King Henry VIII plans annual visit to Revel Grove
Every fall, Sir Richard Mondes, mayor of Revel Grove, spends countless hours budgeting and planning for the village’s annual Harvest Festival. He ensures there’s plenty of food to eat, mead to drink and merriment to be had. This year, readying the village for the festival requires extra effort. King Henry VIII is rumored to be attending again – and all eyes are on Mondes to deliver the pomp and circumstance that accompanies such a high-profile visit.
Your guide to festival fashion
“Who are you wearing?” might be the catchphrase at this year’s Harvest Festival when the King and his court come to Revel Grove. When these courtiers walk into town, you’ll notice bedazzled fabrics, royal hues and luxurious footwear. The clothing of one of these lords or ladies is probably worth more than anyone’s house in the village. During the Renaissance Festival, visitors to the village who are unprepared with the right clothing can rent from the village costumer.
Bubonic plague woes no longer haunt village
Renaissance doctors are still trying to determine the cause of the bubonic plague that swept through London last year killing roughly 10 percent of the population. “The prevailing theory is that it was caused by bad air and the odors in the air made you ill. But the good news is that the plague is behind us, and we no longer have to wear masks stuffed full of herbs day and night to keep us from getting sick,” said Sir Richard Mondes, mayor of Revel Grove.
Woman-owned brewery hosts grand opening
When Mayor Mondes fired his cook, Mistress Cecily Clark, last year over a menu disagreement, she was forced to leave town. She left behind everything—her job, her fiancé and her home.
Never one to cower in the face of challenge, Clark vowed to return to Revel Grove a new woman. Her plan? Strike out on her own as an entrepreneur and set the stage for centuries of female business owners to come.
Farmer reports abundance of turkey and steak for King's visit
With the Harvest Festival around the corner, the value of apple stocks (also known as barrels of apples) in Revel Grove is quickly on the rise. Apple cider and apple tarts are some of the festival’s most popular treats, and farmer Jim McGregor fears he won’t be able to keep up with demand.
Local business shares return to work tip
It’s difficult to keep good staff members these days, but you might want to take a page out of apple farmer Jim McGregor’s employee handbook. “One big way we pay our tenant farmers, or those who work for us, is in very strong cider,” McGregor says. “They come, they work for us, then we get them knocked out after work with fermented cider.”
Every fall, Sir Richard Mondes, mayor of Revel Grove, spends countless hours budgeting and planning for the village’s annual Harvest Festival. He ensures there’s plenty of food to eat, mead to drink and merriment to be had.
This year, readying the village for the festival requires extra effort. King Henry VIII is rumored to be attending again–and all eyes are on Mondes to deliver the pomp and circumstance that accompanies such a high-profile visit.
“It’s my job to keep the royals happy,” explains the Mayor. “But I also remind them that, if they'd be so kind, it costs a lot of money to feed and house His Highness and his royal entourage, and if they could throw some coin back, that would be really helpful.”
Preparing for a royal visit means that all villagers must be on hand, because his appearance draws families from far and wide, who come to the village to eat, drink and be merry. Magicians, minstrels and hundreds of other entertainers delight visitors throughout the day. Knights in shining armor compete at the joust, and the village craftspersons fling open their shops, too. “This is the single day of the year when everything for the year happens, and the success of the day rests on me,” Mondes explains.
With so much commotion leading up to the big day, villagers and festival attendees alike are eager to see how his leadership fares.
When Mayor Mondes fired his cook, Mistress Cecily Clark, last year over a menu disagreement, she was forced to leave town. She left behind everything–her job, her fiancé and her home.
Never one to cower in the face of challenge, she vowed to return to Revel Grove a new woman. Her plan? Strike out on her own as an entrepreneur and set the stage for centuries of female business owners to come.
“I’ve reinvented myself, shifting from household cook to purveyor of fine potables,” she says. “Basically, I make beer.” To make the switch, Clark tapped into her culinary background, which required more art than science. “The most difficult thing about being a Renaissance cook is that recipes are extremely vague,” Clark explains. When working in the mayor’s kitchen, for example, she had to make peacock and ginger sauce for a feast. “The recipe said, ‘Roast a peacock on a spit. The sauce is ginger,’” she recalls. “They don't tell you how much of the ingredients to use, how long to cook the ingredients or even give you a temperature to cook at because, you know, we’re cooking over an open fire.”
“If you can kill it, I can cook it,” was Clark’s motto as a cook, and she brings that same confidence to her brewing skills. Her new motto is, “If I can think it, you can drink it.“
Attendees of the Harvest Festival can see Clark’s ale-making skills in a show called Casks and Flasks. Like many craft brew masters of the 21st century, Clark whips up ale flavors based on local ingredients. This season, her brews include barley, yeast, apples and cloves.
With the Harvest Festival around the corner, the value of apple stocks (also known as barrels of apples) in Revel Grove is quickly on the rise. Apple cider and apple tarts are some of the festival’s most popular treats, and farmer Jim McGregor hopes he can keep up with the demand.
McGregor is new to the business world, having only recently transitioned from professional soldier to running his family farm. Like many people who change careers, McGregor opted to become his own boss. McGregor credits the skills he developed as a mercenary in aiding his career switch. “I’m mostly known in our family for pruning the orchards, largely because my skill set lies in cutting things and hitting things with clubs,” he explains.
Still, he faces challenges. “Really, everything's a little harder and much smellier than you think it should be,” he admits of his new farm life.
He diversified his farm’s business into both the wool and meat trades by dedicating a portion of land to sheep and another to cattle. But he’s not a fan of the new mandated enclosures and fencing requirements. “Those laws benefit the big nobility owned farms like the Mondeses, and make it onerous for us little guys,” he explains, fuming at the inequity of it all and cursing the politics at play.
Attendees of the Harvest Festival can meet McGregor, learn more about his business strategy, and feast on his giant turkey legs, steak which he serves on a stake, and 50 or so other types of food.