Tortuga News!
-
April 25…
Opening weekend at the Georgia Renaissance Festival was PHENOMENAL! The weather was gorgeous, the crowds enthusiastic and the Tortuga Twins were ready as they brought all of the craziness they could muster to the stage. The Swordfighting and Stupidity (R-Rated) Show is always the most anticipated show of the day and our boys in tights did not disappoint. On Saturday Scaramouches’ (Ronns’) nephew became the designated kid to pick on for the show as his 15th birthday was happening on Sunday. There is a picture of Richard Austin Bauman on our Twins facebook Fan Page…if you want to check it out. He was heard to utter the words “Thank you” to his uncle several times. Seems he liked having the lovely, and older, ladies sitting next to him. Can you imagine having Scaramouche as your Uncle and seeing the things he gets paid to do for a living?
A little talk about our new Merchandise seems in order.
First, let us introduce you to our incredibly talented Tortuga Twins Merchandise Cart Manager, Rosa Valencia. Then there’s her helper, Minion Richelle Fast. Together they make an awesome team and are ready to help you with whatever Tortuga Merchandise needs you may have, as well as get you signed up/renewed for the Tortuga Twins Fan Club. Having said that…we have merchandise that is new to Georgia, some of which can be bought online right here on this site in our Tortuga store. Carolina and Arizona folks have been introduced to the “Vodka” shirts already. Very fashionable with its’ blue color and tie-dye…and it’s selling like crazy! We also have a red shirt with tie-dye that is our beer shirt. And, folks, if you want one of these for your collection, you should really get it now. Looks like we may not be ordering these again. I believe we’ve already mentioned (in a previous update) about our redesigned “Heckler” and “TortugaHolic” shirts. We’ve also redesigned our fabulous Cinch Saks…and are quite proud of them. From our pictures on our facebook fan page, you should be able to see our redesign of Lagerhead, our cutie pie TortugaHolic mascot. Isn’t he just the most adorable thing EVER?! You’ll also find this little guy on some of our “Bootie Shorts”. We do have one more shirt that made a brief appearance in Arizona, but I’ll tell you about that one when it makes its’ way to Georgia soon. Need to remind you that we still have some of the Pewter Tortuga Pins available at the cart for only $10.00, as well as the wooden ones (which lots of fans are getting autographed by the Twins) for only $5.00. We sold a ton opening weekend and don’t anticipate them being around by the end of Fest (if they make it that long). So…if ya want ‘em, buy ‘em soon. Pictures of the pins can be found on our facebook Fan Page.
Speaking of our facebook Fan Page…we would like to invite each and every one of you to drop by our little page and press the like button. Then, if you would be so kind, just suggest us to your friends so our little Tortuga World on facebook can grow larger and larger. We do visit this site daily and have even been known to answer a question or two. There are also pictures there from opening weekend, if you’d care to check out what you missed.
Weekend Three
As reported by Rosa Valencia:
“Here are a few highlights I thought couldn't go unmentioned. Saturday: during the introduction of the Tortugas, Scaramouche was having a sneezing attack, this is how it went.
"This is D'Angelo, and this is 'Sneezy'...(pause for sneeze)...and this is Raphael" lol I got a kick out of that. I'm sure everyone saw the pic of the girl with the "he is gay" shirt. Scaramouche drug the 15 year old girl onstage and stood her next to Raphael then sat her next to a teen boy in the audience. That was priceless. Casey from Barely Balanced popped her head from behind the stage and flipped the guys off during the show and D”Angelo made the comment "I thought they were an acrobatics show, not a bird show!" the crowd roared. Sunday: during the second Robin show, the cast they picked was a hoot. Marrion hopped up and down giving the guys and the crowds a show during the "reveal herself" line, the evil sheriff was a man in a kilt (a great choice for a windy day lol) and the guys made comments about holding the skirt down to not flash the audience. He also did one of the best "sneaky sneaks" I've seen in a long time. during the little "gold digger" skit where Raphael sings and dances, D’Angelo replied "hey Kanye, why don't you give Taylor her moment," that was hysterical for me because I can't stand either Kanye or Taylor lol. During the Troy Story show, the whole Santa Clause and weird uncle Jimmy bit Scaramouche started his 'sneezures' again and announced he was allergic to Santa. and in reference to the new AZ immigration laws, Scaramouche commented to Raphael during his bad spanish accent bid about AZ and "better have your papers!" and the crowd lost it, it was great.”
