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11 March... I am sitting here on this cold and foggy morning, straight out of a Stephen King novel, and wishing my happy butt was basking in the warmth of Arizona . Apache Junction, Arizona to be precise! Not only would I be quite elated to see this wondrous new land (to me) of mountains, cacti, beautiful sunrises (I've been told), crisp mornings and howling wildlife…I would also get to be with my most favorite people on the planet. The Arizona Renaissance Festival is also located in Apache Junction and is playing host to many talented and lovely people including The Tortuga Twins (these would be my favorite people, ya know) weekends from February 9 thru March 30. Although I have not had the pleasure of attending this particular faire, I have heard many wonderful things about it. I find it quite interesting that Arizona has a lot of the same performers as Carolina (my home faire) and yet, I've never made the trek to the desert. I will, however, get there…when money permits…sigh. Anyway, the reports I have received have been glowing. You Arizonians have been presented with quite a few surprises this year. The first two weekends you received the gift of two new Tortugas. Yes indeed… Salvador and Calviatto completed the final days of their pre-Tortuga training on your very own Boathouse stage. Both gentlemen were well received (read that as ogled and groped) by many the fair lass as they performed their way into the Tortuga history books. On Monday, February 18, 2008 Calviatto (Jeffrey Schiltgen) and Salvador (Bryan Ragon) became full fledged Tortuga Twins when they received their long awaited yellow shirts. And, in another first, all five Tortugas were on stage (at various times) for the final Swordfighting and Stupidity show of the day. We have a few recaps from our fabulous Arizona Chapter Head, Cindy Gray: Weekend Number One “Well, the weather was fabulous - cool mornings, sunny afternoons. I believe we were in low to mid 70s. I saw very little of Saturday's shows - it was a particularly hectic day at the cart. I do remember Captain Morgan - the usual comment was made about the hole in the grass skirt, then someone mentioned to watch out for the bulge in the front, too. I looked up and - OMG - even from the cart, I could see the front of the grass skirt was, shall we say, protruding! It must have been Scaramouche that said "we have a winner" because D'Angelo corrected with "we have a wiener" and Raphael said "no, that's a sausage!" LOL! I also heard some talking during Swordfighting &Stupidity that involved masturbation and every time you do it, God kills a kitty ... followed by a series of "meow/poof" demonstrations. That drew my attention away from business! Raphael's demonstration sound changed a bit (no poof) and he explained that it was a hairless kitty - Scaramouche said they come from Brazil . Well, this little back & forth went on for a bit. Yes, we bypassed the "R" rating - as usual. Sunday was more great fun! We were introduced to Salvatore during Robin Hood and Calviatto during Big Bad Wolf. I don't need to tell you how fun they are (on and off stage). I was enchanted by them both! (I did tell Jeff, though, that he spells his name normally and that just didn't work for me.) Oh, that must mean that Deborah Paper's dad was not in Big Bad Wolf, because he was wearing a Navy shirt and Scaramouche had plenty to say about it. That means he was either the Sheriff of Nottingham or the Island Queen. Hmmm ..... ! I do remember Captain Morgan was very playful and fun. And Red Riding Hood, well, her stage experience clearly made her day! She was first in line at the cart after the show.” Weekend Number Two “It's been a long, busy weekend ... for that matter, a long, busy week! The festival has been open seven of the last ten days! Shows have all been great - our new guys have been very well received - and I know there are many tidbits I could share if my brain were still functioning! The biggest news to report, though, is that Salvador and Calviatto have "graduated" .... with a bit of a to-do this morning just prior to Robin Hood, both men stripped off their Star Trek expendable red shirts and donned Tortuga yellow! *sniff sniff* We are all so proud! Saturday was fabulous, but Sunday proved to be a bit cloudier and cooler than we had anticipated. Threat of rain all day (though we never saw more than the hint of a sprinkle). Still, people were coming out and the shows were well attended.” Weekend Number Three “On Saturday, we had a live proposal during Robin Hood. Marian's boyfriend dropped to his knees at the designated time and produced a ring, much to the crowd's delight. Judging by her reaction, we assume the answer was "yes"! It was a great moment. I failed to mention in last weekend's show ... when we had both Calviatto and Salvador with us ... all five Tortugas performed the Swordfighting and Stupidity Show. Well, the bulk of it. It was so funny - you have not seen the intro until you've seen it in quin tuple time .... "ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, ladies ........." it was the longest freakin intro you've ever seen! Very funny stuff. There were fun moments all through the show, too, where the "trainees" were standing off to the side when suddenly Scaramouche would do something interesting (or disturbing) and Calviatto would run out to announce he is in training and would then do the same thing. This went against him, tho, when Scaramouche was about to hump Raphael's leg and he said "wait, I have a trainee!" LOL! Then Raphael said "wait, I have a trainee, too!" So Calviatto ended up on Salvador 's leg! Of course, when the moment for the “bitch slap” came into play, D'Angelo was very disappointed that he didn't have a trainee to step in for him! I think the show ran a bit late that night, but it was so wo rth it! “ Don't worry if you missed the first three weekends…there are still five more weekends of fun to experience. Look for the Tortuga Twins at the Boathouse Stage they share with Ded Bob. Come on out, bring some friends, enjoy the food and watch the shows. We look forward to seeing you there! We'd like to mention members of our family that have greeted the boys with much love and support already this year . Kirsten Jensen, Candace Schatke, Sandy Pilcher, Sherry Byars, Carol Smith, Kate Weiss, and Deborah Paper (whose father was pulled on stage), Sheri Gahr, Sean Dwyer, Ashley Egger, Megan Price, Michael Smidt, Veronica Pickering, Russell Anderson, Meghan McNeilly, Tamra Osborn, Murphy Donavan, Tressie Molina and Julia Carman. We were also treated to a visit from Minnesota minions Beata & Mary Ellen and Minnesota Chapter Head/Fan Club Vice-President, Kay Kinsey. Contests
