Our family just returned this week from vacation in Peoria, IL, where we attended a Reformation Day Faire, put on by Providence Church. The reformer they focused on this year was John Knox. So the theme was Scottish.

bagpipers

We all had a great time - and learned more about not only John Knox, but also an overview of the Reformation, particularly of Scotland. We had studied the Reformation last year, but didn’t focus on Scotland, so we learned a few new things about it.

family pic - bad scan, I’ll try to get a better posted

Costumes were optional (and certainly didn’t have to be Scottish) but since dh and I had a medieval theme for our 25th Anniversary wedding renewal (7 years ago), we already had several costumes. We (dd and I) spent the 2 weeks prior chained to the sewing machines. Our little boys wore their big brother’s old costumes and dh wore his, but I wasn’t too thrilled with dragging my train through mud and mire, with all the rain we’d been getting. So that meant 2 big boy costumes and 2 girls costumes, plus one for me - if time remained.

Shekynah & I

They all came together pretty good, but Mari rushed ahead on hers and had to rip out and re-do twice. That put me at midnight 2 days before we left, in Walmart looking for fabric for mine. They didn’t have enough of anything appropriate. I ended up taking all of what I liked best and reworking the pattern to fit on the fabric, staying up until 4:30 a.m. the day before we left to get my chemise, over-dress, and cape done. But I love the final product! (The rain ended up stopping. There was no mud. And the day was beautiful. Thank you, God!)

checkers in the Town Square - (Josh,) Jed, Isaiah, Levi, Mark

Mari & (Kayla)

The Faire had something for everyone in our family to love. Friday night we had a concert by Nathan Clark George, and short opening overview of the reformation by Pastor James McDonald. Saturday morning began in the Town Square, with the bagpipers. There were giant checkerboards set up, with tree trunk stools to sit on, so the bigger boys played checkers while the other children and I meandered through the Square.

leather shop

The market booths were mostly crafts the children could do - the leather shop had bookmarks they could lace and stamp with their initials, a fabric shop had pouch purses they could hand sew together, at the tin smith they could make their own tin cup, with plastic cups and tin foil, they also had a booth with coloring pages on the Scottish Reformation, and the blacksmith had all the weapons for the Boffer wars. There was a candler, hand-dipping beeswax candles, and I think I’m forgetting a couple others. This was all the younger children’s favorite part of the Faire.

Boffer wars - Levi in the green

After the Town Square was the Boffer Wars. Boffers are weapons made of pvc pipe and insulation and duct tape to make a soft weapon. There were swords, daggers, shields, bows and arrows, spears/pikes - I think that was it. The “Scots” and “Anglish” had several battles. Everyone was ready for lunch by the time it ended.

Eli & Jed - private Boffer war

Mark - Cabor toss

After lunch, we had a Psalm sing time, learning 4 part harmony to a Psalm. Meanwhile, the Highland games started with races, boulder throws, and cabor tosses (those huge, long branches - like telephone poles.) The little boys had their own Boffer war, since they had missed out earlier. Then we gathered in the sanctuary for the story of John Knox and a reenactment before Mary Queen of Scots. After supper we had lively historic dancing. We were all pretty tired at the end of the day.

the dance floor - none of us in this pic, but most of our dance pics are blurry since they were taken by little boys.

We returned Sun. a.m. for church service and lunch before heading home (- half way anyhow.) then got home Mon. in time for dance class and football practice. A GREAT VACATION! The children want to go back for it next year.

For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
1 Thessalonians 5:23
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