Utah Renaissance Festival - Part 2, Knights of Mayhem

Sir Jason warms up Thor

My favorite part of the Utah Renaissance Festival (which continues this weekend) was watching the Knights of Mayhem joust.  We caught the 4pm joust on Friday, which was the last one of the day.  Thor, a paint horse, came to the Knights of Mayhem from the vaulting world, and has only been involved in jousting for about a year.  He is a big animal, and was beautiful to watch.

Sir Edward on Lady Chaos

Thor's opponent that afternoon was a Shire mare named Lady Chaos.  She was patient, steady, and you would never know that she is blind in one eye.  The Knights of Mayhem treat jousting as an athletic competition.  They have regulations for the gauge and construction of their armor, and score points for hits.  They do not carry a shield, but rather bolt a shield plate to their armor.  Points are scored for hitting the red area of the shield.

A squire assists Sir Edward.  You can see the red "target" plate on the armor.

Prior to beginning the competitive portion of the joust, the knights warmed up with skill games.  They aimed a spear into a log, and then sliced cabbage from the helmeted head of an audience member.

Sir Edward takes aim at a cabbage on a spectator's head.

Because this is touted as an athletic event, it may lack the pageantry and trappings of a show such as Medieval Times, but there is a formality to the event, and the jousts feel very traditional. Prior to beginning, each knight chose a lady to present with a flower.  Sir Jason jousted for Ireland, and Sir Edward for England.

A young maiden accepts a flower from Sir Jason.

The knights receive their lances, are declared ready, and then turn their horses around a pole at opposite ends of the lyst.  The joust is on, and they charge toward each other, aiming their lances.  I must confess I watched most of the joust through a camera lens, and probably missed the full effect of the competition, but it was still satisfying through a zoom lens.  On the first pass, Sir Edward completely unseated Sir Jason, as Thor balked.  Jason hit the ground with a resounding thud and lay still.  After being assured he was okay, three people hefted the armor-clad knight back to his feet.  He walked off the fall, remounted, and continued for four more lances.

Knights of Mayhem in action.

Sir Edward makes contact on Sir Jason.

Sometimes they miss!

During breaks in the action, the announcer kept us entertained with humorous banter and also with historical facts about jousting.  For example, did you know that a number of knights would joust against each other at the beginning of a battle, and after the lances were all used, they dismounted and engaged in sword fights, called a melee?  Also, carousels are based on knights and jousting.  Grabbing the golden ring for a free ride is a nod to a knight's skills with a horse and lance.  (These are things we learned while they waited to see if Sir Jason could continue jousting after his fall.)

Our Knights of Mayhem announcer shows some of the armor.

This was a great experience, and worth the price of admission to the Renaissance Festival.  I would happily watch the Knights of Mayhem again!

Thor was defeated.

Sir Edward scored enough points off that first hit that he was able to win the day on Lady Chaos.  Although Sir Jason came back to score some hits, he was unable to overtake Lady Chaos and Sir Edward.  She definitely was the better horse that afternoon, and the victory was well-deserved.

The Knights of Mayhem  perform and compete around the country, have their own website, and are also featured in a National Geographic TV series.

Lady Chaos ruled the day.

This is a wonderful spring event and a great way to enjoy a May weekend. Read more about my visit to the festival here.  I hope you get a chance to go!

The festival website: Utah Renaissance Festival

Utah Renaissance Festival - Part 1

Sir Edward on Lady Chaos

Food, performers and jousts, oh my!  On Friday afternoon we ventured back in time to the Utah Renaissance Festival and Fantasy Faire.  This event takes place on a farm in Marriott-Slaterville, Utah, the first three weekends in May.  It was my first time attending, and I am now a fan.

Vendor booths along the dirt road at the Festival.

What is a Renaissance Festival, you ask?  This particular version includes vendor booths for your shopping pleasure.  Here you will find jewelry, clothing, decorative items, costumes, swords, and more.  You can try your hand at shooting a toy crossbow or try on pieces of armor.  As you can see, you will be walking on dirt roads and pathways.  Plan on shoes getting very dusty!

Chain mail and an axe, what more could a kid want?

We drove from Salt Lake City to the Renaissance Festival in about an hour (we experienced some minor traffic delays).  We planned to be there in time to see the last joust of the day, and made it in plenty of time. The festival is open basically during daylight hours, closing at 8pm in the evening. Since this is on someone's farm property, don't expect a lot of amenities.  Hand sanitizing stations are set up in a few areas of the fair, and there are portable toilets stationed along the way as well.  Logs and a few benches provide seating at the performance areas.

