April at Sherwood Forest Faire counteracts T.S. Eliot annually, especially in “The Waste Land” of global pandemic (“April is the cruellest month,” reasoned the poet in 1922). Enchanted from the moment SFF players open the gates to the McDade Shangri-la some 35 miles east of Austin, proclaiming fealty to Robin Hood, a vast array of wonders for the young and old sprawl the shaded woods. Jousting, archery, axe throwing, swordmaking, Nottingham Castle, puppetry, musicals, live bands, a medieval arcade and roller coaster, and a crowning hawk walk and multiple bird-of-prey demonstrations daily populate with families in costume – masked and distanced still, but teeming, thriving. Seldom does Austin’s freak flag fly such a standard worth a bit o’ taxation from King Richard.
