Virago Alley, NFP is the proud presenter of Warriors in Bloom.
This event would not be possible without the contributions of our partners and collaborators.
Our Partners
Agecroft Hall & Gardens is a 16th Century Gem in the Heart of Central Virginia. While oceans may separate England and Virginia, Agecroft Hall traveled on ships, trains, and a little luck from Lancashire to be reconstructed overlooking the banks of the James River in the 1920s. Agecroft now exhibits centuries of English daily life as a manor home that grew and evolved from the 16th century on -- a history that continually intersects with significant events in both Virginia and the United States.
Classic Party Rental’s specialists take pride in delivering a level of service quality that’s unmatched in our industry. We believe that our ability to better support our clients comes from our willingness to listen to them and truly understand their needs. Meeting your expectations is our main focus. You can trust that we will be there to make sure that the details are dealt with so that everything planned for your event is executed perfectly.
To better meet our clients’ needs, we offer an extensive inventory of quality event merchandise. In our showrooms, you can visually coordinate any rental items needed for your signature event setting. Our consultants welcome you to visit either of our locations, gather ideas from our showroom displays, view referral pictures and personally match our linens to your special events.
We are incredibly honored and enthusiastic to begin a relationship with our next feature and work along side him to build interactive games & provide state of the art demonstrations for our 2026 Richmond RenFaire. Today we spotlight Dan Pegg, founder of both Shield N Sheath Hatchet House and The Virginia Axe Company. Dan is a member of the U.S.A. Knife & Axe Throwing Team, International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame and CoFounder of United Knife and Axe Throwers. Dan has instructed television and movie stars, including consulting on the design of throwing knives for a star of the DC Justice League movies. In 2023 Dan appeared on the History Channel’s MOUNTAIN MEN: ULTIMATE MARKSMAN. A reality show based on the 1800’s Mountain Men era, Dan completed filming in Montana and finished as runner-up. Dan has travelled the world competing and is recognized as one of the world’s top ranked and “all around” throwers. We are thrilled to highlight Dan as a demonstrator on August 2nd and welcome his axe throwing trailer for attendees to learn this timeless skill!
The Richmond Faerie Federation will host a scavenger hunt on-site. Win a mystical prize for exploring the event and meeting famous viragos. Scour the grounds in search of whimsy, history, battles, and artisans. Finish the hunt and return to the fae for a prize. The Richmond Faerie Federation is a collective of lovers of the Otherworld who join together to bring joy to the community through play and creative invention. We celebrate the connection of all beings through the exploration of mythos.
We are over the moon to highlight our next performance group who formed shortly before our Ren Faire fundraising launch back in March and developed programming that inspired us to create a stage dedicated to storytelling at all future events! Today we welcome the phenomenal duo Spooky Hollow Storytellers! Tish Raven and Caspian Crow travel the world, seeking out fables, myths, tales, and yarns from every pocket of humanity they can find. Since the dawn of humankind, stories have been told, saving our history, and our hearts, for all time. The wonder in the eyes of listeners is the greatest joy of the storyteller, and it draws our fairies from their home, Spooky Hollow. All are welcome in their Garden of Stories, where they share their tales with anyone who craves a little more magic in their lives.
Let’s give a big warm welcome to the Roll 4 crew who will present “Roll 4 Warriors” on August 2nd! Members of Coalition Theatre present a live, improv comedy role playing experience where Dungeons & Dragons & improv collide in a wild RPG campaign inspired by audience suggestions! Since 2016, the Coalition Theater’s Roll 4 team has embarked on dozens of hilarious, improvised RPG campaigns driven by audience suggestions. They have organized an all female cast for Warriors in Bloom, and we look forward to working with them to produce an even larger live action role playing game with combat, monsters and more at our 2026 Richmond Renaissance Faire! So stay tuned!
Today we highlight an individual and organization who have been a pivotal contribution to Richmond’s creative landscape & are instrumental in providing an unparalleled voice for social change. Say hello to Richmond’s very own All the Saints Theater Company! They are trash lovers, music makers & Puppeteers led by Richmond-born Lil Lamberta who returned to Richmond in 2006 after their apprenticeship with the Vermont based Bread & Puppet Theater. For nearly 20 years, All the Saints Theater Company has served the Richmond community by creating large-scale, political puppet theater that brings people together around issues of social justice, environmental activism, and community resilience. They host inclusive events like the annual Oregon Hill Halloween Parade and Spaghetti Dinners, where neighbors can participate in art-making, music, and performance. Through workshops, parades, and protest collaborations, they empower people—especially youth and marginalized communities—to express their voices creatively and collectively in public spaces in the name of change and resistance. Don’t miss their story of Joan of Arc presented on the Warriors in Bloom main stage. They will also provide stilt walking demonstrations, unscripted performance throughout the grounds & hand made works for sale to raise funds for future All the Saints initiatives.