Weekend Four
As reported, once again, by Rosa:
“Sat the crowds were roaring louder than I have heard here in GA! The boys picked great people for their all their shows and the audience loooved it! During the Big Bad Wolf show, granny was a riot! She was sassy and fun, even did a lil bump and grind dance for everyone during the "go granny" part! The wolf was also very funny with his sneeky sneeks and his howls. Sunday, during Robin Hood, they picked a body builder/marine type for the part of the evil sheriff, he was hysterical carrying D’Angelof across stage on his back and doing that awesome Terry Cruz peck jiggle thing for Scaramouche, so Scaramouche grabbed him by the hand and drug him backstage in amazement, then the guy started showing off so Scaramouche kept grabbing his chest, it was hysterical. Crazy busy weekend! Perfect weather! Awesome crowds and audience participation!”
Weekend Five
It was hot. It was humid. And…it was lovely. Since the weatherman called for rain on Saturday and Sunday a whole lot of people stayed home. It never did rain, but The Tortuga Twins had a fabulous time anyway. On Saturday…the audience picks for Robin Hood were awesome! Marian was playful and, apparently, had lots of kids. Robin Hood was really good. His “Go ahead, make my day” was so good that all three Twins got on their knees and bowed to him. The Sheriff, however, was funny in his own way. My favorite quotes from that show were “Wow, he’s kinda jumpy.” “Someone’s been to prison.” And “He’s gonna shank you, dude.” Portions of the show were filmed and will probably turn up in the Fan Club section of this site at some point. On Sunday…a special request was made for the Twins to do Troy Story. As there are only four time slots for Tortuga Twins shows, Troy Story isn’t seen much in Georgia. Personally, it’s one of my favorites. This show was also filmed and will definitely be up for your viewing pleasure on the Members side of this site soon. (Apologies for the shaky filming…new camera for me and I’m not quite used to it yet.) This show showcases the boys in all their glory. Yes, the R-Rated show is naughty and oh so very fun, but Troy Story hold a very special place in my heart. I mean really…Scaramouche as Paris (Hilton, that is) whisking “Helen of Troy” to Troy “Oh I love that dress. I have that same dress at home.” “And this is how the cougar makes his kill.” Then there’s D’Angelo’s Achilles with his “helmet head” and Paris swooning at his feet…”swoon…swoon…swoon…swoon” with mention of changing D’Angelo’s name to Dangelo. We get to see the most wonderful “impregnable wall”. Let us not forget Raphael’s “Hector the brave” and his twin brother “Jesus, the demon landscaper of Sparta.” Ahhh…you really have to see it to know what I mean. To sum it up, it was a lovely weekend fill with much Tortuga love and that’s my favorite kind of weekend.”
In closing…
We’re told that the Tortuga Twins are an inspiration in many ways. We know that there have been many fans that have gotten Tortuga Twins tattoos in one form or another over the years. Fan Club Member, Jen Bomesberger sent us this picture to share. It looks pretty good to us.
Also…we’d like to share a couple of pictures of Frederick Nicholas Webb (now aged 4) which his mom, Nicole Webb, sent Scaramouche recently. He first saw the Tortuga Twins when he was 2 months old. The following is a note from Mom:
“Thank you very much! Scaramouche asked me to please make sure I send these pics to the site. Also on a side note I really want them to know what awesome people they are! Scaramouche and D'Angelo were so sweet to my son on Sunday. He was tickled at how they treated him. It really meant the world to him! He’s been telling everyone all day! He thought that was the coolest thing in the world. It’s amazing how much they touch peoples lives! And Scaramouche really made me feel good when he made a big deal about seeing a picture of him and my son when my son was 3 months old! It was so amazing to see him care so much for the fans! They have a fan for life and I will bring others on board I promise! Thank you so much for everything!”
Nicole Webb
It’s good to be a Tortuga!
Till next time…
Love and laughter to all. -
March 29…
The final weekend of the Arizona Renaissance Festival was one to remember in oh so many ways. The weather was finally gorgeous! Actually it was the last several weekends which created a nice change from all of the rain that happened during the previous weeks.
