Unlike my father, I’m not very competitive. Except for swim team, I didn’t participate in many sports growing up. When I was 9 I went to the Renaissance Fair in Marathon Key with my mom and dad. The fair has different entertainment, similar to what might have been found in Europe in the 17th Century. All the performers were in costume and stayed in character. I remember magic shows, jousting competitions, jugglers and singers to name a few.
One contest they were having was a “Screaming Wench” competition. It was inspired by the barmaids of that period, and they were portrayed as crass and bawdy. I thought it sounded like fun so I asked my parents if I could be in the contest. All the other entrants were adult women, and I had to yell “More Beer” as loud as I could. The look on my dad’s face was somewhere between confusion and dread.
