Costumes, masks and things that go bump in the night – Cape Cod Times

Lawrence Brown| Columnist

Before Halloween comes, we have King Richard'sFaire just across the bridge in Carver.

If youve never been (and shame on you if you havent) the Faire runs from early to late fall.The grounds are spacious with medieval and Renaissance buildings, staged musical productions, animal and acrobatic acts, a jousting field and places to throw an ax.You can even devour a huge leg of meat like Henry VIII.

At least a third of the visiting public shows up in costume as well and nobody gets too particular about authenticity.Fantasy and historicity casually blend here. Fairy elves pass you on tiptoe, making way for medieval executioners in black hoods with broadaxes as big as desktops.There are lots of women bulging out of their lace-up bodices, which suggests that more women enjoy being weekend wenches than you might guess.(Political correctness has no place in the 1600s.)

Meanwhile, professional troops of performers do musical skits with lusty singing and ribald humor.The slapstick has the children in giggles while the other half of the humor goes right past the kids to you.The amazing stunt men who joust for your entertainment will make sure you have clear heroes to scream for and villains to boo at.

So much humor and passion goes into the place that you can only conclude there are more neighbors than youd think whose daily lives just dont cut it, that they are more alive at King Richards Faire than they feel at homeor God bless em, at work.Its Halloween on steroids.

Meanwhile, the full free-for-all of Halloween is around the corner.We live in a more fearful age.Back in the day, children roamed the neighborhood from house to house unsupervised, just as they did in daylight. I remember a lonely old man with a fiddle. Halloween was his big chance every year to throw his door open and serenade everyone who came in.Its a lot more organized now and a lot more commercialized. Americans will spend over $10 billion this year.Only Christmas gets more.

Inflatable ghouls and monsters inhabit our front lawns, but we havent had kids work the neighborhood in years.All Hallows Eve may provide some slight historical grounding but unlike Christmas, we cant really argue that all the meaning has been drained from something that at least in this country had so little meaning in it to start with.

When we were kids, there was a frisson of real spookiness about being out after dark.More recently, the kids I taught were far more apt to believe in ghosts than in, say, angels.Whats the difference?None really, only angels have heaven to live in while ghosts seem to be stuck down here with us and none too happy about it.

Nobodys afraid of ghosts anymore; were too afraid of each other.Mamma herds the kids into tight packs, and pores over the treats for the pins and razor blades that are never there.You cant be too careful.Whats still fun?Dressing up.And why is dressing up fun?Because we get to be somebody else.

Kids get to be superheroes with capes.Or pirates. Or nurses, the real superheroes of our age.(In the real world, though, nobody sees nurses with the mesh stockings and little bitty outfits they sell at CVS for 20 bucks.)

Maybe it would be a more honest world if everybody had to wear a costume all the time, something that reflected their true nature.Then you could go to work and see who the court jesters, inquisitors and executioners reallywere. That might be a more honest reflection of who we are than the plain clothes costumes we wear every day.

Meanwhile, in my old school, the little kids will get into their costumes and parade through the hallways.Some will giggle.Monsters will go, Aaarrrghhh!Superheroes will be stern and heroic.The older kids and faculty will have their costume contest in the Commons.

At the Faire, the late afternoons have gotten chilly and darker.Still, the executioner offers a courtly bow in passing.Good afternoon, MLord, he says. Good day MLady. I offer my camera and a buxom wench behind a table adjusts the slant of her hat, drops her chin a bit and flashes a sly smile.Whatever youre selling, says the smile, I aint buying it.Little twin girls prance by twirling long streamers in spiraling rings.Finally, Im worn out.

If I have any complaint about King Richards Faire its that, as the sun goes down, they make us all go home.

Lawrence Brown is a columnist for the Cape Cod Times. Email him atcolumnresponse@gmail.com.

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Costumes, masks and things that go bump in the night - Cape Cod Times