Weekend Four
“I believe it was Saturday the 27th when we had a Big Bad Wolf show run amok. I think they've only performed Big Bad Wolf two or three times this season, so it was nice to have the moment stand out. I actually made some notes, but I haven't been able to find them. Such is life. I do know that we were convinced the Wolf was going to steal the show...he was howling and getting a little too much pleasure out of the rub-the-tummy/tweak-the-nipple bit, and quite the ham ... but then Raphael said something to the nice little old lady playing Red Riding Hood (I believe it must have been where he tells her to burst in) and she responded with "well, not since last night!" He said "too much information" and she began to try and explain herself! LOL! And she pointed out her hubby in the audience! It just got worse after that. I believe the guys even bowed down to her at some point.”
Weekend Five
“The weekend after that, we had another great Saturday. The Swordfighting &Stupidity show was off the hook. We had hit xXx well before something was said that prompted Scaramouche to bend over and offer his backside with a particularly naughty comment. Raphael looks at the board and wondered aloud just where you could go from there ... he finally settled for pulling it off and turning it upside down (like that makes any difference) because it was the only thing left to do.”
Weekend Six
“Last weekend was finally a bright, beautiful and very busy weekend!! I was absolutely swamped at the cart, and it was 4:45 before I knew it. Sunday wasn't much differend. I completely missed the last show, but I heard the audience reactions and I know it was a great one! Sherri - one of the cart wenches - was off that day and actually watched the show so I asked her to write up something for me ... but she didn't. All I know was Raphael came back to the cart and said "that was a Minnesota show" ... I am so bummed I missed it!!”
Weekend Seven
“During Robin Hood, D'Angelo went out to find a villain. He laughed and said "okay, I have to find another villain. Where's the stunt villain?" Scaramouche said "I can't wait to find out what he told you to make you change your mind!" I asked Raphael later - the guy had said "sure, I'll come up on stage if I can bring my seeing-eye dog!" LOL! It all worked out, tho, cuz the stunt villain was playful.
Maid Marian was pretty playful, too, it turns out. When Marian goes to spring her boyfriend and Scaramouche intercepts, she went right along ... and right back stage with him! D'Angelo told the audience not to worry - "this won't take long". It didn't!
Captain Morgan was fun. At the end, where Scaramouche turns to kiss the Island Queen, he said "did you get the picture? No? I don't mind doing it again ... " and he turned back to the Queen ... who rather adamently resisted a second kiss! Scaramouche had him by both cheeks (not *those* cheeks) and he kept pulling away. I'm not sure if he landed a second smooch or not!
There was a birthday at the last show. Not sure whose, but I did hear them singing to the red-headed sexy with a racing stripe down the middle whoever it was. My favorite moment of the weekend, tho, was during the show ... things had taken a turn toward the Twilight. Scaramouche said he was Team Jacob. Raphael asked, "the whole team?" Scaramouche responded "yep - we do it doggy style!" The crowd, as they say, went wild!”
The final Weekend
Sunday began with the sight of billowing black clouds of smoke rising from Queen’s Kitchen at the Arizona Renaissance Festival. Although the kitchen was lost no one was hurt, the fire was put out and festival opened as usual. Thirty minutes late, but it did open.
We Need “Tortugaholic” Help!
Howdy! We’re having a great time entertaining everyone as we hop from festival to festival…and hope you’re all enjoying yourselves too. It’s so much fun to have your support at fest, in our Fan Club and on our facebook fan page. We do, however, have a small favor to ask. It is our belief that our fans are the best, most awesome group of people on the planet! So…we want you to help us get the word out to anyone that might not know about our fan page. Simply visit the link below, become our fan (if you haven’t done so already) and then click on the “Suggest to Friends” link just below our logo. Our goal is to have in excess of 20,000 fans by the time the Carolina Renaissance Festival rolls around. Ambitious we know but, like we said, our fans are the most awesome group of people on the planet!!
In closing, we’d like to thank everyone that made our stay in Arizona the wonderful experience it was this year. We truly feel blessed to have so many devoted and fabulous fans, friends and family that are always willing to lend a smile and a warm hug along the way.
Till next time…
Love and laughter to all. -
February 28, 2010…
Can you believe March is upon us already??? Our fabulous men in tights are currently basking (or should that be bathing) in the glory of a little something we call The Arizona Renaissance Festival. Although the weather has been a little, shall we say, uncooperative, Scaramouche, Raphael and D’Angelo have been having a blast. It’s been so much fun seeing faces they haven’t seen for a whole year and catching up with friends and extended family alike. There is absolutely nothing like being in the desert this time of year! If you’re in the area and planning on visiting the guys (and, ya know, you really should), you can find them at and around the Boat House Stage each weekend now thru March 28th.