Organizing an event with a mission of highlighting fierce individuals who broke down societal norms and changed history in the process while also embracing all the grit that Richmond has to offer, it only felt right to book a headliner who not only represents Richmond but this centuries long fight for egalitarianism. Punk music, particularly during the Riot Grrrl movement of the early 1990s, played a significant role in advancing women’s rights by creating a space for feminist expression and activism within the music scene. It provided a platform for women to challenge patriarchal norms, share their experiences, and advocate for social change. While this band may not be the typical 4 piece you would see on a sunny afternoon at Agecroft Hall & Gardens or at a Ren Faire themed event, we feel that Warriors in Bloom is about more than simply highlighting pivotal historic figures and artistries, but is about sharing how these stories and art forms have inspired and empowered a new generation of warriors. Gusher is a five-piece band of hot art freak baddies formed to have fun, dance hard, and break hearts. Erin G (BUTT, Stephanie, Every Eye) on guitar and vocals, Carl (Ultra Bleach) on bass, Rachel (VV, Muck) on drums, Jay on keys, and Lila (Shawnis & The Shimmers) on guitar. With their fast paced punk tracks and sassy southern style, theyre sure to win you over or at least make ya dance a little bit.
In a Renaissance kitchen, the process of making bread was both a daily ritual and a vital household task, carried out with care and precision. We are thrilled to welcome Sara Jane of Vivify Gardens & Apothecary who will transform Agecroft’s historic kitchen into market space to purchase fresh loaves and to showcase the various tools needed to make delicious sour dough and other traditional breads & pastries! Sara Jane’s baking journey began as a young girl, surrounded by the warmth of her Nana and mother in the kitchen. With a passion for gardening that has flourished for 20 years, she seamlessly incorporates fresh, homegrown ingredients into her sourdough creations. As a community herbalist and kitchen witch, Sara believes in the magic of making food from scratch, crafting each loaf with love and intention. Join her as she blends the art of baking with the beauty of nature, sharing recipes and herbal insights that nourish both body and soul. Sara Jane is a dedicated healer and entrepreneur with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Exercise Science. She has pursued numerous certificate courses in Herbalism and Nutrition and has shared her knowledge as an educator in both health and gardening. When she’s not nurturing her garden or managing her busy family of six, Sara enjoys traveling, capturing moments through photography, and experimenting in the kitchen. A proud Virginia native, she cherishes her roots and the vibrant life she has built.
We are so pleased to highlight a beloved, and incredibly talented Richmond artist who will provide live historical illumination and calligraphy demonstrations as well as an interactive scriptorium for attendees in the Sunken Gardens at Agecroft Hall! Everyone say hello to Mistress Merwenna de Rannowe (aka Cheryn Rapp)! Cheryn blends illustration with the historical calligraphy and illumination styles of medieval manuscripts. Using a variety of period-accurate media has provided her a unique perspective on the process of calligraphy, illumination, and book arts as a whole, and many of her pieces are done with historically accurate materials and gold leaf. She also teaches workshops on painting, gilding, and ink drawing techniques. . Stop by the Scriptorium to learn more about illuminated manuscripts, medieval book arts, and the scribes who created these intricate masterpieces! Try your hand at gothic calligraphy with ink and a quill pen or paint your own illuminated manuscript! Visitors can also learn more about tools and processes for gilding with gold leaf, basic bookbinding, calligraphy, and manuscript painting.
When the concept of Warriors in Bloom came to life, we immediately thought of contacting our next feature. Envisioning this talented performer’s sounds echoing throughout the gardens of Agecroft Hall set our vision in motion and provided so much inspiration for our team. (Eli)zabeth Owens is a myth-weaving, harp-strumming (narcoleptic) multi-instrumentalist using music to commune with the sacred unconscious and bring us all together. Through her ethereal, intricate performances she practices the art of undressing emotionally onstage, inviting the audience to share her wounds with grace, move through overwhelm with humor, and listen to the inner death-screams with a poetic ear and a glitchy determination that somehow, always, loops back to beauty. Eli is a Harpist, Transmedia Artist, Multi-Instrumentalist, Producer & Educator. Do not miss her mind bending performance at Warriors in Bloom on Saturday, August 2nd!