It's that time of year again when we announce any new contests we have in the works. Let's start up the first one…shall we! Everyone loves Tortuga Twin shirts and everyone always thinks they have a great idea about what to put on our next one. Here's your chance to design a t-shirt for the Tortuga Twins. Send your ideas to: edwina@tortugatwins.com , with “T-shirt Design” in the subject line. If we like your idea, we'll send you a free t-shirt. If you win and we use your idea, we'll send you 5 t-shirts and $100.00. Yep…you read it right! Deadline for entries is July 1, 2008. TortugaLand It's hard to believe that Tortuga Land has been open now for almost 4 years. In that time many friends have been made. We have all witnessed many changes as well over the course of time, both with Tortuga Land , The Tortuga Twins & the Fan Club ... all for the better. As technology changes sometimes we have to change to keep up with it. In doing so we created the Twins page on MySpace. ( www.myspace.com/tortugatwins ). That has taken off much more than we expected & in doing so the activity on Tortuga Land has dropped drastically. While we certainly don't want anyone to feel they are unwelcomed - we just want everything in one central place so it is easier for the fans to find the information they need quickly. So with that we have decided it is best to close the doors on Tortuga Land & point you to myspace instead. It has been a pleasure & honor to have you all at Tortuga Land & the forums will certainly be missed - but not forgotten. We want to say “Thank You” to those that joined the site and gave us such joyous posts. We would also like to invite everyone to check out our numerous TortugaHolic myspace sites and the TortugaHolic myspace group. Each site is maintained by that areas Chapter Head and/or our Fan Club President (with an occasional visit by a Twin or five). Feel free to leave comments, drop us a line, keep up with the latest news and view recent photos. You can also enjoy the same fellowship with other TortugaHolics in the TortugaHolic myspace group moderated by Minnesota Fan Club member (our favorite Minnesota “picture fairy”), Rose Pielow. www.myspace.com/tortugatwinsnc Carolina Renaissance Festival www.myspace.com/tortugatwinsmn Minnesota Renaissance Festival www.myspace.com/tortugatwinsoh Great Lakes Medieval Faire/ Grand River Cellars Winery www.myspace.com/tortugatwinsla Louisiana Renaissance Festival www.myspace.com/tortugatwinsga Georgia Renaissance Festival www.myspace.com/tortugaholicsazchapter Arizona Renaissance Festival and the groups (I actually found two) http://groups.myspace.com/tortugaholics run by Rose Pielow http://groups.myspace.com/gatortugaholics run by Caitlin McCannon In Fan Club News… Current Arizona Fan Club members can pick up their Fan Club kits up at the Tortuga Twins run merchandise cart at the Arizona Renaissance Festival now thru March 30. Don't forget to renew your membership at the cart too. And, as a reminder, here's a note from the guys about how you can extend your own membership without paying for it.
March Birthdays March 11, Janelle Smith from GA; March 13, Kayla Harmon from GA and Nina Emory from NC; March 14, Sherry Byars from AZ; March 19 Angela Wolf from MN and March 29, Debi Rick from NC and Sarah Bernard from OH. Happy Birthday ladies!! ”Say Goodnight, Gracie” In closing, I'd like to share with you an interesting event that happened to our dear Riki (Raphael) recently. While sitting in a Starbucks, doing some much needed Tortuga work on his laptop, my handsome friend was approached by a guy. He said he didn't mean to interrupt him, but would he sign a cup for his wife? Of course, Riki said “yes” thinking he meant a paper cup or something. The guy actually bought a Starbuck's mug and had Riki sign it. Seems like a very simple thing to do and very mundane to some, but it meant so much to Riki to be honored in such a way. Nice to know that while some of you are in awe of the Twins…they are just as in awe of all of you and the kindness you greet them with. Over the years, I've heard many similar tales from each of the guys and each time my heart is warmed by the look on their faces and the joy in their eyes as they share their stories. Thanks to all of you that make them smile and make their days much brighter. Till next time,
25 January... Can you believe it's 2008 already?! Opening day for the Arizona Renaissance Festival is just around the corner and our fabulous men in yellow (and tights) are just as anxious as all of you to get this show on the road…again. Opening day is February 9 and you can catch the Twins, weekends thru March 30…plus President's Day, as they bring much needed joy and laughter into your hearts. I've already heard that many of you will be making the trek (some from far, far away) to Apache Junction for a little infusion of Tortuga magic. This month finds our intrepid comedic trio relaxing in different parts of this fabulous country of ours. Jef (and his lovely wife Sharon) are relaxing at home in Florida where they are, no doubt, catching up on long over due work around the house as well as catching up with long missed family and friends. Riki spent his time off doing much traveling. From Louisiana he drove to Arizona…caught a plane back to Louisiana…drove Heather's vehicle & trailer back to Arizona…flew to Minnesota to celebrate his birthday & Christmas…flew back to Arizona to ring in the New Year…drove to California to catch a plane to Thailand where he will be as he “expands his meditative horizons”. At last report, he was very busy with his studies, but having a fabulous time. Don't worry, Tortuga Fans, he will be back just in time for the opening of the Arizona Renaissance Festival. Ronn and the lovely Heather drove from Louisiana to Kansas City to celebrate Christmas with family and friends, then made the trek to Arizona where they are anxiously awaiting the birth of their beautiful daughter, Scarlett. I do need to mention, for those that have been writing and asking, yes, there are still many things that the proud parents to be need. Gift cards from Babys R Us and Target would be greatly appreciated. If you are so inclined, you can send one (or more) to: Ronn & Heather Bauman, c/o Tortuga Twins, 11404 Suncreek Place , Temple Terrace , FL 33617 . 