January
I will be teaching a class at the Crafts SuperShow in Anaheim, near Disneyland. The Class is 2 hours long, and will be the Celtic Cross. Cost is $35.00. Give me a call at 213-361-6754 if you are interested, there is limited space.
February
maybe Mesa Highland Games in AZ! maybe.
Pantheacon, in San Jose!
April and May
Southern California Renaissance Faire
at the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area
7 weekends, starting the first weekend in April.
first booth after the souvenir booth near the entrance.
Costa Mesa Highland Games
at Orange County Fairegrounds, the Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend.
June
San Diego Highland Games, held in Vista
And that's all I know at this point!
c
WHO WE ARE, AND WHY WE DO THIS
Wheat Goddesses is a sole proprietorship of Cora Hendershot.
Approximately 23 years ago, I met Morgyn Owens-Celli, who did traditonal corn dollies (this is the name for wheat weaving in the U.K.) at the Southern California Renaissance Pleasure Faire, back when it was held in Agoura. I had been doing handcrafts my entire life, and was immediately captivated by wheat weaving. One thing led to another, and I started out as a sales person for Morgyn. I rose through the ranks, so to speak, from sales to apprentice weaver to business partner. When Morgyn became the Curator for the American Museum of Straw Art (www.strawartmuseum.org), I bought out his half of the business, and here we are today. The Corn Dolly Empire, as we call it, has been in existence for 12 years.
I believe it is important to preserve old handicrafts, and learn about how our ancestors spent their days. Before the current couple of generations, just about everyone did some sort of work with their hands, either for employment or for enjoyment. I think that there is something inately satisfying about creating something with our hands, and being able to see a finished product which we have created from start to finish. Most people do not experience this today, and my thought is that this lack is a root cause for much of the dissatisfaction with life a lot of people say they are experiencing. One does not have to be intrinsically talented or creative to make something, there just has to be a willingness to learn.
I have taught a lot of classes both to adults and school-age people, and anyone who can tie their shoes can learn to do a simple wheat weaving.
For classes, contact me at wheatgoddesses@yahoo.com; for supplies, see www.backbeards-wheat.cc, or www.franksupply.com.
Over the years, I have seen a lot of people light up with the satisfaction of having created something.
This is a major reward for me to continue to teach classes, either formally or off the cuff, so to speak, at a craft show.
I also try to communicate how ordinary people lived in previous centuries at Faires. My specialty is Elizabethan England, but I also talk about 16th, 17th, and 18th America.
We all come from "primitive" peoples, and how they lived shaped who we are today. A visit to lifestyles of previous generations helps us make more informed decisions about where we want to go next.
Also, I just like to do research, and tell people about what I've learned, preferably in an intertaining fashion. Learning never ends. As Phyllis Patterson (the creator of the whole Renaissance Faire phenomenon) said, "We trick into learning with a laugh". Not a bad philosophy, to my mind.
2005 Schedule
weekends, April 16 to May 22
Southern California Renaissance Faire-new site! Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area (the 604 and the 210 Fwys) see www.REC.com.
weekends, April 16 to May 30
Kroneburg Olde Worlde Renaissance Faire
in Corona, CA. see www.Crossroads.com.
June 4 and 5, 11 and 12
RedBarn Productions' Renaissance Faire at Camp Richardson, Lake Tahoe, CA.
(tentative)
June 21 and 22
Vista, CA. Highland Games
weekends, June 11 to July 31st
Colorado Renaissance Festival, Larkspur, CO sharing space with Sacred Grove Apothocaries near front gate.
August 6 and 7, 13 and 14
Big Bear, CA. Renaissance Festival
(tentative)
weekends, August 27 through October 23
Maryland Renaissance Festival, just outside Annapolis, MD.
weekends, September 10 to October 16
PlayFaire Productions' Northern California Renaissance Faire at Casa de Fruita, outside of Gilroy, CA.
weekends, November 25 to December1 18
The Great Dickens Christmas Faire at the Cow Palace, in South San Francisco.
December 3 and 4
Stanford University Holiday Crafts Show, on campus at the Student Union.
December 10 and 11
KPFA Holiday Crafts Show, at the San Francisco Concourse, in San Francisco, CA
At this time (May 2005) that is the schedule for this year as I know it.
You can always call me on my cell phone at 213-361-6754 to get the latest information, or if you have any questions or comments, I am always happy to hear from you.
Cora