Our updates from fest are brought to you by…Cindy Gray…our magnificent Arizona Chapter Head. Enjoy!
Weekends One and Two
“I wasn't at faire opening weekend. I did hear tell of one interesting event, though. Apparently, at some point during a Ded Bob show, the voice of D'Angelo was coming through the sound system loud and clear. Obviously, he'd left his mic open ... but no one was quite sure where he was! He wasn't backstage, but had to be near enough that the system was picking him up. Bryon Howe, I believe,caught him and got him to shut off. That was amusing.
Second weekend was our three-day weekend and my first time on site. It was exhausting! To top it off, weather was beautiful - in the 70's - and crowds were decent. In fact, President's Day Sunday was so jam packed, they had to close down the parking lot by noon because we'd reached capacity. Audiences were full and shows were well received. I know the R-rated show was pretty wild that day - we were all watching from the cart and laughing like crazy. I just wish I could remember what all went on! Sometimes, you just can't keep up with the insanity!
One great moment was the bitch slap. It was just a little too real, and D'Angelo felt it! They came to a complete stop for a brief "oh crap" moment, then Raphael admitted it was a bit too real and a bit too hard ... so when D’Angelo. dared Raphael to hit Scaramouche, it was a slow-motion, very gentle move and D’Angelo. said "not fair!!" It was pretty funny ...poor guy! LOL! There's also been a lot of talk lately about the smell of purple .... !”
Weekend Three
“Updates. Well, the weather was crappy but to be honest the crowds weren't all that bad ... considering! Saturday was definitely better than Sunday crowd-wise.
Saturday Swordfighting & Stupidity: The guys were picking on a guy in the audience they called Santa's little helper, which spawned a series of bad Christmas jokes. The best one by far was during Raphael's "piercing" scene. D'Angelo referred to "it" as fruitcake - passed around from year to year, but nobody eats it! Scaramouche added that it was always hard, wrapped in plastic, and contained nuts. Also, during the pre-show, Scaramouche moved two hot girls to sit on either side of a teenage boy - not in itself unusual - then told him that if he was really a pimp, he could get those two girls to kiss. And they did!! That was a great moment!
Sunday was colder and crappier than Saturday. Still, the die-hard fans were there waiting to be entertained and our guys never disappoint! I know there were several things I meant to make note of specifically for your updates, but I think my brain is waterlogged!! The one thing that stands out is the fact that it began to rain (again) during the Swordfighting & Stupidity show and there was a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning while the guys were wielding swords! I didn't see it (was busy trying to cover the merchandise) but heard Raphael make a comment about holding a lightning rod in his hand. Rosa told me he dropped his sword, but Scaramouche stood bold with his raised arrogantly to the skies. Hmmm .... ! “
New Merchandise
I believe we mentioned in a previous update that we were working on some new merchandise and debuting it in Arizona. We are proud to announce that that’s exactly what we’ve done. Those of you from the Carolina Renaissance Festival have seen two of these shirts. The Designated Drinker shirts were unveiled with a little twist. The “You say Potato, I say Vodka” shirt is the same as you saw in Carolina…blue and tie-dyed. The “Beer Shirt” has come out this time in red tie-dye. We have also redesigned our “TortugaHolic” shirt and the “Heckler” shirt. You’ve really got to see these shirts! They are available at the Twins merchandise cart only…for now, but should be available for purchase online soon.
