I have a lot of fond feelings for Dicken's Faire, I realized after visiting it for the first time this season last Sunday. Freezer Faire at Cal Expo was the first faire I ever worked. I was 11 years old, and it was just my mom and me. She worked at the candy store for St. Cuthberts, and I was a theme character: the oldest of the Cratchit children, Martha. I was the one who was off working for a milliner and hid in the closet to surprise Mr. Cratchit with my return. It was a good gig. Of course, I spent nearly every moment of my free time when we weren't actively gigging or I wasn't helping mom in the candy store off at Fezziwig's. Even then I was enchanted by dancing. In fact, I directly blame Dicken's Faire for my current obsession with partner dancing in all of it's forms. Before that year, I had only done solo dancing. Twas Dicken's that introduced me to ballroom dancing, which led directly to me learning modern ballroom, followed by swing, which I have been doing ever since. It was logical then, for me to join up with Fezziwig's the next time I had a chance, in 1995, once again as a theme character from A Christmas Carol. That time I was Miss Ariel Fezziwig, the youngest of the Fezziwig daughters. I was 16, but was supposed to be playing a large 12 year old. It was a great fun. It's hard to believe that that was 11 years ago. And now the current manifestation of Dicken's at the Cow Palace has been going on for years, and I have not become involved again for one reason or another.

I feel drawn back to it now though. I can't imagine working an entire run of Renaissance faire again, quite frankly. It is just a bit too much. I like visiting, but it doesn't really call me that way that Dicken's does. So perhaps next year I will get it together enough to actually make Dicken's happen. I may even go back for the last day of this run on Saturday. I'm working on a new costume all this week whilst on vacation from school. (I love being on vacation!!!). I most likely won't be able to work every weekend no matter what, since I still have other commitments, but I could most likely work the majority of the weekends next year, especially now that I know that there are people who go out every week from Davis that I could catch rides with.