2008 Previews! The Newest Tortuga Brothers This year brings the promise of many new and exciting gifts to one and all. For the Tortuga Twins as a group there is the addition of the long awaited final member of the “B” team. For those of you lucky (and wise) enough to visit the first two weekends of the Arizona Renaissance Festival, you will get to meet the first two “B” team members. Calviatto (Jeffrey Schiltgen) and Salvador (Bryan Ragon) will be performing during the first two weekends. What a lovely opportunity to meet and “Welcome” these two handsome, and very talented, additions to the Tortuga family. I know you will all love them as much as we do! Repeating the Winery Shows Ohio fans can look forward to hosting the highly successful Winery Shows once again this year. Stay tuned to this site for further updates and details as they become available. And, don't forget, Fan Club members will probably find out before anyone else so be sure to check your inbox often for Fan Club emails. A BRAND NEW DVD As you may, or may not, know, the Twins filmed their “Robin Hood” show while performing in Carolina in 2007. Look for the release of this fun, and much sought after, addition to your Tortuga Twin collection. Dvds will be on sale soon at a Tortuga Twins run merchandise cart near you and right here on this website. A New Festival? There may be a new venue opening up for the Twins this year. They are in negotiations with several different Festivals at this time and will, as always, be letting everyone know the results as soon as they know. Again, Fan Club members will be notified first. Myspace anyone? New for this year…we have special Myspace pages set up for each venue. We welcome Fan Club members and Tortuga Fans alike to visit. Each page will be run by our local Chapter Heads (and me) and will be an excellent place to meet fellow fans and make lots of new friends, as well as, spread the Tortuga cheer. You can find your respective Myspace homes at: www.myspace.com/tortugatwinsnc Carolina Renaissance Festival www.myspace.com/tortugatwinsmn Minnesota Renaissance Fesival www.myspace.com/tortugatwinsoh Great Lakes medieval Faire/ Grand River Cellars Winery www.myspace.com/tortugatwinsla Louuisiana Renaissance Fesiva www.myspace.com/tortugatwinsga Georgia Renaissance Fesiva www.myspace.com/tortugatwinsaz . Arizona Renaissance Fesiva In Fan Club News… Contests The winner of our final contest for 2007 (which was the “T-shirt” Contest) has been decided on…and let me tell you it was a very hard decision ladies and gents. You are a very clever and quite creative bunch, which made the decision even harder. We narrowed it down to a select few and finally chose Fig Chandler as our Winner. Fig sent us a picture of herself wearing a lovely Tortuga Twin t-shirt while she stood in front of the Sydney Opera House in Sydney , Australia . Fig, that's a long way to go just to win a contest!! We would like to thank everyone for taking the time to enter our little event. Depending on just how busy Dupe is in the next few weeks, we hope to have the pictures posted for our runner-ups and our lovely winner, right here on the Twin site. We will also be sending those pictures out for all Fan Club Members to enjoy. Congratulations Fig!!! Birthdays… January…January 4, Laura Haynes from NC; January 5, Kate Weis from AZ; January 8, Peggy Clark from WI; January 10, Brian Watson from Australia , Lisa Gaul from MN and Emily Nelson from NC; January 12, Patty Brazil from MN; January 21, Anthony Kott from AZ. February…February 1, Nicole Osborn from AZ; February 2, Katy Trottier from MN; February 5, Ian Wallis from NC; February 7, Debbie Stegall from NC, and Tamra Osborn from AZ; February 8, Lynne Skinner from GA; February 18, Deborah Paper from AZ; February 22, Becky Schade from WI; and February 26, Ashley Morris from MN. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all of you lovely lads and lasses!! We look forward to seeing each and every one of you, this year, as we travel along the highways and byways of these United States . Until then… Love and laughter to all!!
11 December...Thanksgiving found The Tortuga Twins celebrating with extended family and friends in the fair state of Louisiana . It was a nice day of rest, relaxation, good food, pleasant conversation and lots of warm bonding (for all) before going back to work on Friday at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. A special “Thanks” goes out the the Hausers for taking such good care of everyone. The Twins, as always, can be found at the Painted Badger Pub for daily performances…which means that, even if it rains, the show will always go on (well, usually anyway). While at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival, we invite you to visit all things associated with the Tortugas. There are games, the Test of Strength, The Maze and…the newly constructed (by Tortuga Twins in tool belts) Dungeon (complete with moat!) & gift shoppe…oh yeah, and the Tortuga Twins. In my latest report from the boys, I am told that the weather for their second weekend of Fest was much nicer than the first. Saturday found temperatures in the 70's while Sunday was closer to 80…the fans have been very lovely, kind and receptive. The Louisiana Renaissance Festival, as always, has been very good to the Tortugas. If you missed visiting the boys while they were in Carolina , you missed much fun and mayhem indeed. Of course you know about the first three weekends…the weather, the crowds, the shows and such…and the fact that we are training a new Tortuga for the “B” team. Our last four weekends turned out to be such a blast for everyone! The weather remained perfect throughout the rest of the 2007 Carolina festival season, although, I'm sure the Twins may disagree since they were the ones on stage, during some of the warmer days, with the sun beating down on them. We told you how the boys were making the 12 hour trek to Louisiana during the week three times during their stay in Carolina as they worked on their new dungeon that they were building (and is now up and running while Fest is open) at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. After their first weekend in Carolina they made the drive to Louisiana and worked 12 – 14 hour days until it was time to travel back to Carolina for Fest. After the second weekend they got to stick around because they had to work Student Days…which means one day off, three days of work, one day off and then two days of Fest on the weekend. After the third weekend of fest, it was back to Louisiana again, then back for the fourth weekend of fest, then back to Louisiana once again. The third trip was the most important as everything (and I do mean everything) had to be ready for the opening weekend of the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. As time drew near for our favorite men in tights to start their drive back to Carolina , it was painfully obvious that they still had much work to do before they could leave. After much deliberation, read that as cussin' and discussin'), their final battle plan was made. One lone Tortuga would make the long drive back to Carolina (along with a Carolina Fest helper who had to be back in Carolina) while the other two would stay behind and finish the work (with the help of the amazing Jamie Harvey and crew) before catching a flight to Carolina early on Saturday morning and arrive just in time to start their fifth weekend at Fest. The driving Tortuga left Louisiana 4 & 5 pm on that Friday and arrived around 3:30 or 4 am (on Saturday). While he was able to get a little rest (or as much as you can while riding in a vehicle for 12 hours), he was still one very tired puppy on Saturday morning. The other two Tortugas did not do as well. Upon picking them (and Jamie) up at the airport the next morning, it was revealed that these daring men had worked right up until it was almost time to catch their flight from Louisiana . What does that mean…they worked all night long with no sleep, they arrived at the airport just three minutes before they closed the doors for take-off, scrambled from the plane to their awaiting ride and arrived at the Carolina Festival site about thirty minutes before the opening cannon. Two Tortugas got absolutely NO sleep at all. The fans never knew what was going on, the shows never suffered and the Tortuga Twins performed every single show with style. I will admit that those witnessing the final show that day would have sworn that all three Twins were dead drunk, however, they were just dead tired. It proved to be one of their wildest and most fun shows ever! The sixth weekend was very busy indeed. On Saturday the boys filmed “Robin Hood” for their next DVD to be released. It was so much fun to witness the hoopla that goes on during filming. Yours truly did some filming of her own and took many a picture during that historic event. Audience members were thrilled to be a part of it all, as were all three (make that four) Tortugas. Now that I've mentioned that fourth Tortuga, it is fair to mention that our “sexy Salvador ” performed for the first time on Sunday that same weekend. Was he nervous? Well, of course! Did he do a fantastic job anyway? Duh…well, of course! Was it filmed? Duh, again…well, of course! Will it be up on the Fan Club site soon? Ummm…I certainly hope so. Just remember, Fan Club members will see any video long before anyone else. (Yep, it's true.) The seventh weekend had Salvador (the sexy beast) performing in two shows each day. It was strange, and little comical, to see Raphael sitting in the audience watching the performances on those days. Several times he leaned over and asked “Do I look like that when I'm doing that on stage?” Again, we filmed all of the performances and copies were given to each of the veteran Tortugas. Our newest Tortuga has developed quite a fan following indeed. One current Fan Club member (hello Ronnie) made the drive from Georgia three weekends in a row just to take in the wonder that is Salvador (I personally think she just likes it when he takes his shirt off). The Sexy Salvador is brought to life by Bryan Ragon. More info on Bryan (as well as our first Tortuga in Training, Calviatto, performed by Jeff Schiltgen) will be posted in our Fan Club side of the site soon. Sometime next year we'll try to introduce him to this side of the site (all the more reason to join the Fan Club NOW). We would like to thank everyone who came out to join us in Carolina making our stay most enjoyable indeed. I'm going to try to remember all of the Fan Club Members that made an appearance, but sincerely apologize if I forget someone (it was a very hectic time). Rebecca Jane & her lovely Mom made the trip from Ohio at least four weekends (that I remember), Caitlin came from Georgia, Ronnie came up three weekends in a row from Georgia (once with Caitlin), Jeff Sharrett and his lovely wife Sandy visited us from Georgia (Jeff is our GA Fan Club Chapter Head). From Carolina there was Emily Nelson, Frankie D. & wife Kelly Defeo, Angie Wheatley, Vicki Walters & her handsome son Walt, Kerrie Harrington, Tonya Greer & the ever lovely Emily Duty, Kimberly Haynes and Debbie Stegall. The Third Annual Renaissance Festival Awards…
We would like to mention that it is voting time again. Voting in the Third Annual Renaissance Festival Awards is going on now until December 31, 2007. Thanks to you, the fans, the Tortuga Twins have won top honors for the past two years. Let's make it three in a row…shall we?! Go to http://renfestmusic.4celts.com/awards/vote_2007.shtml and make your voices (and votes) count in the “Best Non-Musical Group” category. In Fan Club News… We would like to mention our new family members: Ellen Benefield, Zach Briggs, Sharon Bruscher, Josh Caples, Reba Causey, James Cooper, Jada Cox, Nina & Freddie Emory, Andy Erb, Marian Farthing, Dwayne Greene, Suzette Guthrie, Laura Haynes, John Lawson, Ryan Leary, Barbara Longstreet, Valerie Lynch-beauden, Allen Marston, Gretchen Marsden, Sharron & Gerrard McElroy, Tee Jay Nantz & Aislin, Patrick Pariso, Debi Rick, Cheryl Stumpf, Angela Touchton, Melissa Vogel, Ian Wallis, Stephanie Hays, Emily Duty, Connie Watson and Kim Ross. Welcome to our, ever growing, fold. In contest news... The winners of our October and November drawings were: October
November
And
We still have one more contest that is running for this year. The “T-shirt Contest”. This contest is open to all Tortuga Twins Fans ( you DON'T have to be a FC Member to enter this one ). Just in case you don't remember, this is the way it goes. You take a picture of yourself, wearing a Tortuga Twins t-shirt, with a famous person (actor, singer, race-car driver, etc.) or in a famous place ( Eiffel Tower , London Bridge , Grand Canyon , Disney World…) and send it to us. Anyone can enter, but you cannot send us anything that you've already sent in (to those that entered last year). Email your entries to us at fanhoncho@tortugatwins.com with “T-shirt Contest” in the subject line. The winner will receive a free membership to our fabulous official Tortuga Twins Fan Club . This contest ends December 31, 2007, so get those entries in soon!! Birthdays… Celebrating in November: November 8, Patricia Linton and Beata Simin from MN; November 10, Patrick Pariso from NC; November 13, Allen Marston from NC; November 14, Teasha Nelson from GA; November 22, Maria Wynn from GA; November 23, Teddy Gingrich from AZ; November 25, Lindah Straw from AZ; November 27, Marcelene Watson from NC; November 28, Valerie Lynch-beaudin from NC; November 29, Angela Touchlon from NC & Nathan Dombrowski from MN and November 30, Elizabeth McFarland from NC. Celebrating in December: December 5, Jane Theiler and Robert Claussen from MN; December 9, Shawn Force from GA;, December 12, Vicki Walters from NC; December 13, Michaelann Davis and Nicole Forsgren from AZ; December 15, Michael Pominville from MN; December 19, Marian Farthing from NC; December 22, Kim Ross from NC; December 26, James Wynn from GA and December 28, Rachel Jacobsen from MN. Happy Birthday to all of our precious family members. Meet & Greet The Carolina edition of the Tortuga Twins Meet and Greet was held November 14 at Dave & Busters in Concord Mills. What was supposed to be a night of bowling turned into one big night of socializing. No one complained and everyone went away with a smile on their faces and a few new