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chris_lang_mdrfMDRF Fifth Weekend Saturday September 20th, 2025
The weather for Saturday of the Fifth Weekend of MDRF 2025 (Celtic Weekend) was nice and cool, with some refreshing breezes. Everyone I spoke to on the matter agreed that the weather was lovely this day.
After Opening Gate, I made sure to get my copy of this week's schedule from the Guest Services Pavilion, and then made sure to check with Hugh MacGregor, Beatrice Appleton-MacGregor, and Millie Appleton for the Entry Poll. Apparently, Hugh and Millie had some sort of argument, so as a way of getting them to behave, Beatrice made both of them wear the double-sided chalkboard sandwich board that the Entry Polls are written on. (There was no official Word of the Day, but I'm assuming it was "get along").
Anyway, the first Entry Poll Question was "The best Celtic snack is ...". When I checked in later, Haggis and Potato Stew had gotten the most votes, followed by smoked herring. Hugh MacGregor got one vote, and that vote was from his Majesty the King. The second Entry Poll was "Your Epic Saga", whose choices were Ulysses, Beowulf, The Ulster Cycle, and Mandated HR Training. Beowulf got the most votes last I checked.
I checked in at the Bubble Cart near the Lyric Stage, and chatted with a Bubble Fairy. She was one of many who agreed that the weather was nice and breezy.
I also took a quick stroll down Mary's Dale Way, and said hello to an acquaintance at the Dragon Inn (which at that time of day was a pretty calm place), and made my way back to the Maypole area to see some of the later dances. The Revel Grove Dance Company and Jack Ripley performed a series of dances showing off their skills at dance.
I then headed to the Gatehouse Stage for the Royal Welcome. The first half of the show is devoted to the Village Ensemble. Hugh MacGregor is not only concerned about the expenses of the Royal visit, but also about the elaborate wedding Millie is suggesting, as she's engaged to Reginald Waldegrave. Sir Richard Mondes (the former Mayor who has since moved on to Parliament) claims that Hugh MacGregor and company are squatting on his land by moving into his previous manor. Furthermore, the planned wedding may be complicated by the offer Reginald Waldegrave has received from the Duke of Norfolk.
While Reginald Waldegrave and Bailiff George Grimm may be friends, a bizarre fight breaks out between the two of them, with Hugh MacGregor and others providing wrestling-style commentary. Fortunately, they're able to explain this away when the Royal Court shows up.
The second half of the Royal Welcome is devoted to King Henry and the Royal Court, and his search for a new bride. Painter Hans Holbein has been assigned with presenting portraits of possible brides to present to the King. In this show, we see four possible choices and their reactions and opinions. Spoiler (but not really): None of them end up being chosen, and later on at 4:15 at the Globe Hans Holbein will present portraits of Amalia and Anna of Cleves.
I stayed for the STREETSpeare of Henry VIII Act 2, Scene 3. This is a scene from Shakespeare's Henry VIII (which is believed to have been co-written with John Fletcher). This involves Anne Boleyn and her confidant, as she takes in the news involving the end of the King's marriage to Katherine of Aragon and the new appointment of Marchioness of Pembroke.
Over at the Lyric Stage, I saw the Gwendolyn Show where Gwendolyn was performing her fairy tale version of Romeo and Juliet mixing Romeo and Juliet with elements of classic fairy tales as well as a bit of Alice in Wonderland. Gwendolyn provides silly recaps for those who just joined us. Afterward, she answered a few questions, and rarely (if ever) outside of this context is one asked the distance between Verona and the fiery pits of Mordor. (It makes sense in context).
I stayed for Swindle School, Dinty the Moore's educational show about the games swindlers play on the streets to separate people from their hard-earned money. The term 'fast and loose' originated from one such game of chance involving betting on whether a chain wraps around a finger or is loose. It goes back a long time, to the days of Shakespeare, but we don't see as much of it these days as we do the other two games featured: the shells and three-card monte. The latter involves an elaborate multi-player scheme in which a mark is lured by one of the accomplices (called a 'roper') to wager money on a game that ultimately will result in the mark losing their money due to the methods the swindler and his accomplices will employ to make sure the game is not fair. The lesson we should take away from all of these is clear: DON'T play these games for money.