Today we highlight The Japanese Sword Arts Study group and RVA Katana who will be joining us in our Combat Arena on August 2nd with live demonstrations. The Japanese Sword Arts Study program is open to all individuals ages 16 and up, interested in exploring and discovering more about the legendary sword martial arts of Japan. The class is designed as a springboard for individuals who want to get started but don’t know where to begin. Classes operate out of RVA Katana. The curriculum is taken from the classical Koryu Kenjutsu/Battojutsu (Kukishin Ryu) with all classes taught by Scott Takahashi. There are no ranks or titles awarded in the training, with each class covering requisite fundamentals without typical ego segregation found in American martial arts school. Students learn combative positions, footwork, cutting, blocking, drawing and formal methods in addition to Tameshigiri cutting of soft and hard targets (Tatami Omote and bamboo) and the wearing of authentic Japanese armor (Yoroi). Japanese history, language, culture and philosophy is also presented with the classes and students have the opportunity to travel to Japan each year with Takahashi Sensei to further their exploration of the arts, direct from the source. RVA Katana sells functional swords and offers classes and workshops to the community at their storefront located at 1909 West Cary Street. They specialize in a wide range of Japanese, Chinese, Korean and European swords as well as Military, Antique, Pop Anime and wooden practice swords. Come visit their booth on August 2nd and pop by their shop 7 days a week!
Windblown Sister Botanicals will transform the rustic cottage overlooking Agecroft Hall’s herbal garden, into a cozy, mystical space where herbal magic and old-world wisdom will intertwine. Warriors in Bloom highlights brave and fearless women in history but also pulls back the curtain on the injustices and demonization of women through the ages. The story of the persecution of women healers is one of the most important stories to tell because it is deeply rooted in centuries of patriarchy, power struggles, and the professionalization of medicine. Many of the women accused during the infamous witch trials, were in fact midwives, herbalists, and folk healers. It’s not just about superstition or fear of magic, but about how systems of control silenced women’s knowledge, especially when that knowledge empowered the poor, challenged religious authority, or resisted the rise of institutional, male dominated medicine. Nycol of Windblown Sisters Botanicals continues this healing legacy, and we believe that this continuation is as an act of resistance, reclamation, and empowerment. Thank you Nycol! “Rooted in the wild wisdom of the land, Nycol is a bioregional herbalist based in RVA, dedicated to cultivating a deep relationship with the local plants of Virginia. With a focus on ethical wildcrafting, seasonal medicine making and community education, she invites others to reconnect with plants and the healing power they possess. As a bookbinder, Nycol also creates one-of-a-kind pieces that are both functional and beautiful, using mostly reclaimed materials. “ Make sure to visit the Windblown Sisters Botanical cottage on August 2nd and step through her portal into the past to reveal the smells of dried herbs, beeswax, aged wood & leather illuminated by flickering candlelight and the occasional glow of enchanted jars. Learn about the tools & materials used to press herbs, mix salves & distill oils and browse an array of handmade apothecary treasures.
Our Collaborators
Ferox breathes new life into ancient musical styles through rhythmic and electronic explorations.
Inspired pagan traditions and St Hildegard von Bingen alike, Ferox members Leslie Dripps and Betsy Podsiadlo infuses their passions for choral music across time with the context of modern times.
Custom knives by Brent Stubblefield & team in Richmond, VA.
Ben Franklin's original woodcut was published in his Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754. The message was simple: unite against a common foe or fail. Join or Die brings back traditional skill, lore, and craft as the foundation for a new economy. The disjointed image of a snake represented the thirteen colonies as it also represents us as individuals. Each piece is unique and essential to form the whole.
The Richmond Weavers Guild was formed in 1965 to encourage fellowship among members and to promote the appreciation of handweaving as well as to educate those interested in fiber arts in the Richmond community. We offer a monthly newsletter with actual woven samples, reduced fees for workshops, and access to a large lending library.
Welcome to the Kingdom of Atlantia, Barony of Caer Mear - the Society of Creative Anachronism local branch. The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is an inclusive community pursuing research and re-creation of pre-seventeenth century skills, arts, combat and cultures of the known world. The lives of participants are enriched as we gain knowledge of history through activities, demonstrations, and events. We will be demonstrating the skills of local artists and fighters.