friends added to their lives. Now, I didn't get to meet everyone, but here are the ones I remember. Vicki Walters (my favorite partner in crime), Bryan Ragon (Salvador), Brian Hollaway (cart wizard), Kerrie Harrington, Casey & Allen Marston, Frank & Kelly Defeo, Ellen Benefield and her charming husband (whose name escapes me at the moment), Tee Jay and Aislin Nantz, James Cooper and the lovely Nicole and Emily Nelson (with friend). We would like to thank the fine folks at Dave & Busters for taking such good care of us all. Of course, Vicki and I would like to thank our waiter Connor for being just the cutest and sweetest thing ever. (Yep, we do love our Connor.) Our Fan Club is growing larger with every passing day. It's so nice to have our family reaching out in so many different directions and even nicer to see so many familiar faces as we travel across the country every year, but there is room for so many more. Feel free to tell your friends, co-workers, heck even complete strangers how they too can become part of this vast Tortuga machine. They can join here online or at any Tortuga Twins run merchandise cart when we visit your local Faire during the year. I suppose that will have to do it for now. Till next time… Love and laughter to you all!! 9 November... Webmaster's note:Sharyn Watson ORIGINALLY wrote this update on September 30th. It is totally my fault that it hasn't been published until now. - As I sit here writing this, I am filled with anticipation. It's an absolutely gorgeous day here in Carolina and one can only hope that it stays this way when the Tortuga Twins pay a visit to our fair state in October. For now, they are entertaining the masses at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in Shakopee , MN until the last weekend in September. What an adventure that has been. The first weekend greeted them with torrential rains and the Fest being closed early on Sunday. Still, diehard fans (and Fan Club Members) braved this harsh weather to “Welcome” their beloved Twins with open arms and hearts. The boys truly appreciated your devotion and really felt the love! The second weekend was less soggy and very warm, with the third and fourth being quite nice and enjoyable. But, really, no matter what the weather, have you ever known the Tortuga Twins to not give their very best no matter what Mother Nature throws at them? The following recaps by our very favorite, and quite capable, Minnesota Chapter Head and Fan Club Vice-President, Kay Kinsey, should help to bring you up to speed. “August 18th has finally arrived! Welcome back to "moneystota" boys ... or shall we call it "monsoonota"?! It rained ALL weekend (& the high temp was only in the low 60s)! Saturday morning I was surprised to see as many people as I did with the impending rain fast approaching. The rain started coming down somewhere around the 1st Tortuga show of the day. As the day went on it got progressively worse -- in fact many of you know that the boys still perform in the rain most of the time ... conditions have to be fairly poor for them to cancel a show. Safety is a big factor, especially with a wooden stage that gets very slippery when wet. How bad was Saturday you ask?! They only did 3 of their 5 shows!! :( the last 2 shows of the day had to be called off. The highlight of the day for me ... was during the beginning of the Captain Morgan show - their 3rd & unknowingly final show of the day. In the very begging when they are introducing themselves - rather than being D'Angelo, Scaramouche & Raphael ... they introduced themselves as "wet, wetter & freaking soaked" ... man I love their improv!! Even in the rain & gloomy conditions they know how to make people laugh! Also ... when D'Angelo was in the audience looking for the island queen, a comment was made about the puddle & being soaked & Raphael all of a sudden whipped out a bright yellow umbrella, covering him & Scaramouche & made a comment about being drier now .The way they pulled it off was great. On Sunday ... much less to report. The day started out good & I had a chance to see several fan club members! YAY! About 1ish the rain started again! ACK ... even heavier than Saturday. By this point the boys had only done 2 shows, so far, for the day & it was quite obvious that they were not about to do this third one. The stage was getting slick & seriously unsafe for them to be performing on…this was about 2:15 or so. Shortly there after Ded Bob comes strolling along with his followers behind them (they were on a field trip lol) only to find the Crown Stage empty with NO Tortugas! Ded Bob started protesting & said they WILL perform because HE is there & proceeded to walk towards the stage. He heckled the Twins a bit then started heading on his way - as he is leaving he screams ... "I want a T-Shirt that says NO SHOW" I found that to be rather amusing! I can't wait to see one of his shows! Shortly thereafter about 3:30 the festival management made the call to CLOSE FEST EARLY! Mind you this doesn't happen too often - only in extreme conditions. The roads leading out the festival site were starting to completely flood & they wanted everyone out immediately- which meant NO 4th or 5th show either ... so the first weekend has come & gone ... & we have yet to see a Rated "R" show! Hopefully next weekend will be better (so far the temp is forecast as sunny to partly cloudy with highs around mid 70's)! “ “The 3rd weekend…Saturday was an average day- the crowds were responsive & the boys were playful, it really all seems to have gone so fast. The weather was rather warm, but at least tolerable. Sunday ... OMG the weather was soooo hot & miserably unbearable I couldn't stand it -- & I got the impression that everyone else felt the same way! I seriously don't know how they are able to stay up there on that stage with the sun beating down on them with absolutely NO breeze whatsoever to offer even a little relief. Just goes to show how much the Tortuga Twins love their fans! AND I can tell too that the fans love them in return because there were actually many there on Sunday. I was very impressed with the amount of people that were there in that heat! Overall the shows were really good & everyone played along quite well. Raphael said it was quite possibly the largest show ever. I will, however, say there was a nice surprise during the 4th show of the day!! TSoH was making a guest appearance at fest that day & decided to do a fly by for old-times sake ... our boys seemed to have fun with that!! On Monday - it was almost equally as hot - but a little more bearable as there was at least an occasional short lived breeze that would pass through. The attendance of the crowds seemed to have been down that day but I would like to say it was still an ok turn out. Although I can't say much…it was the last show of the day and I was sitting down in the