Poehemia performed their set at the White Hart Tavern, with "Fisherman's Blues" (an old favorite) and a few other Irish songs featured.
At Mary's Dale Way, I encountered Lady Prudence as she performed music for the people passing by. There was enough room for a dance (a circle dance similar to the one at the Morning Dance, but smaller scale). Afterward, we had "Fruit of the Vine" (an expanded version of a song originally performed by a certain bard from a certain feature involving dragons and a dungeon or two). A romantic love song was balanced out by Janie Meneely's 'Twiddles' (which tells the other side of the 'girl in every port' story). Then we had "Two Magicians", the story of two saucy shapeshifters, and the "Fairy Drinking Song" (about what happens when the fey get drunk). We concluded with "Every British Folk Song", a humorous sendup of folk song tropes common to songs from England, Ireland, and so on.
I then attended a session of Core Truths with Beatrice Appleton-MacGregor, where she gives people apple-based personality readings.
Over at the Reveler's Bower, Cecily Clack and Arnold Conner performed their 'The Conner and the Alewife' show, where they explain just what an ale conner and and an alewife do. Though they started the show by singing "Beer Beer Beer", which attributes the invention of beer to Charlie Mopps, they soon make it clear that alcoholic beverages go back long before anyone ever heard of Charlie Mopps, and in fact women brewers were responsible for many of the first alcoholic beverages. Women in brewing go as far back as the ancient Egyptian days. Cecily explains the history of women brewing, how men suddenly took over and for a time women brewers became few before their eventual triumphant comeback.
At the White Hart Tavern, the Hooligans performed their mid-afternoon (2:30) set, featuring "Ferryman" followed by "Mission Hall". Patrick sang lead on "Price of Love" ("wouldn't want you any other way)", which had a line speaking of a white horse in a pocket (this led to some banter on the subject). After Matt sang lead on "Come Out Ye Black and Tans" (a song about an Irish man calling out certain historical antagonists on their bullying and cowardice), we had a new song, "Land Below the Waves". Then we had "Cruiscin Lan", a song about love for whiskey, followed by the fast-paced "Scalliwag (Jump In And Take My Hand)".
I arrived at the Boar's Head Tavern in time to see the (adjectiveless) Bards performing "Swindling Serpent" (an original of theirs). They continued with some traditional songs such as "Whiskey in the Jar" and "All For Me Grog" before finishing with "Wild Rover".
I arrived at the Reveler's Bower, and caught the latter half of Lady Prudence's set there, which featured "Demeter's Daughter" and "Caledonia". The set concluded with Lady Prudence's original, the inspiring "Bardic Inspiration".
Over at the Globe Theatre, we had a scene from the Act V STREETSpeare collection (scenes of dramatic conflict and tragedy). This scene is the climax of John Fletcher's "The Maid's Tragedy", featuring the fates of Evadne, Aspatia, and Amintor. It's (as the title would suggest) not a happy story.
Afterward, we have the Royal Court show A Bride for the King. Before we get to Hans Holbein and his presentation of the portraits of Amalia and Anna of Cleves, we have the heated conflict between the Duke of Norfolk and Thomas Cromwell, where things get so tense that Sir Francis Bryan (fearing how the King would react) tells a jest and invites everyone to laugh uproariously to disguise the fact that there'd been a heated quarrel just before King Henry arrived.
Eventually, we get Hans Holbein's presentation and the King's eventual choice, as well as Viscountess Rochford and the Duke of Norfolk's niece Catherine Howard being chosen for the new Queen's court. We also get to see the reactions of Anna of Cleves and Amalia of Cleves when they hear the news of the King's decision.
I chatted a bit at the short meeting at the Bower afterward with Amalia of Cleves, Viscountess Rochford, and Thomas Cromwell, and Cromwell showed me some of the badges and pins that help him explain to visitors what his role in the Royal Court is.
