I checked out the entertainment roster for this year’s Georgia Renaissance Festival. Two of their most popular acts, Hack and Slash and the Zucchini Brothers are nowhere to be found. I couldn’t discover why neither act was on the roster at their personal websites, but at the MySpace page for Hack and Slash, I found the following in a blog post:
We won’t be returning to the Georgia Rennaissance [sic] Festival this year, as they are making big changes to their entertainment roster. Thanks for the many emails we’ve received from our GARF supporters. We’ll miss seeing you all and sharing the stage with the Zucchini Brothers this Spring.
I think the boys were careful with what they said, but reading between the lines, it looks as it if is the Georgia Renaissance Festival’s choice not to invite either Hack and Slash or the Zucchini Brothers back. I think this is a huge mistake! I go to the Georgia Renaissance Festival every year without fail, and we always see three acts, no matter what: the Lost Boys, Hack and Slash, and the Zucchini Brothers. If you have enjoyed Hack and Slash and the Zucchini Brothers in the past, please write to the Georgia Renaissance Festival and ask the entertainment organizers to bring them back!
[tags]Georgia Renaissance Festival, Hack and Slash, Zucchini Brothers, entertainment[/tags]
I'm taking my students on the Student Day on the 26th. I'm SO excited.
Thanks for pointing this out. I had already noticed the Zukes not on the bill and wrote to GA Ren Festival to tell them what a bad decision this was. Soaking in 2 or 3 Zucchini Bros shows are more than worth the price of admission. Without them, it's not worth the drive or the ticket price to see foul-mouthed Tortugas and other lame lame shows.
Marty, thanks for writing to GARF. The more people they hear from, the better, and perhaps we can look forward to the Zukes and Hack and Slash again next year.
Hello! Actually, I've just spoken to the Entertainment Director for the Fest, who was incredibly nice, and she explained the situation to me regarding the Zucchini Brothers. It wasn't the Fest's decision for them not to return this year.
It seems that Jim, the redhead, lives in Oregon, and as he's now a stay at home dad, flying out to Atlanta every single weekend was just too demanding for him this year. The other Zuke, Todd, will be at the show this year performing his Zucchini-flavored solo show.
I didn't inquire about Hack and Slash, but I very much got the impression that the Fest is not at all inclined towards turning away old shows in favor of new. As I say, the Director was extremely nice, and very accessible. If anyone else wants to write and express their dismay, I hope that they will be kind and unreproachful in their letters. Avoiding, for instance, calling the other shows "lame" might be a good way to go.
Just thought this might be helpful info! Thanks!
Andy, by all means, you're right. We always catch more flies with honey than vinegar. But check out what Hack and Slash said in their MySpace blog — it definitely seemed like they wanted to come and weren't asked.
Hello again! Sorry, I hope I didn't sound rude! I wasn't trying to be… I actually didn't ask about Hack and Slash, I only wanted to provide info on the Zukes, I know nothing about H&S!
By coincidence, though, I was just coming back here to amend my last post. After further chatting with the director, it does seem that may have been the case with them. She mentioned that she's been receiving lots of mail about the Zukes and H&S, and how good it was to know that they're so well-liked. Then she went on to say that sometimes she has to rest shows for a year or so, so that the audience doesn't feel like they've seen it all, so perhaps that was the case with H&S. She also said that she really doesn't like having to make decisions like that! LOL…
Judging from what she said, it seems the message that Hack and Slash should return in the future has been very well received, and it seems also that she has no intention of leaving them out on any kind of permanent basis.
And that is officially all I know! I hope the info provides some cheer!
I didn't think you sounded rude at all, Andy, and I think you had a good point. I'm glad it looks like they'll be back next year.
Oh you are totally right! I actually have a letter i wrote a while ago for the renaissance festival when i found out about the Zucchini Brothers and Hack and Slash not coming back and i just need to edit and mail it. i have been to the renaissance festival every year of my life and the Zucchini Brothers are a tradition for my family. I actually read your post with my family over my shoulder and they said it sounded a lot like the letter i had written. my family is actually planning on going to the North Carolina renaissance festival and i Googled the Zucchini Brothers to see if they would be in North Carolina because i missed them so much in Georgia, and one of the google results for my search was your post! i was so exited when i found this because, when i found out about them not coming back, i was really upset and ranting to all my friends. but none of my friends have ever been to the renaissance festival so they couldn't really sympathize. that's what made it so exited when i found this! i thought "finally! someone else who understands!" i'm totally going to send that letter!
You are correct about the Zukes – Jim, the redhead, just finds it too hard to get out to GA, flying back and forth every weekend. Todd, the brunette, will be there with his show Flying Debris, so do check him out.
As for Hack&Slash, I dunno what to tell you other than that both Spencer and John have been busy with a number of their own projects this year, and that may have influenced the situation somewhat.
– Andy B., the RenWebGuy, webmaster for Flying Debris, Ded Bob, Hack&Slash, the Tortuga Fan Club website, Zoltan the Adequate, and a buncha buncha other rennie websites…