audience for once!! Man I forgot what that felt like!! The energy that comes from the crowd is amazing. What stands out most from this day is indeed that very show! Everyone realized that not only was the day coming to an end with this very show - but also the weekend. I think with the heat we had to deal with over the weekend - everyone was ready for some rest & a day off (mind you, it is 93* today, Tuesday, as I type this so I don't think we could have handled another hot day if we didn't have to.) So moving forward ... The "R" rated show brought something to the table that I haven't seen in a long while ... people all around me were laughing so hard they were crying! It was great! I had taken many pictures which I will share on the gallery of TortugaLand ( www.tortugaland.com ) sometime in the next few days. The boys lost their place in the show countless times & Raphael's geekiness really came out with his WoW (World of Warcraft) jokes ... as did D'Angelo's!! He doesn't even play games & he was throwing some fantastic lines out there - it was almost a complete improv show in entirely! My personal favorite part of all the geekiness was when Raphael whipped out the might glove of bitch slap ... & added +5 - then followed it with "I got it in Goldshire, after the Defias Brotherhood". Many, many people even caught on & laughed along with me ... I guess I didn't realize that there are "geeks" all around me ... haha! The best part was the appearance of Calviatto (I may have that spelled wrong) -- the T.I.T. ("Tortuga In Training" silly). He was dressed just like the boys - however, he does not wear yellow ... yet ... rather he is in RED. He was throwing some lines of his own out there & was fitting in like a glove. We just have to make sure his ego doesn't surpass him by trying to show up the boys…lol! Between the occasional appearances of Calviatto (he didn't remain on the stage for the whole show, just came out every now & then ... no no no .. I mean out from behind stage!), the WoW jokes from Raphael - the Harry Potter jokes from Scaramouche & the occasional wise cracks from D'Angelo --- my face was starting to hurt from laughing so much. Man I love those guys!! I have a feeling that following true to tradition - the final show of the season is one that nobody will want to miss ... they are starting to throw the twists in the shows in preparation! Stay tuned to next weekend - I have a feeling it will be a good one as the weather isn't supposed to be as hot & the State Fair is now over, so I am hoping the people will come out in swarms!” We'd like to say “Hi and thanks for dropping by” to Krista Trenda, Jefff Brand, Nicole Carrick, Heather Evans, Michael Pominville, Jane Theiler, Diane Steele, Tracey & Larry Pogue, Manya Teorey, Rebecca Jane Roberts (from Ohio), Angela Wolf, Katy Trottier, Patty Brazil, Jim Kohler, Joanna Holland, Nathan Dombrowski, Rose Pielow, Deb Johnson (our globe trotter), Melissa Kweiser & her Mom(from Arizona), Elizabeth & Dennis Young, Joe Kelso, Diane Steele, Julie Gregos, Jason Smith, Steve Johnson, Gary & Robin Caviness, Anthony & Laura Janick, Steve Fillippini, Becky Schade, William David Krenz, Beata Simin (Tortuga Minion Extraordinaire), Jenna Lory, Julie Walsh, AJ Hanson and Tom Wood. It was nice to meet and see you all at Fest this year. We would like to give a special “thanks” to our very own Rose Pielow for all the photos she has put up in TortugaLand for everyone to enjoy. Go to www.tortugaland.com , join and see why we've dubbed Rose “the Minnesota Picture Fairy”. Weekend 6: Saturday, Sept 22nd was a very important day in the Tortuga Family!! The weather was fantastic, maybe a little warm but the sun was out, spirits were up and even though there was some nervousness in the air - everyone was happy. Nervousness you ask?! Today was the day Calviatto made his very first performance!! He took Scaramouche's place in the Big Bad Wolf show, while Scaramouche sat in the audience helping him with cues & lines. It was certainly a show you wouldn't want to miss if you could help it! I was very proud of the hard work Calviatto has been doing to get to this point & must say he did a fine job! Luckily to make it a little easier on him they happened to pick an outstanding guy to play the part of the wolf. He was very fun & playful & even entertaining. Thankfully I was able to record the whole show!! (If the twins approve I am hoping to have it put on the members only site!) Later in the day he attempted to do Robin Hood as well and again didn't do too bad! I think the twins have a fine Tortuga in the making! Weekend 7 - the last weekend: It is nearly time to say goodbye to the boys once again until next season. The jousters made there annual appearance during the R rated show & once again decided to "de-robe" to poke fun at the boys. Funny thing though - they had to come down off the balcony to get their clothes because they were cold ... haha the boys don't put their shirts back on - they tough it out! Silly jousters! Saturday was a bit busy with everyone getting their last minute Tortuga fix in place. There was a short period of rain but didn't last long & nothing that would stop the boys from performing. Sunday on the other hand ... WHO THE HECK OPENED THE FLOOD GATES?! It was merely a mocking of opening weekend. Sunday rained nearly all day on & off. Parts of it were even really heavy rains that had the potential of causing flooding again - but luckily we escaped that! The twins were able to perform all 5 of their shows and even were able to do the R rated show without rain! YAY! We always have people here who mess with the boys during the R rated show - most of the time it is beyond funny & the boys have a lot of fun with it. Our last R rated show of the season was no exception! When Scaramouche made his last request for "2 Asian strippers & a case of rum" someone brought a case of miniature bottles of rum to the stage & 2 guys dressed like Asian strippers walked up to the stage to dance for him. I caught that on video as well. My other favorite part of this weekend ... as always during the last 2 days of the weekend during the R rated shows - the twins sing their Tortuga song ... there is however one problem ... there is now a 4th Tortuga that the song doesn't accommodate for. When they got to the part of the song that says "that's all the brothers, there are no others", Calviatto came out on stage to make his presence known & to flip the boys off. To which they replied - "we have to add another verse". It was beyond funny. Sunday they tried it again only this time Calviatto came out with an air gun loaded with marshmallows ... the boys then added (by the way they kept calling marshmallows - mushrooms) "then there's Calviatto, with a mushroom gun on full auto" ... yep try again ... they now need re-write the song to make him part of the family.