In Fan Club News
Our Birthday Peeps…
February
Feb. 2nd, Justin Hromi and Katy Trottier from MN; Feb. 3rd, Julia Gregos from MN & Katie Nagel from AZ; Feb. 5th, Pattie Hanvy from MN & Ian Wallis from NC; Feb. 7th, Debbie Stegall from NC & Rosa Valencia (Cart minion)& Julius Szakolczai from AZ; Feb.8th, Lynne Skinner from GA; Feb. 9th, Jeff Sharrett from GA; Feb. 11th, Lenna Lory from MN; Feb 13th, Daniel Avila from AZ; Feb. 16th, Kassi Larson from AZ & Heather Morgan from GA; Feb. 17, Abraham Kneifel from AZ; Feb. 18th, Deborah Paper from AZ; Feb. 19th, Hope Lockler from TN and Chris Collins from AZ; Feb. 20th, Williams Hutchins from AZ; Feb. 22nd, Becky Schade from MN & Paul Lehner from NC; Feb. 24th, Curtis Ness from MN; Feb 25th, Willow Balas from WI & Kasandra Collins from AZ; Feb. 26th, Ashley Morris from MN; Feb. 27th, Samantha Hebrank from MN & Anesa Vecciarelli from FL and Feb. 28th, Zoe Scott from AZ.
Happy…Happy…kids!
March
March 2nd, Andrea Israel from GA; March 3rd, Evelina Fletcher from Az; March 10th, Rachelle Thompson from GA; March 13th, Todd Monk from AZ; March 14th, Sherry Byars from AZ; March 15th, Phillip Morrison from GA; March 16th, Tiffany Kott from AZ & Chelsea Plain from GA; March 17th, Maria Gonzales from AZ; March 18th, Murphy Donovan from AZ; March 19th, Angela Wolf from MN; March 20th, David Frank from MN & Jennifer Webster from AZ; March 23rd, Tabitha Linder from GA; March 25th, Ashley Quynn from MN; March 28th, Stephanie Kalus from MN and March 29th, Jenna Clark from AZ.
Happy Birthday in the blustery month!
Join The Fan Club
Have to mention it (because we always do)…The Tortuga Twins do have a little Fan Club and we would love to have more lovely additions to our “family”. The boys have decided to leave the annual membership fee at $9.99. Remember, being a Fan Club member is the only way you can gain access to our “Members Only” side of the Twins site. Beyond those doors you will find the Personal Journals of all Tortugas (which are updated monthly) so you can get to know the men inside the tights and yellow shirts...streaming audio & video that you can find NO other place…their own personal pictures…fan artwork….information about all Tortuga minions (Chapter Heads and such). Your membership is the ONLY way to get an invite (and be able to attend) the now infamous Tortuga Twins Social (Meet and Greet) that is held at each venue the Twins work for more than three weekends. You get advance notice of any “Special” events hosted by the Tortuga Twins and…you get a 10% discount off of any Tortuga Twins merchandise you purchase. Pretty good for just $9.99/yr. You can join (or rejoin) by visiting the Tortuga Twins run merchandise cart at your local festival (when we’re in town, of course) or even right here!
In closing…
The Tortuga Twins have gotten some pretty wonderful notes over the years and we love sharing the ones that touch the guys the most.
Elizabeth Weiss from Minnesota (we think) sent this.
“Hey Tortugas,
(Don't worry...this is a good email.) :)
I first saw your show a little over two years ago at the Minnesotra Renaissance Festival during my sophomore year of college. I guess you could say I was somewhat sheltered growing up, but what else is to be expected when you're the first-born and only daughter? Anyway, your show was something I was and was not expecting. I was expecting sexual craziness...I have been to other Ren Faires before. But I was not expecting to see what I did. Vulgar moves, tight pants, half-naked men, touching and physical contact, public intoxication to an extent, dirty mouths and the language that came from them...
...and I absolutely LOVED every single minute of it. One of the best Saturdays of my entire life.
Sadly, I have never been able to make it back to see another show. Life has not been on my side to make this possible. I'm a senior nursing student, and currently I'm working in the ICU at the local hospital. I see and do a lot that is very emotionally draining when I'm on the unit, and the other day was no exception. I got home from work at 8 am wanting to curl up into a ball in cry. As I was walking though the kitchen I saw a bunch of coupons sitting on the table. What caught my eye was the one that had the "Easy Button" on it. I immediately thought of you guys because the show I saw you perform in MN, was one involving an easy button (in fact, there are several clips from it that I've found on YouTube). I sat down at my computer and proceeded to spend the next two hours watching YouTube Videos of your performances that people have posted. It was a good thing my roommates were gone because I was laughing a lot, and when I finally went to bed two hours later, I felt so much better.
Thank you so so SO much for creating laughter. It's the best medicine in the world, and you guys really are amazing and entertaining to watch. I saw the clip of when you guys got the Unicorn Award...and it made me smile because I was so happy and excited for you! You three truly deserved it.