Statue tucked along the path.

I loved this statue along the way, with a sign encouraging children with wandering parents to wait by the angel until their parents were located.  It was not crowded on Friday afternoon, and we browsed through the booths at our leisure.  It was great to see some of the costumes people had.  Many were quite elaborate.

Wooden wares at a vendor stall.

One thing I enjoy at festival events is talking with some of the vendors.  We met some very nice people and saw some beautiful creations.  If you wish to create your own Renaissance or pirate costume, many quality pieces were available here.  

Leather hat suitable for any high class pirate.

Captain Jack wanders the festival, in a very convincing costume and sounding surprisingly like Johnny Depp.  When my husband spotted him drinking bottled water, he teased Jack about the rum being gone (surely you have seen the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and get the reference, right?)  We also found a pirate ship you can rent.

Pirate ship in a field.

After wandering in the hot sun for awhile, we were working up an appetite.  Food available at the festival includes hot dogs and burgers, and also crepes (at The Holy Crepe stand), turkey legs, and deep fried items (at Deep Fryer Tuck's). The hand-cut fries at the turkey leg stand were tasty.

I sample a turkey drumstick.

I have heard about deep fried Twinkies before, so I couldn't resist trying one.  Pretty tasty!  The creme filling gets all melty during the deep frying, and although it is probably a heart attack-in-waiting, it was fun to try.

Deep-fried Twinkie.

My daughter opted for deep fried cookie dough.

There are scheduled performances throughout the day.  The acts vary from musicians and dancers, to comedy acts and jousting.  I enjoyed the music from a cellist and harpist that accompanied our dinner.

The musicians were great.

The jousting Knights of Mayhem were by far my favorite performance of the festival.  We also saw a firedancer and the acting group "The Outlaws."

A "firedancer" performs.

It was nice to rest in the shade and watch this firedancer.  She "swallowed" fire early on, and then each set of fiery objects she danced with had progressively larger flames.  It was a nice little break.  This act was followed by "The Outlaws."  Although the lead actor was quite charismatic, the group needs better material. An early site gag was quite clever, but the act quickly deteriorated, and we slipped away early.

The Outlaws performing act.

Some of the booths we did not enter offered things like face painting or fortune telling.  In an early version of a Las Vegas wedding chapel, there was a small church building where couples could have a hand fast ceremony for fun.  We also passed an area with carnival type tossing games for children.

Advertising games for kids.

Various tossing games in the "Storm the Castle" area.

We saw cannons being fired and marveled at a large trebuchet.  I think my hearing may still be a bit off from those cannon shots...they were loud!

Every festival should have a trebuchet!

All in all, we had a great time at the Utah Renaissance Festival.  Once you purchase your ticket, it is valid all day, and you can come and go from the festival as you please.  Getting there is relatively simple.  Exit I-15 at exit 346, and head west.  Although the website promises once you leave I-15 road is well marked with festival signs, be warned that the signs are small.  Watch carefully for yellow signs hanging on posts on the left (south) side of the road as you travel west from the I-15 exit.  We had to really pay attention to spot them.  

This larger banner is hanging where you turn off Pioneer Road onto a dirt road.  Follow this road as it curves around, and someone will direct you to a parking space in a field.  Voila!  You have arrived!

Parking at the festival.

The festival costs $12 for adults, with a $2 discount if you come in costume.  It is a small festival, and I would actually love to see it grow into a larger event.  We had a very nice afternoon here, and would recommend it as a nice little escape.  Read about the jousting in part 2 of my visit to the Utah Renaissance Festival!

Getting Out - Utah Renaissance Festival Preview

Jousting in Utah

With spring in the air, it is time to head outdoors and catch some of the events happening in Utah this month.  The Utah Renaissance Festival and Fantasy Faire spans three weekends in May this year (May 4th-6th, 11th - 13th, and 17th -20th).  I have not ever been to this event, and am excited to go!  On the schedule are the Knights of Mayhem.  This group of athletes are NOT re-enactors, and their jousts are not staged or choreographed.  In fact, they will be in a National Geographic tv series.  What an opportunity to see them in person!

Sights from the Utah Renaissance Festival

I have always associated jousting with the Middle Ages, and that is the era during which the sport was most popular.  However, jousting continued into the Renaissance, and only began losing prominence after the invention of the musket around 1520.  The Utah Renaissance Festival is held in Marriott-Slaterville, Utah, north of Ogden.  Admission for adults is $12 ($10 if you come in costume).  The festival boasts performing groups, food, and booths.  Can't wait for this weekend!