So there you have it - the boys didn't exactly go out with a bang on closing day but rather a mere whimper due to the rain. But as always ... that never stops our boys from performing & even more so - their fans from coming to watch them!
Till next time - your MN Chapter Head signing off .... If you happened to visit the Tortuga Twins Merchandise Cart, while visiting the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, I'm sure you noticed all of the new goodies we have to offer. There has been lots of positive response (in…they are selling like hotcakes!) to our new Tortuga Twins Calendar. The boys worked very hard to put together something that they hope you will enjoy for many months to come. Next stop for the Tortuga Train is North Carolina and the Carolina Renaissance Festival. If you read or see news at all, you know that the South is going through a very serious drought right now. Our first Fest weekend was the hottest we've had in a while and everyone was really feeling it…Tortugas and fans alike. At the end of a long, hot day you could go home and leave actual mud in the bottom of the shower. Our Twins never missed a beat though. The shows were creative and fantastic…as always! It was nice to see, and talk to, Fan Club members that made it out…Emily Nelson, Kerrie Harrington, Tonya Greer (and her lovely daughter), Debbie Stegall and Lynne Skinner. Our second weekend was much cooler! Mid day got a little warm and, of course, it was still very hot up on those stages, but our handsome trio performed their hearts out. The most memorable moment for me was during the Sword Fighting and Stupidity show on Sunday. Towards the end of the show when Scaramouche and Raphael are…umm…fighting with swords, the end of Scaramouche's sword broke off. Luckily this 10 – 11” piece landed on the stage and no one (audience member nor Tortuga ) was injured. There are still five weekends to go and we invite everyone to pay us a visit and join in the laughter! If you'd like to know more about the men behind the Tortuga Twins, read their personal monthly journals, see their own personal pictures (and videos), meet other fans from across the country, get your own personal Birthday greetings from a Tortuga, get a 10% discount on all Tortuga Twin Merchandise purchases, advance notice of all special events (and discount tickets) and a special invite to the infamous, and much loved, Tortuga Twin Meet and Greet, join the official Tortuga Twins Fan Club TODAY!! You can join online on this very site…or…save some money and join at the Tortuga Twins run Merchandise Cart at your local Renaissance Festival when the Twins come to town. It is indeed a Famil y worth being a part of and we would love to have you all join us!! In Fan Club news… Members Birthdays: In September…Holly Hester from AZ, September 1; Lori Ulrich from NC, September 3; Scott Minder and Ellen Benefield from NC, September 12; Krystle Blinsmon from Az, September 15; Melissa Kweiser from AZ, September 16, Angie Wheatley from NC, September 24 and Ada Whiiten from NC, September 29. In October: October 1, Brian Holloway from NC; Oct 8, Melissa Harrah from AZ and Zach Briggs from NC; Oct 13, Duane Farmer, Tiffany McDougal from Az & Jackie Murray from MN; October 14, James Cooper from NC, Oct 28; Jane Wiley from NC; Oct 22, Jefff Brand from MN; Oct 23, Isabel Leininger from MN; Oct 24, Frank (Tortuga Transportation Director) DeFeo from NC & Hope Hayes from MN; Oct 27, Amanda Ritter from OH; Oct 28, Kelly DeFeo (Tortuga Transportation Director's Boss) from NC and Oct 29, Rebecca Jane Roberts from OH. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ONE AND ALL!!! Contests Minnesota Monthly Winners August
September
And the winner of the TortugaPalooza2:Spies Prize Pack is Angela Wolf Congratulations to you all!! We told you, in our last update, that the Dinner With The Tortugas Contest has ended. Our lucky winner is Kerry Harrington from Carolina . Congratulations Kerry!! The guys will be contacting you soon to arrange that dinner. Thank you to everyone that sent in their entries. You were all very creative with your reasons that we should pick you which made our decision extremely hard! Don't forget the “T-shirt Contest”. This contest is open to all Tortuga Twins Fans ( you DON'T have to be a FC Member to enter this one ). Just in case you don't remember, this is the way it goes. You take a picture of yourself, wearing a Tortuga Twins t-shirt, with a famous person (actor, singer, race-car driver, etc.) or in a famous place ( Eiffel Tower , London Bridge , Grand Canyon , Disney World…) and send it to us. Anyone can enter, but you cannot send us anything that you've already sent in (to those that entered last year). Email your entries to us at fanhoncho@tortugatwins.com with “T-shirt Contest” in the subject line. The winner will receive a free membership to our fabulous official Tortuga Twins Fan Club . Our front contender this year, so far, was wearing a TT t-shirt when she had her picture taken with a famous person. We look forward to seeing what else you whacky people can come up with! This contest ends December 31, 2007. In closing, we would like to include the following note we received from a beloved fan…
“ Dear Tortugas,
Attached is a picture of my mother with her camera. This is most likely how you will notice her at the Ren Fest, camera attached to eyeball. The Story : I brought my parents to the Minnesota Ren Fest a few years ago for the first time. We were standing outside the entrance looking over the show times for the day. I had just mentioned to my mother, "we have to make time to see the Tortuga Twins Show, it's hilarious!" Just then Scaramouch walked by and said, "Those guys suck!" Of course my mother didn't know who you were yet. She was stunned! But to this day, once we explained it to her, she giggles and tells all her friends about the Tortuga guy outside the front gate at the Ren Fest.” _________________________________________________________________ 
Till next time…