So...please keep on wearing those tight leggings and stripping off clothing and making everything sexual...please keep the laughs coming. Scaramouche, D'Angelo, and Raphael: Best characters out there, bar none. Ronn, Jef, and Riki: Best entertainers out there, hands down. :)
Utinam barbari spatium proprium tumm invadant,
Liz”And on that note…
Till next time…
Love and laughter to all!
-
January 15, 2010…
A New Year is upon us and all Six Tortuga Twins are looking forward to the coming year with much excitement and anticipation.
The holidays found our favorite boys in tights spending time with friends and loved ones in different parts of the country. D’Angelo headed off to his Florida home with his lovely wife Sharon. Rest, however, was far from this Tortuga’s mind. His “extra-curricular job” with Designing Elves kept him busy throughout the Holiday season. Feel free to chat with him about his “other” business when next you come face to face with him…or, contact him at jef@tortugatwins.com. You can visit The Decorating Elves website to see just what kind of work he and his crew do. Raphael gave in to the temptation of “home” as he too spent his Holidays in the St. Pete/Tampa area of Florida where he caught up with friends and family, as well as celebrating his birthday in December. Along with all of the “catching up” he also spent many an hour working on several of his writing projects. Want to strike up a conversation with this Tortuga? Just ask him about his writing adventures and what his latest endeavor is. You can also ask him about “Why Real Women Drink Straight Tequila: The Tao of Intimacy”. This is the book he co-wrote (and published) with Sarina Stone. If you’d like to buy one, he usually carries some with him at all times and would be more than happy to sign your copy upon purchase. You can also receive your copy by visiting QMIWorld. Scaramouche and his family did the traveling thing by making their way to Missouri and spent their snowy Christmas with favorite family. Then it was off to Arizona to ring in the New Year with more family and friends. Details about his “adventures” will, no doubt, be posted in his next journal entry which can only be found in the “Members” side of this site.
Lucio spent his Holidays in Carolina with family and friends where the weather was frigid, and a little rainy, but tolerable. Salvador headed for Georgia to spend some of the holidays with the family of a close “friend”. Then it was back to Carolina for some bonding with his sister and nephew…work…Cross Fit…and FUN! And…Coviello did a little theatre…a little shopping…spent time with the family in South Carolina…met a new family member…changed his hair color…came back to North Carolina…visited with friends and did a little more work.
In 2010 the Tortugas have much planned to excite many a TortugaHolic heart. The following is straight from the boys (the parts in quotes, anyway).
“We have a pretty full schedule this year, but are hoping to squeeze in one more fair in summer. Stand by for updates as we get them”
As everyone knows (or should know), the Twins do not currently perform between their shows in Georgia (which ends in June) and Minnesota (which starts in August). They are trying to fill that empty time slot. A Northern Fest is in the running right now, but...stay tuned.
“We’ve begun the process of booking the Blue team for 2009 as well. Again stand by.”
And that is all we can say about that…at this time.
“We’ve begun writing two new theater shows… but we’re just at the very first part of the process, though we hope to premier one of them in Minneapolis this year – it may take longer than we think. It usually does.”
If you’ve ever had the good fortune to be in the audience for a TortugaPalooza show (whether at the theater or in your very own living room), you know just how much fun they are to watch. Well, the boys are hoping to do it again. I, for one, look forward to seeing what they have in store for us and know that it could only be lots of fun and tons of laughter.
“We should have several new t-shirt designs rolling out by the opening of the AZ fair…”
I can tell you that we have redesigned our TortugaHolic shirt as well as our Heckler shirt. Same as before, but better. The “Designated Drinker Vodka shirt” that was so popular in Carolina will be making it’s appearance in Arizona as well as a different colored “Designated Drinker Beer shirt”. It was blue in Carolina and is rumored to be red for Arizona. Now let’s see, that would make it four (4) new shirts for Arizona. Yeah, Babies!!
We’re also going to be offering the pewter and wooden pins that were very popular in Carolina. There will be a very limited number of these pins available…and, once they’re gone…they’re gone. However, we have set aside a limited number of both pins for Georgia and Minnesota fans for their faires. Pewter pins are $10.00 and Wooden pins are $5.00. We would like to thank Laurel and Steve Howell for providing us with these pins. If you recall, Laurel and Steve made several handcrafted items for us which were available for purchase online. Their Tortuga Twins ornaments, light switch plates and various other items were crafted with love and we truly appreciate all they’ve done for us.
