How Rennie’s Beat the Heat

Hey nonny nonny! It’s time again for the Ohio Renaissance Festival Cast Auditions. This is your opportunity to become a part of the ORF village, Willy-Nilly-on-the-Wash, and discover a whole other side to the gates. Streetcast is the very heart of the festival, itspresence turning the grounds into a living 1572 village. The kind of place where Queen Liz herself might stop by to inquire as to the lives of her subjects and celebrate the halcyon days of her reign.

We are also experiencing an unprecedentedly hot summer.

PRE-HYDRATE, HYDRATE, REHYDRATE

If you come to faire already at a deficit, it’s not going to get better, no matter how much water you drink while strolling in the hot sun. Pre-hydrating can help. You want to slowly drink 20 oz of water or more, along with electrolytes, a couple of hours before you get out there. Then, around half an hour or so before cannon (Opening Gate), drink another 20 oz. This helps ensure that your body already has the resources it needs to properly regulate.

Make sure to continue hydrating during the day. If you haven’t had to pee before the first joust (12:30 pm), then you’re likely not drinking enough water. Be sure to bring water, electrolyte drinks or packets, and make friends with the Pickle Pirate. A shot of fresh pickle juice is a lifesaver around 2 pm on Labor Day Weekend.  

When the day is done, and the garb is all packed, rehydrate. If you’ve been out at faire all day, you’ve lost a lot of body fluids, and they will need to be replaced. Otherwise, you’ll be dealing with headaches, nausea, and overall fatigue from running yourself ragged. Don’t gulp down your next glass of water, but keep drinking plenty for the next few hours. Also, get yourself snacks like cucumber, watermelon, or other water-heavy foods.

All of this effort can help you avoid a trip to the First Aid tent.

CHOOSE YOUR GARB WISELY

This goes for rehearsals and during the run. Renaissance-era clothing was comprised of layers to guard against the English chill. Since we don’t suffer from that in Ohio, you will want to plan your garb with the weather in mind. ORF goes from blistering hot to freezing cold, and a well-sorted garb can keep you comfortable in all of it.

Pick lighter colors and choose cotton or linen fabrics. Polyester or poly-blends are evil, and you will feel like a sausage being boiled. Include a split sleeve/open-arm slit design on your blouse so there’s less restriction. Use skirt hikes to minimize the layers covering your legs and, if you do have a hoop skirt, rock back and forth like a bell. This will encourage a breeze in your undercarriage that truly helps.

This extends to your choice of accessories! Wear a wide-brimmed straw hat to give you additional shade as you walk the lanes and carry a parasol or fan with you. And any rennie will tell you to invest in a good bodice chiller. These little trinkets keep you cool at your core and can be found at just about any festival.

IF YOU NEED TO REST, REST

It can be easy to get caught up in the pace of faire. The high-energy environment and responsibilities of cast often take newer members by surprise. Don’t over-commit just because you want to be a part of everything, especially if this is your first season. Start off with one or two events that you want to be a part of. Check with your Guild head or another seasoned rennie if you need suggestions on where to start.

There will always be extra hands needed somewhere on grounds, and it’s great that you want to help! But you can’t help if you’re unconscious.

Rest when you need to rest. If you need to sit and eat, take a breath, or just walk away from the crowds for ten minutes to get your compass right, say so. Most of the cast gets it and will encourage you to go take a break. Be sure to return the favor. If you look out for your fellow cast members, they will look out for you.

THE SKY IS LAVA

When you’re wandering the grounds, pay attention to where the shaded areas are outside of booths. If you have downtime during the festival day, plan to make use of those areas. Whimsy Woods, Poets Crossing, Market Square, and Wanderers Way have the most tree coverage on grounds and make for perfect in-character picnic spots.

St. Peter’s Chapel and the Feast Hall are excellent cooling spots. The chapel is located at the top of the Upson-Downs, its vaulted ceilings and open-air archways help to keep the interior a few degrees cooler than most of the booths. The Feast Hall has a concrete floor and covered roof as well as fans to help air circulation. As long as there is not an event happening, this is a great spot to sit and cool down for a little while.

Remember that ORF is open from 11 am until 7 pm, putting the hottest part of the day right around 3-5 pm. Try to plan your day with this in mind. It won’t always be possible; there’s a lot to do, and time at ren faire works in a very wibbly wobbly fashion. But if you can, aim to spend the hottest part of the day in the shade or doing a less physically active task. Try to take your break during this time slot and be sure to get plenty of water/electrolytes when you do.

ORF is an outdoor event, in all weathers, rain or shine, and rarely closes during the season. That means no air conditioning for one thing, so protecting your health and safety is a major priority. Any rennie will tell you that it’s worth the sweat to be a part of the magic we create. But making magic gets a lot harder when you have heat stroke. Before you come to try out, take a look at some tips and tricks from our own Rennies on how to protect yourself from overheating.