Knight at the Utah Renaissance Festival

For more information:

Utah Renaissance Festival and Fantasy Faire 2012

Read about my visit to the Renaissance Festival in Part 1, and about the Knights of Mayhem jousting at the festival in Part 2.

Visiting Mule Canyon Ruin

Pueblo ruin at the Mule Canyon site

The Mule Canyon Ruin was our first stop on the second day of our spring break road trip.  These Pueblo ruins were first occupied about 750 AD, but were most highly used between the Pueblo II and Pueblo III periods, about 1000 to 1150.  My photo shows part of the above-ground block of twelve rooms that are visible at the site.  These rooms adjoin in an L-shape.

Diagram of the Mule Canyon ruin site.

Not far from the rooms are the kiva and tower that have been excavated and stabilized.  The kiva is sheltered by a pavilion.  The kiva was at one time connected to the block of rooms and to the tower by tunnels.  Researchers have also located a pit house, trash areas, and a dirt kiva at this site.

View of the kiva looking toward the twelve rooms.

View of the kiva with the tower on the upper left side.

Kivas were common at Anasazi sites.  Although there was not a visible kiva at the 16 Room Ruin we visited near Bluff, Utah, we read there was some evidence of a room there being used like a kiva.

The tower at Mule Canyon Ruin.

This tower structure would have been much higher.  Interestingly, this tower lines up with another tower ruin (Cave Tower ruin) directly to the south.  The exact purpose of the towers is unknown, although they may have served defensive or astronomical purposes.  

Interpretive sign with building elevations shows what the ruins may have looked like.

Unlike larger sites, this site probably housed only a few families.  Evidence shows that the Anasazi had virtually abandoned southeastern Utah by 1250 AD.  This site may have fallen out of use several years earlier.

Early morning at the Mule Canyon Ruin site.

It was very beautiful the morning we visited Mule Canyon Ruin.  We were the only people there.  This is an easy stop along Hwy. 95, about 20 miles west of Blanding, Utah.  If you are traveling to Natural Bridges National Monument from Blanding, take a few minutes to stop here.  It is well worth it.  The site is managed by the BLM.  The sidewalk to the ruin makes this place very accessible to everyone. Signs on the north side of Hwy. 95 clearly mark the turn-off to the parking lot.  Vault toilets are also available in the parking area.

Parenting a Child With Tourette Syndrome

James Durbin - American Idol contestant with Tourette Syndrome

It is Tourette Syndrome Awareness month, so I decided to write a few things about parenting a child with Tourette's.  Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder that causes uncontrolled movements and sounds called tics.  Some examples of tics include eye blinking, shoulder movements, neck stretching, jumping, throat clearing, and sniffing.  If you have a child with a tic disorder, you know how frustrating it can be.  You know how misunderstood it is.  Your child knows it, too.  Every case of Tourette Syndrome manifests differently.  Your child is unique, as are his or her symptoms.  I am grateful to have shared an incredible journey the past 17 years with my son.  Here are some of the things we learned along the way.

• As a parent, take care of yourself.  You are your child's best advocate.  You are the one on the frontlines.  Make sure you take care of your own health--both physically and emotionally, so that you can help your child.  Tourette Syndrome can be relentless and exhausting for both child and parent, so don't feel guilty about making time for yourself.
• Exercise your patience.  If you could have an endless supply of patience, it would be great!  But since that is unlikely, develop as much as you can, and when your patience is running low, tread lightly, or better yet, take a few minutes away from the situation.
• Have a sense of humor.  Second only to patience, humor is a necessary survival tool.  Early on, my child and I made bad jokes about tics like "What is your favorite game?"  "Tic, tac, toe."  Or, "Who is your favorite superhero?"  "The Tick."  You get the idea.
• Enlist support.  Although I never attended a formal support group, looking back I realize how much support I had in other ways.  I was able to talk to other families dealing with TS.  I had great medical support for my child.  My son was blessed with great school administrators, teachers, and coaches.  He had very patient music teachers.  He had good friends and great family support as well.
• Educate yourself.  Information is power.  The National Tourette Syndrome Association is a great place to start.  I read books and found TV programs dealing with Tourette Syndrome as well.  We enrolled in a research study, and gleaned additional information from the medical team we worked with during the study.  I also got advice from other people who had children or siblings with TS.  I am encouraged that more information is available now, and more easily accessible, than when we were first starting on this journey.
• Get professional help as needed.  My son was diagnosed during a research study, but that left us with no support when his tics flared.  Unable to get an appointment with a local neurologist, I called our pediatrician in a panic.  My son was experiencing severe, full-body tics that looked like seizures and were causing him pain, not to mention interfering with his ability to do anything.  Our wonderful pediatrician listened attentively, then said he would intervene for us, and a short time later we had the appointment with the neurologist.  Later, my son worked with a wonderful psychologist who helped him learn coping techniques like relaxation and hypnosis.

