Despite a tire (All Hail AAA!) blow out on the way up to Raleigh, NC, the weekend began with a late night arrival at Storybook Farm just outside of Chapel Hill. We parked the truck, trailer full of gear, and set up the three connecting tents -or “habi-tent” as Jeff dubbed it- in the wee hours of the morning and racked out. All three of us buried against the late Spring chill under a fluffy mound of blankets. That Friday was bright, cheery and almost depressingly beautiful in it’s frantic last minute preparations. Vendors arrived throughout the day, setting up shining white tents and beginning to set out their wares. Tiger of Tiger Torre Art arrived early and collected her due hugs. She was re-introduced to Evan, the tech lead for this year (honestly, the only tech person, there is only one “live electronics” stage at the festival), and I spent some time assisting her with her booth.
That night I walked the grounds with Jeff, spending some time gazing out over the silent field with it’s bevy of silent hawker’s stalls from the roof of the castle. It was quiet and peaceful… almost magical in it’s stillness and anticipation.
Saturday and Sunday brought rain to us. It was not the sweeping, dire and disastrous mess I know some might have feared. Fairies exist even in the harshest weather. Despite the chilly and sodden Saturday, we still had many through the gates of the wee castle where tickets were sold. Everyone there seemed friends, vendors that know each other from the Fairy Festival circuit and the crafts world, performers who have worked the same events for years, patrons that frequent the same types of events. If there is one thing that I will take away from this event, it is that: Family. I spent most of the weekend in a very low-key position, acting as general dogsbody, running errands, manning the coffee pot and generally behaving like the Genie from Aladdin (“Poof, what do you need? Poof, what do you need?!”)
I can’t wait until next year.
Silver Kitsune 