Yesterday afternoon, my dad and I decided to go to Fort Loudon's yearly Trade Faire and Re-enactment after spending a relatively boring day at home discussing what we should and shouldn't do with our free time. You see, Dad likes to go places accessible only by trail, and as for me, well....call me a big baby if you want, but I like to go on a nice, leisurely walk that doesn't require much effort. No vertical paths up an ungodly steep and rocky trail (Rocky Top, I'm lookin' at you!) or any open fields without shade trees for me. And so, after much debate, I finally suggested that we go to Fort Loudon and take a gander at their re-enactment, which, without fail, is usually awesome; this year was no exception.
Yeah, it was hotter than blue blazes at the Fort and the parking lot was knee deep in tourists looking for an educational experience worth their while. As Dad and I made our way to the Visitor's Center, we were greeted by the annoying stares of wonderment and chatters of fascination from those damn Yankees in Hawaiian T-shirts and sun visors who squealed vehemently every time they seen a re-enactor dressed in full Redcoat regalia and carrying a musket in one hand and dress sword in the other. It's a wonder if they didn't wet themselves with excitement!
Anyway, the activities we seen were pretty cool. They had a sword-swallower named Otto who could literally cram 3 rapiers down his windpipe without gagging. I wondered to myself, "How can he do that? I can't even keep my mouth open long enough for the dentist to clean my teeth, much less do an x-ray with one of those yucky film thingies they make you hold in between your teeth...."
Otto drew a pretty impressive crowd and was a big hit with the kids. Dad even thought he was cool--that's saying something! We went on into the Fort and saw a whole slew of people in period clothing, playing the part of Colonial men and women in their daily routines. There were soldiers, Indians, doctors, and blacksmiths among the ranks, playing their parts masterfully, pretending as if they were stuck in the 1700s, oblivious to our time period. Many of these people also ran souvenir shops, auctions, and even played music (the Irish band was a laugh riot!) for everyone. Long story short, I'm officially broke because well.....I spent all of my money of souvenirs--I got a pretty green and black beaded necklace, an eagle claw necklace, and a flimsy Chinese fan. Sadly, I ran out of money before I managed to glance at a Celtic shop that sold these beautiful hand-made purses.