According to “Our Old English Fairs” by R. W. Muncey, the internal trade of England once depended heavily on fairs that sprang up in the Anglo-Saxon period, welcoming merchants from Hamburg, Bruges, Strasbourg, Rouen and Bordeaux, among other far-flung locales.
“Indeed many foreigners assembled among the buyers at the important Fairs in England,” Muncey writes. “Some bought for consumption, others for exportation, while many were chiefly attracted by the fun of the Fair.”
Just as those commerce and entertainment smorgasbords were essential to maintaining the community life there, last weekend’s Redwood Mountain Faire, held at the Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton, served a similar function for the San Lorenzo Valley—and Santa Cruz County as a whole.
Unlike fairs of the Roman Empire, which sold indulgences, or France, which were so key to commerce they popularized a standard unit of measure (called the pound troy), the Redwood Mountain Faire was a mix of hippie fashions, jam band sounds, blues, bluegrass and Americana music, and activities for children.
The June 3-4 music festival also provided the opportunity for groups like Rotary Club of San Lorenzo Valley, San Lorenzo Valley High School Football, Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center, and Boulder Creek Elementary Parents’ Club to raise funds for their programs by volunteering over the weekend.
These volunteers braved scorching heat to bring in much needed dollars to help keep the community humming over the next year.
Vendors peddled their wares and attendees danced in freeform fashion as bands like Lebo and Friends, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Hot Buttered Rum and Roy Rogers & The Delta Rhythm Kings kept the vibes flowing.