At the Royal Fox Theatre, Paulo Garbanzo performed his solo juggling show, juggling a few more dangerous props in the danger portion of his show, including the tail of nine cats (what is that? Well, you'll have to see the show. Not spoiling it here).
At the White Hart Tavern, the Hooligans were having the Wildest Rover Singing Competition, where defending champions the Freaks on the Left went first followed by the Relatively Normal People on the Right and the Mighty Mighty Pie Wedge. Choosing winners of awards was very difficult, but on this occasion, the Worst Place Award went to the Mighty Mighty Pie Wedge, the Participation Award went to the Mighty Mighty Pie Wedge, and the Wildest Rover trophy went to the Relatively Normal People on the Right.
Next came "Rattlin Bog", which is different every time the Hooligans do it due to their adding new lines to the progression after "bed from a feather" and challenging each other to see which of them (if any) can make it through all the progressions without messing up. When one of them messes up (and they WILL mess up), you hear the sound of the gong and that person is eliminated from the challenge. It keeps going until one is left. This time (suggested by the presence of a member of the Bards in the audience) the first new word was 'Bard'.
John Dickson Wakefield would admit that adding 'Babe' as the next new word helped make this a tongue twister (probably not helped by Patrick adding a second 'Babe' after that one). 'Dude' was added, then 'Boy', and then John Kelso messed up and was gonged due to the aforementioned tongue twister. 'Druid' was added, then 'mage' (Patrick was gonged here). Then 'Elf' (Matt was gonged), and it could have been worse (they could have added 'maid' after 'mage' for another tongue twister). The final progression starts with 'tree' (the song begins and ends with the tree - it doesn't have to make sense). In the end, John Dickson Wakefield won the Rattlin Bog medal.
Pub Sing began with "Health to the Company", and continued with the Vagabonds performing "A Beggin I Will Go" (the song that includes an enthusiastic shouting of "CHEESE!" in a later verse). The Brocades were there for "I'll Tell Me Ma" (an Irish song appropriate for Celtic Weekend). After the Host Toast, the Weyward Sisters performed "Beigh Aonach Amarach", a song whose first verse begins with a youngster's wish to go to a fair. Then members of the Ensemble got together for the story of "Darcy's Donkey" (telling a story about how a drunken donkey won a race at Donnegal).
The Adventurers took the stage next with "The Wellerman". In the spirit of the weekend, Sir Richard Mondes and company performed "Paddy Murphy". This was followed by Idle Fancies with "Doodles". Afterward, Viola Belgard of Idle Fancies wandered over to the bell and rang it. Unfortunately, that's the Last Call bell, and you can't unring that bell. So the whole ensemble got together for the "Last Call" song.
Jack Ripley then performed his version of "Old Dun Cow", inserting a certain song I won't name here in the last verse. Then Nan Rash got the pub clapping along with "Cuckoo Bird."
The Adventurers were next with "Retirement Song" (a song about sailors' reasons for staying on land), with Nell Quickly chosen in the last verse as one of the reasons for staying. Afterward came a song about performing, "1 2 3 4".
The Vagabonds were next with the upbeat "One Last Drink", and the Weyward Sisters followed with "Irish Eyes" (one of their most requested songs). We had a sort of tonal shift from these happy songs to a much less happy song, "Blue Bleezin Blind Drunk", telling the sad story of a woman in a very unhappy marriage.
The Adventurers returned for "Farewell to Nova Scotia", a song about a sailor's regrets in leaving Nova Scotia. Then Sir Richard, Millie, and Viola and company got together for "Mist Covered Mountains". And Pub Sing concluded with "Wild Mountain Thyme".
Along the way, I said hello to a few people (including certain cast members from previous seasons who were visiting). Afterward, I chatted with Beef Jerky Guy, who said that today's most cosplayed character was the Dread Pirate Roberts. I also saw a Shrek and a quartet of Lord Farquads, and an impressive Gingy from Shrek costume.
All in all, Saturday of Celtic Weekend was a nice, cool and breezy and fun day. As I finish this, I'm getting ready for Sunday of Celtic Weekend. Looking forward to it.