• Do your homework.  When our neurologist recommended a medication, I had already read up on it and felt comfortable with my son trying it.  The medication seemed to help, and after a couple of years when his tics had greatly lessened, we took him off the meds.  Medications are not without side effects.  My son was definitely a better version of himself once we stopped the pills.  However, the medication did help us over a rough spot. 
• Educate others.  You need a thick skin with TS.  Your child's symptoms will manifest publicly and you need to be prepared for that.  Don't educate every person you encounter.  But DO educate those in your child's life.  I have explained TS to family, and to my son's peers.  In elementary school, we presented information to ball teams, church groups, and school classes.  Our son wanted us to tell people.  It was a relief to him knowing people knew about TS.  
• Advocate for your child.  Our son's tics were at their worst in junior high.  We met with the vice principal, his teachers, and a school nurse. We wrote a "health plan" that was on file with all teachers.  We found people to be very helpful and supportive.  Once, at a parent-teacher conference, a teacher indicated he didn't want our son doodling so much in class.  We suggested our son doodled as a coping mechanism so he wouldn't tic in class.  The teacher reviewed our child's grades, and said if his performance in the classroom remained high, the teacher would overlook the doodling.  It was a simple matter handled in a conversation.  Try to keep things professional and matter-of-fact, even when your emotions are high.

• Be creative.  Because your child's circumstances are unique, you are the one who can come up with adaptations to help them.  For example, there was a time when my son was unable to play the piano at his lessons.  His tics were too violent.  We began recording him playing his pieces at home, and then playing the recording for the teacher at his lessons, and then writing down the feedback from the teacher.  Sometimes it took us a few recording sessions to get all the pieces recorded, but this was a huge help to my son, who wanted to continue with his study of music.
• Help your child see themselves as a whole.  There was a time period when the Tourette's was so central to all of our lives that I think my son felt it defined him. Help your child see all of their wonderful qualities.  They are a person, who happens to tic.  Remind your child of all their other interests and abilities.  Perhaps they are kind, have a great memory, are artistic, have a great sense of humor, are good at sports, etc.  Point out that other people have things they are coping with as well.  It is highly likely your child knows someone with food allergies, asthma,  or some other difficulty that they cope with in life.  In that respect, your child is NOT unique.
• Find role models for your child.  For awhile, we had our radar up searching for people successfully living their lives with Tourette Syndrome.  Eric Bernoutas, an Olympic skeleton athlete, competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics right in my backyard.  My son was happy to cheer for him.  Utah author, Richard Paul Evans also has TS. 
• Repeat after me:  My child can't stop.  My child can't help it.  (Take a deep breath and remind yourself of this every once in awhile).
• Take the emotion out of it.  My child used to have horrible bouts of tics when it was time to do a particularly disliked household chore.  I learned to say he could do it when the tics stopped and walk away.  It was hard, but my son needed to learn how to live his life...and that included doing chores.
• Don't let TS become an excuse.  This one is tricky.  Know that TS can impact your child in many ways...not just physically.  It can interfere with schoolwork, socializing, and more.  Your child is coping with things others don't have to cope with, and there are times when making an exception or accommodation is appropriate.  However, there are times when you have to hold your child to the same standard as anyone else.  The better you know your child, the more likely you are to be able to walk this line.  Help your child participate in normal activities.  Encourage them to try things they want to do.  Keep life as normal as possible.
• Track your child's symptoms and tics.  Are they sleeping?  How are their behaviors at school?  Become an expert on your child.  Track any and all medications, dosages, when the meds were taken, any reactions.  Keeping good records helps you communicate with medical professionals, and helps you make informed decisions.  One thing you will learn about TS very quickly:  it follows no pattern and is not very predictable.

• Help your child be physically active.  We found that if our son exercised regularly, he slept better. Getting enough sleep helped reduce his tics.

Note:  many people with Tourette Syndrome also have symptoms consistent with OCD or ADD/ADHD.  My son does not have either of those conditions, and I do not have any advice specific to those additional needs.  Again, the national Tourette Syndrome Association is a good place to start.

Coming soon:  Tourette Syndrome in books and movies.