16 August... I know the Great Lakes Medieval Faire was not quite the same without the presence of our beloved Tortuga Twins onstage. I've heard the fans rumbling and grumbling over needing their “Tortuga Fix” and I truly sympathize…really I do. Some of you were wise enough to buy your tickets to the special shows that the Twins performed at the Grand Rapids Cellars Winery. I am proud to report that the shows were a complete success…as if it could be any other way when Scaramouche, Raphael and D'Angelo are involved. I spied this update on TortugaLand and just had to share: “Well my winery adventure starts with rain...and a lot of it. This past week, it's been really hot and humid for Ohio , so we were due for storms. I just wish the due date wasn't on Thursday. The closer it got for mom and I to leave our house to do the hour drive to get to the winery, the worse it got. By the time we left, there were tornado warnings in three of the four counties that are around mine. So we leave and about 15 minutes into the drive it starts POURING! I mean like buckets of rain coming down. We're having trouble seeing and oh it just wasn't fun. We drove in that, slowly, for about 20 minutes and as we got closer to the winery, it began to clear up. So we finally made it there at 6:55 when the show started at 7:00! Ronn, Riki and Jef would like to thank every person that took the time to buy tickets and came to their Winery Shows. They would also like to “Thank” the owners of the Grand Rapids Cellar Winery for hosting your favorite men in tights for another year. On your way into this update, I sincerely hope you noticed how our Homepage has been spruced up. A special “thanks” goes out to Tortuga friend Jeremy for the excellent job! We expect there will be additional changes in the near future in all areas of our little corner of the net. So much to do with so little time. I'm betting that most of you think that all these guys do in their downtime is party and socialize. Well, you're partly right, but do you realize that each and every one of them works very hard at keeping you, the fan, happy. These guys work constantly and just because they've been off (sort of) since the Georgia Renaissance Festival ended, don't think that they've been resting on their laurels. There are comic books to work on, new events to try, calendars to proof, material to be written, web sites to keep up with, a winery show to plan (and rehearse for), future plans to make, journals to write and so much more. Of course they always take time for family, friends, some self education and a little R & R, but let me tell you, they mostly work feverishly to keep the Tortuga engine running for all of you. I seriously cannot keep up the pace sometimes and don't see how they can. But they do. The Twins tried something new (venue wise) recently. They performed July 10, 11 & 12 at the MagiQuest complex in Myrtle Beach , SC. First let me say that Myrtle Beach is one of my favorite places to go…I mean I really love the beach…but I haven't had much chance to go in the past ten years or so. That, however, may be changing. There is nothing on earth (in my opinion) like the sound of the waves crashing on the beach, the feel of the wet sand between your toes and the smell of sea air to just draw all of the stress right out of a person's body. Add my three favorite men on the planet and it's a match made in heaven. MagiQuest has been described to me in many ways (by various people). I happen to play a very time consuming (and quite fun) game called World of Warcraft. At least one Tortuga shares my passion for this role playing fantasy world. Scaramouche and Raphael described MagiQuest to me as a live version of WoW. So, being the inquisitive person that I am, I went to their website to see what else I could find out. According to the site, it is sort of like my favorite past time, but very different too. You do use wands to target beings and eliminate them and each time you go through you do go to another level. But what could be so intriguing that Tortugas could become hooked to easily? That, my friends, is something I intend to find out on my own the next time they go and I visit. Oops, did I wander off into territory that isn't completely Tortuga ? Sorry! Anyhow, the Twins did four 15 minute shows each day. I believe things went very well, because they were asked to come back. There are plans to write something especially for this venue and, if all goes well, we can all look forward to seeing the Tortuga Twins during the week (off and on) from Memorial Day to Labor Day next year. Don't worry though; they'll still be working your local Renaissance Festival on the weekends. Wouldn't that be great! Well, it would for me because I only live 5 hours away. I will definitely be attending every chance I get. We will, of course, keep everyone posted. Note that Fan Club members will get advance notice on all scheduled performance dates. For all of you Minnesota Renaissance Festival fans, I'm sure you are all excited with the start of your much loved Faire and the introduction of Tortuga Mania into your lives for yet another year. Have fun you crazy Minnesotians and show your Tortuga Twins as much love and support as you can. New to your Fest this year will be the whacky fun of the infamous Ded Bob Show (well he's famous to us here in Carolina anyway) and you simply must check him out…the show, that is. Of course, you can check out Muggsy too if you like (he would be the genius behind Ded Bob, ya know). Be sure to check out the Tortuga Twins run merchandise cart this year for all sorts of new, and quite lovely, items to add to your Twin collection. In Fan Club news… Members Birthdays: July…July 1, James Kohler from MN; July 2, Lynn Ritter from OH & Joe Kelso from MN; July 3, Catherine Orta from MN; July 9, Renee York from AZ; July 15, Carol Smith from Az & Sheri Gahr from Az; July 18, Sandy Claussen from MN; July 22, Jennifer Fielders; July 23, Linda Josten from MN; July 25, Carol Tenneson; July 28, Mark Kutzmer from Az; July 31, Kerri Harrington from NC. August 1, A.J. Hanson from MN; August 2, Caitlin McCannon from GA; August 3, Jenna Cintavey from OH; August 4, Danielle Owens from AZ; August 20, Lauren Piercy from OH; August 21, Candace Schatke from AZ, Rose Pielow from MN & Kirsten Jensen from AZ; August 22, Kent Hawkins from OH; August 24, Wanda Bliss from AZ Contests The “Dinner with Tortuga Twins” contest has ended. Our winner has been chosen and will be notified sometime during the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. We will announce his/her name in our update as soon as the winner is notified. Don't forget the “T-shirt Contest”. This contest is open to all Tortuga Twins Fans ( you DON'T have to be a FC Member to enter this one ). Just in case you don't remember, this is the way it goes. You take a picture of yourself, wearing a Tortuga Twins t-shirt, with a famous person (actor, singer, race-car driver, etc.) or in a famous place ( Eiffel Tower , London Bridge , Grand Canyon , Disney World…) and send it to us. Anyone can enter, but you cannot send us anything that you've already sent in (to those that entered last year). Email your entries to us at fanhoncho@tortugatwins.com with “T-shirt Contest” in the subject line. The winner will receive a free membership to our fabulous official Tortuga Twins Fan Club . We've had some pretty amazing entrants already and look forward to seeing what else our sly fans can offer. This contest ends December 31, 2007. Till next time… Love and laughter to all. |
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