The weather for Saturday of the Fifth Weekend of MDRF 2025 (Celtic Weekend) was nice and cool, with some refreshing breezes. Everyone I spoke to on the matter agreed that the weather was lovely this day.
After Opening Gate, I made sure to get my copy of this week's schedule from the Guest Services Pavilion, and then made sure to check with Hugh MacGregor, Beatrice Appleton-MacGregor, and Millie Appleton for the Entry Poll. Apparently, Hugh and Millie had some sort of argument, so as a way of getting them to behave, Beatrice made both of them wear the double-sided chalkboard sandwich board that the Entry Polls are written on. (There was no official Word of the Day, but I'm assuming it was "get along").
Anyway, the first Entry Poll Question was "The best Celtic snack is ...". When I checked in later, Haggis and Potato Stew had gotten the most votes, followed by smoked herring. Hugh MacGregor got one vote, and that vote was from his Majesty the King. The second Entry Poll was "Your Epic Saga", whose choices were Ulysses, Beowulf, The Ulster Cycle, and Mandated HR Training. Beowulf got the most votes last I checked.
I checked in at the Bubble Cart near the Lyric Stage, and chatted with a Bubble Fairy. She was one of many who agreed that the weather was nice and breezy.
I also took a quick stroll down Mary's Dale Way, and said hello to an acquaintance at the Dragon Inn (which at that time of day was a pretty calm place), and made my way back to the Maypole area to see some of the later dances. The Revel Grove Dance Company and Jack Ripley performed a series of dances showing off their skills at dance.
I then headed to the Gatehouse Stage for the Royal Welcome. The first half of the show is devoted to the Village Ensemble. Hugh MacGregor is not only concerned about the expenses of the Royal visit, but also about the elaborate wedding Millie is suggesting, as she's engaged to Reginald Waldegrave. Sir Richard Mondes (the former Mayor who has since moved on to Parliament) claims that Hugh MacGregor and company are squatting on his land by moving into his previous manor. Furthermore, the planned wedding may be complicated by the offer Reginald Waldegrave has received from the Duke of Norfolk.
While Reginald Waldegrave and Bailiff George Grimm may be friends, a bizarre fight breaks out between the two of them, with Hugh MacGregor and others providing wrestling-style commentary. Fortunately, they're able to explain this away when the Royal Court shows up.
The second half of the Royal Welcome is devoted to King Henry and the Royal Court, and his search for a new bride. Painter Hans Holbein has been assigned with presenting portraits of possible brides to present to the King. In this show, we see four possible choices and their reactions and opinions. Spoiler (but not really): None of them end up being chosen, and later on at 4:15 at the Globe Hans Holbein will present portraits of Amalia and Anna of Cleves.
I stayed for the STREETSpeare of Henry VIII Act 2, Scene 3. This is a scene from Shakespeare's Henry VIII (which is believed to have been co-written with John Fletcher). This involves Anne Boleyn and her confidant, as she takes in the news involving the end of the King's marriage to Katherine of Aragon and the new appointment of Marchioness of Pembroke.
Over at the Lyric Stage, I saw the Gwendolyn Show where Gwendolyn was performing her fairy tale version of Romeo and Juliet mixing Romeo and Juliet with elements of classic fairy tales as well as a bit of Alice in Wonderland. Gwendolyn provides silly recaps for those who just joined us. Afterward, she answered a few questions, and rarely (if ever) outside of this context is one asked the distance between Verona and the fiery pits of Mordor. (It makes sense in context).
I stayed for Swindle School, Dinty the Moore's educational show about the games swindlers play on the streets to separate people from their hard-earned money. The term 'fast and loose' originated from one such game of chance involving betting on whether a chain wraps around a finger or is loose. It goes back a long time, to the days of Shakespeare, but we don't see as much of it these days as we do the other two games featured: the shells and three-card monte. The latter involves an elaborate multi-player scheme in which a mark is lured by one of the accomplices (called a 'roper') to wager money on a game that ultimately will result in the mark losing their money due to the methods the swindler and his accomplices will employ to make sure the game is not fair. The lesson we should take away from all of these is clear: DON'T play these games for money.
