The London Bridge Renaissance Faire should have been just another weekend of laughter, costumes, and guild camaraderie. Instead, it turned into one of the wildest vending adventures we’ve ever faced—a story of destruction, community, resilience, and why we created our Fundraiser Keychain product.

The event ran Saturday and Sunday, but the trouble began before the opening cannons even sounded. The wind was already strong, whipping through the rodeo grounds, where the faire is set up on what used to be a parking lot covered in dirt. Beneath the surface, it’s still concrete—and we learned quickly how unforgiving that foundation could be.

Within the first two hours, we were already tightening down our walls, heavy canvas fabric we’d only bought two years ago. But the gusts kept growing, and soon we started hearing the sound no vendor wants to hear: the loud tearing of canvas. At first, they were small holes. Then, as the wind pummeled the walls, they became gashes big enough to walk through.

Before long, the roof turned into a parachute. With one final, drawn-out RIIIIIIP, the whole thing tore free. Our roof went flying over several other vendors while hats, bags, and pouches tumbled away across the lot like tumbleweeds.

And here’s where the magic of faire life showed itself. Patrons, guildies, and other vendors rushed to help us. Strangers scooped up our runaway products and carried them back. One guildee even returned all three shredded pieces of our roof—just in case we could salvage it. In the chaos, we did lose two felt hats, but considering how much was at stake, we were incredibly lucky.

The challenges didn’t stop with the canvas. Setting up on a parking lot covered in dirt meant pounding stakes into what was essentially solid concrete. Somehow, we managed—me with my 4 lb. mini sledgehammer, and my oldest son dual-wielding hammers like he was beating a war drum. By the end of it, we had the stakes in, but getting them out was another story. One metal hammer bent in half, one wooden-handled hammer snapped, and it wasn’t until late at night, when another guild noticed our struggle, that help arrived. With a 4 ft. breaker bar, they popped out the stakes in minutes—reminding us once again that faire is about family, chosen or not.

Losing the tent was a huge blow. Our “high-end” party pop-up, the one we had just invested in for vending, was destroyed alongside it. At first, the plan was to sew new walls and a roof, but when we sourced materials, we realized that for just a couple hundred dollars more, we could invest in a professional-grade tent designed to withstand extreme conditions. That became the goal.

I tried bootstrapping the cost, like I always have—cutting back, scraping by—but life had other plans. A water leak in our home cost $1,200. Our vehicle broke down: another $1,500. Hurdle after hurdle piled up, and by August I realized I didn’t have time to wait. That’s when the Fundraiser Keychain was born—a way for our community to support resilience, support small business, and own a piece of this story.

Despite the chaos, despite the destruction, the weekend still gave us something beautiful. We made new friends—vendors and guilds we might never have spoken with otherwise. We shared laughter, swapped stories, and leaned on each other, proving once again that even when the tents blow down, the spirit of the faire never does.

And so we’ll be back next year at London Bridge—bigger, stronger, and more prepared than ever. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about the canvas and poles, it’s about the people, the family, and the magic we build together.

Hip Hip… HUZZAH

Created with the assistance of AI