Homeschooling and large families certainly have some hilarious stories, don't they?! ;) And what's even more funny, is that people who don't share in this miss out on why things like that are so humorous! :) Thanks for commenting!
Anna,
We were so excited y'all were able to make it! It was so nice to see y'all again and I wish we had had more time to catch up! BUT...the Messiah is just around the corner, so we'll have to make sure get some talking in there! :) Love ya!
Johanna,
Awww...well y'all really ought to consider coming up next year! The first planning meeting was yesterday, so it's bound to be even bigger and better next time around! :) Costumes are so much fun to make and I love it when people are so willing to dress up! :)
Mrs. H.,
Yes, that's correct Texan, alright! ;) My mom is feeling much better and we were so disappointed she wasn't able to make it. Next year, we'll make sure she stays home sitting down the whole week before! lol... I'm looking forward to seeing some pictures and updates on y'alls faire! I'm really keen on Ben's idea of sending people back and forth to each others faires to keep friendly feelings between the churches. lol
Lisa,
Aha! I knew there was another state I was missing, but I couldn't figure out what it was! And I didn't realize y'all were from NE...lol, that just goes to show you how much I was paying attention to name tags! :) It was such a pleasure to see y'all and I'm glad y'all had a great time! Looking forward to next year!
That was fun! looking forward to next time. :)
ReplyDeleteI know this is late, but I love the pics and your comments :) You have a good sense of humor, and especially hit it with the image of Jessica (aka Queen of Scots) sitting in silent anger while John Knox prattled on. LOL Yes Queen Mary would have, and if it'd been me, I would have taken the Queen Elizabeth approach instead and given him a piece of my mind.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your wedding!