Poehemia performed their set at the White Hart Tavern, with "Fisherman's Blues" (an old favorite) and a few other Irish songs featured.
At Mary's Dale Way, I encountered Lady Prudence as she performed music for the people passing by. There was enough room for a dance (a circle dance similar to the one at the Morning Dance, but smaller scale). Afterward, we had "Fruit of the Vine" (an expanded version of a song originally performed by a certain bard from a certain feature involving dragons and a dungeon or two). A romantic love song was balanced out by Janie Meneely's 'Twiddles' (which tells the other side of the 'girl in every port' story). Then we had "Two Magicians", the story of two saucy shapeshifters, and the "Fairy Drinking Song" (about what happens when the fey get drunk). We concluded with "Every British Folk Song", a humorous sendup of folk song tropes common to songs from England, Ireland, and so on.
I then attended a session of Core Truths with Beatrice Appleton-MacGregor, where she gives people apple-based personality readings.
Over at the Reveler's Bower, Cecily Clack and Arnold Conner performed their 'The Conner and the Alewife' show, where they explain just what an ale conner and and an alewife do. Though they started the show by singing "Beer Beer Beer", which attributes the invention of beer to Charlie Mopps, they soon make it clear that alcoholic beverages go back long before anyone ever heard of Charlie Mopps, and in fact women brewers were responsible for many of the first alcoholic beverages. Women in brewing go as far back as the ancient Egyptian days. Cecily explains the history of women brewing, how men suddenly took over and for a time women brewers became few before their eventual triumphant comeback.
At the White Hart Tavern, the Hooligans performed their mid-afternoon (2:30) set, featuring "Ferryman" followed by "Mission Hall". Patrick sang lead on "Price of Love" ("wouldn't want you any other way)", which had a line speaking of a white horse in a pocket (this led to some banter on the subject). After Matt sang lead on "Come Out Ye Black and Tans" (a song about an Irish man calling out certain historical antagonists on their bullying and cowardice), we had a new song, "Land Below the Waves". Then we had "Cruiscin Lan", a song about love for whiskey, followed by the fast-paced "Scalliwag (Jump In And Take My Hand)".
I arrived at the Boar's Head Tavern in time to see the (adjectiveless) Bards performing "Swindling Serpent" (an original of theirs). They continued with some traditional songs such as "Whiskey in the Jar" and "All For Me Grog" before finishing with "Wild Rover".
I arrived at the Reveler's Bower, and caught the latter half of Lady Prudence's set there, which featured "Demeter's Daughter" and "Caledonia". The set concluded with Lady Prudence's original, the inspiring "Bardic Inspiration".
Over at the Globe Theatre, we had a scene from the Act V STREETSpeare collection (scenes of dramatic conflict and tragedy). This scene is the climax of John Fletcher's "The Maid's Tragedy", featuring the fates of Evadne, Aspatia, and Amintor. It's (as the title would suggest) not a happy story.
Afterward, we have the Royal Court show A Bride for the King. Before we get to Hans Holbein and his presentation of the portraits of Amalia and Anna of Cleves, we have the heated conflict between the Duke of Norfolk and Thomas Cromwell, where things get so tense that Sir Francis Bryan (fearing how the King would react) tells a jest and invites everyone to laugh uproariously to disguise the fact that there'd been a heated quarrel just before King Henry arrived.
Eventually, we get Hans Holbein's presentation and the King's eventual choice, as well as Viscountess Rochford and the Duke of Norfolk's niece Catherine Howard being chosen for the new Queen's court. We also get to see the reactions of Anna of Cleves and Amalia of Cleves when they hear the news of the King's decision.
I chatted a bit at the short meeting at the Bower afterward with Amalia of Cleves, Viscountess Rochford, and Thomas Cromwell, and Cromwell showed me some of the badges and pins that help him explain to visitors what his role in the Royal Court is.
