Sister outing leads to
a 'falk in the worest'
Our annual Kroontje Sister Outing was last weekend. My four sisters, a niece, my mother and I piled into one vehicle and left our troubles behind.
This year our featured destination was the Renaissance Festival near Shakopee. I understand the festival has been a regular summer attraction for nearly 30 years, but it was a first for me.
The weather was gorgeous - a crisp, sunny 65 degrees - which made everything enjoyable.
We ate (yes, we sampled the giant turkey legs), we gabbed, we shopped, we gabbed, we watched the famous jousting match, and, of course, we gabbed some more.
One of our favorite sideshows was the "Tory Steller" comedian who swapped first letters on key words of classic children's fairy tales. His frequent reference to "falks in the worest" gave the stories more of a PG-13 rating than G.
Observations from a first-timer:
Pets are welcome on the Renaissance campus, which is a nice gesture. I noticed lots of water bowls set out to accommodate the canine visitors, but I didn't notice designated rest rooms for four-legged guests.
Annual Renaissance Festival visitors enjoy dressing for the medieval festival, which adds a certain amount of authenticity to the event.
Some of the costumes were beautiful period attire, but plenty of others were just cheap excuses to flaunt cleavage for a day. Let's just say there's a good reason for some fashion evolutions since the 15th century.
Definitely try the mock fencing competition. My youngest sister, Lavelle, and I donned protective metal head gear and armed ourselves with dangerous-looking swords. But just before the match began, officials duct taped party balloons to our helmets and told us to have at it. The one to emerge with unpopped balloons would be named the victor.
It was hilarious.
We looked more like cast-iron bunnies in space suits than medieval knights. Before it was over we were more breathless from the giggles than from actual combat.
For the record, I won, which is more than I can say about our word games in the hotel the previous night.
About meth in Rock County
WeÕve had several inquiries about why the Star Herald didnÕt cover last Wednesday's meeting at Pizza Ranch about meth use in Rock County.
While I was personally invited to attend, my offer to cover it as a news item was declined because the meeting was designed to encourage candid participation from affected private citizens.
We at the Star Herald support the efforts of those at the meeting, and we'll continue to do our part to educate readers about drugs in Rock County.
Please read all of our news coverage on drug enforcement and dependency in this week's paper. We've covered the topic before, but sometimes stories about drugs arenÕt interesting until they personally affect us.
Don't let that be the case in your family - stay informed about local drugs and know what warning signs to watch for in your own children.