A personal account by Steve Kraus

It's Magic.  Pure and simple.

Ever since I started going to the New York Renaissance Faire in 1982 or so, I wanted to be involved in ren faires some how. I got that chance with the Stockwood Renaissance Faire in 2001 as an actor.  The owner, Lars Lunde (to whom this year's show is dedicated), showed everyone involved the passion required to create excellence in such an endeavor.  The Mayfaire and everyone involved in it carries forth that same passion, something I believe is perhaps even tangible when you walk through the gates and gaze at the offerings and entertainment.

But journey on, gentle reader, and learn about the Queen's Galley, our mission and the best job in the world (for me), the Performance Company.

The Galley's Vision
Our first show was in May 2006 although planning for it commenced in '05.  At first I was asked to be an actor, then to put together a show and later to head up the creative portion of the faire.  This daunting task was made attractive by its sole purpose: to benefit The Queen's Galley.  "And what is the Galley," you may ask.

You know that adage "If you give someone a fish, they can eat for a day.  If you teach them to fish, they can eat for a lifetime"?  The Galley teaches people to fish.  Figuratively, of course, but I'm sure some of the Galley volunteers could cast a mean rod.  I still can't figure it out.  (I was never a good fisherman, despite my father's repeated attempts.)

Based out of Kingston, NY, Diane Reeder created magic for those who had difficulty creating nutritional meals because of the high costs of medication, gas, rent, mortgages, etc.  By teaching them how to cook up nutritious meals at a low cost, decisions like "medicine or food" didn't need to be a going concern.  I was amazed how many seniors face that choice.  And how many families were malnourished because of these difficult times.  The Galley, headed up by Diane, taught self-reliance to those who needed it and that, to me, was the most precious gift of all.

Today, some years later, the Galley continues its incredible mission.  I can't do it justice to describe all their programs but you can by visiting their web site.

Passion Players
When I came aboard, I was amazed at the passion behind this project. Everyone from the Galley's enthusiasm to those who were running the shows to ... well, everyone. We had all been involved in one way or another with renaissance faires and this, to create one, was a dream come true!  But how?

It turns out we weren't the only ones who believed in the vision of the Galley and the purpose of the Mayfaire.  Entertainers from all over donated their precious time to sing and dance for our would-be patrons while fans of the project wrote scores of letters and made phone calls to local officials to make sure we secured our venue in time: the Ulster County Fairgrounds in New Paltz.

Okay, good.  Now we had a purpose, land and entertainment.  The Queen's Galley took care of securing vendors for food while our Vendor Coordinator in our first year, M.A. Tarpinian, took care of securing merchants.  Lance, our Technical Director, took care of the grounds with Jay Reeder.  But what of the flavor of the faire, the actors who brought the theme, Henry VIII, to life?

You guessed it. A great crew came aboard from my old Stockwood days and my more recent days as an actor at New York Renaissance Faire.  Each and every one of them donated their time and energy in months of rehearsals with shoddy scripts written by yours truly.

Great! Now we have a show.  But how to reward everyone aboard?  There must be something we can do.

Make 'em walk the plank! Arrr!
Paul Freely (our Henry VIII for the first two years) was a Mustang, a sailor who rose through the ranks of the US Navy from enlisted to an officer.  When he overheard my plight of how to reward everyone for their donation of time and talent, he said "why not make them plank owners?"

Huh?

Apparently, the very first crew on a newly commissioned US naval vessel was given a sliver of wood from one of the ship's deck planks when they left the crew.  This effectively made them owners of a part of the ship.  Owners... a-HA!

Forevermore, each of those people who helped create the first year of the Hudson Valley Mayfaire would be known as "Plank Owners" of the faire and would have a permanent free admission to the faire for as long as the faire continues.

In the end...
Being involved in such a project not only means having dedication but even well-meaning hard work can be lackluster when compared to that which is produced by love.  That's what the Mayfaire is all about: love of the patron, love of the charity, love of our work.  And I think it shows.

I'll see you at the faire.

Stephen J. Kraus
General Manager