At the Royal Fox Theatre, Paulo Garbanzo performed his solo juggling show, juggling a few more dangerous props in the danger portion of his show, including the tail of nine cats (what is that? Well, you'll have to see the show. Not spoiling it here).
At the White Hart Tavern, the Hooligans were having the Wildest Rover Singing Competition, where defending champions the Freaks on the Left went first followed by the Relatively Normal People on the Right and the Mighty Mighty Pie Wedge. Choosing winners of awards was very difficult, but on this occasion, the Worst Place Award went to the Mighty Mighty Pie Wedge, the Participation Award went to the Mighty Mighty Pie Wedge, and the Wildest Rover trophy went to the Relatively Normal People on the Right.
Next came "Rattlin Bog", which is different every time the Hooligans do it due to their adding new lines to the progression after "bed from a feather" and challenging each other to see which of them (if any) can make it through all the progressions without messing up. When one of them messes up (and they WILL mess up), you hear the sound of the gong and that person is eliminated from the challenge. It keeps going until one is left. This time (suggested by the presence of a member of the Bards in the audience) the first new word was 'Bard'.
John Dickson Wakefield would admit that adding 'Babe' as the next new word helped make this a tongue twister (probably not helped by Patrick adding a second 'Babe' after that one). 'Dude' was added, then 'Boy', and then John Kelso messed up and was gonged due to the aforementioned tongue twister. 'Druid' was added, then 'mage' (Patrick was gonged here). Then 'Elf' (Matt was gonged), and it could have been worse (they could have added 'maid' after 'mage' for another tongue twister). The final progression starts with 'tree' (the song begins and ends with the tree - it doesn't have to make sense). In the end, John Dickson Wakefield won the Rattlin Bog medal.
Pub Sing began with "Health to the Company", and continued with the Vagabonds performing "A Beggin I Will Go" (the song that includes an enthusiastic shouting of "CHEESE!" in a later verse). The Brocades were there for "I'll Tell Me Ma" (an Irish song appropriate for Celtic Weekend). After the Host Toast, the Weyward Sisters performed "Beigh Aonach Amarach", a song whose first verse begins with a youngster's wish to go to a fair. Then members of the Ensemble got together for the story of "Darcy's Donkey" (telling a story about how a drunken donkey won a race at Donnegal).
The Adventurers took the stage next with "The Wellerman". In the spirit of the weekend, Sir Richard Mondes and company performed "Paddy Murphy". This was followed by Idle Fancies with "Doodles". Afterward, Viola Belgard of Idle Fancies wandered over to the bell and rang it. Unfortunately, that's the Last Call bell, and you can't unring that bell. So the whole ensemble got together for the "Last Call" song.
Jack Ripley then performed his version of "Old Dun Cow", inserting a certain song I won't name here in the last verse. Then Nan Rash got the pub clapping along with "Cuckoo Bird."
The Adventurers were next with "Retirement Song" (a song about sailors' reasons for staying on land), with Nell Quickly chosen in the last verse as one of the reasons for staying. Afterward came a song about performing, "1 2 3 4".
The Vagabonds were next with the upbeat "One Last Drink", and the Weyward Sisters followed with "Irish Eyes" (one of their most requested songs). We had a sort of tonal shift from these happy songs to a much less happy song, "Blue Bleezin Blind Drunk", telling the sad story of a woman in a very unhappy marriage.
The Adventurers returned for "Farewell to Nova Scotia", a song about a sailor's regrets in leaving Nova Scotia. Then Sir Richard, Millie, and Viola and company got together for "Mist Covered Mountains". And Pub Sing concluded with "Wild Mountain Thyme".
Along the way, I said hello to a few people (including certain cast members from previous seasons who were visiting). Afterward, I chatted with Beef Jerky Guy, who said that today's most cosplayed character was the Dread Pirate Roberts. I also saw a Shrek and a quartet of Lord Farquads, and an impressive Gingy from Shrek costume.
All in all, Saturday of Celtic Weekend was a nice, cool and breezy and fun day. As I finish this, I'm getting ready for Sunday of Celtic Weekend. Looking forward to it.