You will also find some rather nifty “Art Work” for sale at the Twins cart this year. Kelly Roering, from Minnesota, came up with some rather lovely (and artsy) ways to showcase our handsome Twins. Be sure to ask any Tortuga Twins cart minion about them.
“And we’re talking-over revamping the whole website. We’re very excited both for our prospects, and for the country as a whole. 2010 will be our year.”
Arizona Renaissance Festival
The Arizona Renaissance Festival is upon us and the Twins are really looking forward to getting back to their Festival jobs again. Be sure to join us weekends February 6 thru March 28 and President’s Day Monday in Apache Junction, AZ as we perform 4 shows daily on the Boat House Stage. Show times are 11:30am, 1:00pm, 2:30pm and 4:45pm.
Tweeting Tortugas
Yes, the Tortuga Twins have joined the Twitter-age (well, at least some of them anyway). Go to:
The Tortuga Twins
D’Angelo
Raphael
Salvador
Fan Club News…
Our Membership campaign was so successful last year that we’ve decided to keep our annual membership fee at $9.99 per year. I know we say this a lot, but…you can join online/renew here on this website or talk to one of our lovely Minions at any Tortuga Twins run Merchandise Cart when we come to your Festival.
January Birthdays
Our list of January Baybees…
January 4, Laura Haynes from NC; January 6, Maryanne Rogowski from NC; January 7, Amanda/Mike Crutcher from AZ; January 8, Peggy Clark from MN; January 10, June Esparaza from AZ, Lisa Gaul from MN, Emily Nelson from NC & Brian Watson from Australia; January 12, Patty Brazil from MN; January 13, Christopher Foust from AZ; January 20, Eva Helfort from MN; January 21, Anthony Kott from AZ; January 23, Sonya Blau from AZ; January 24, Jean Caruso & Ruby Kujolic form AZ & Laverne Knight-West from GA and January 29, Russell Anderson from AZ.
Happy Birthday to All!!
In closing…
If we haven’t told you before, we’re telling you now. The Tortuga Twins have their own Fan Page on facebook. It’s a great place to chat with fellow TortugaHolics. We post questions from time to time and are always rather surprised at the touching responses we often receive. Recently we asked “What is your favorite Tortuga memory?”
These are a few of the many answers we got:
“Star Angel - There are so many it really is hard to pick but the closest to memory was this past year when my daughter gave all the gold team roses and got pictures with them. I took the pictures and made 8X10 for Christmas she loved them more than she liked her new sony walkman.”
“Jera Lee - meeting my boyfriend in their audience because they told us to sit closer together, and the time when i went on stage for little red riding hood, it was so fun and amazing!”
“Krystal Weime - Mmm at the MN Ren Fest 2 years ago, during Robin Hood a young man proposed to his fiance, that’s when my bf and I decided it was the perfect place to get married! We couldn’t miss you all on our wedding day! Which was sept 26 2009. Awesome memories.”
We look forward to seeing all of you out there this year!
Till next time…
Love and laughter to all!! -
December 1…
It’s been a while since my last update. Things have been oh so very busy and time just seems to slip away from me these days. Apologies are in order, but let me see if we can clue you in on how things went during the Carolina Renaissance Festival since my last update.
It’s a lovely day at fest today! Although the temps will be in the 50’s, the sun it is a shinin’!!! This is the second weekend of the Carolina Renaissance Festival in Huntersville, NC and my, oh my, has it been fun! We all know just how much fun the final Tortuga show of the day always is, but…this weekend has proved to be a little wilder than any of the boys expected. Saturday’s excitement??? Well, ya know when Scaramouche gets to the part where he picks on some poor unsuspecting teenage boy and drags some very lovely (hot…in his opinion) girls over to sit with him? Ya do, right?! Well just as Scaramouche was sitting the second young lady beside this kid, his Mom looks up and tells Scaramouche that her son would be more interested in someone like him. Now imagine the few seconds before it finally registers with our long haired Tortuga what that means. Poor Scaramouche was so flustered (which, believe me, does not happen often) that the only thing he could think of to do was plant a big kiss on the boy. Afterwards Raphael walks close to the kid and asks him how old he is. 15!!! The crowd roared and Scaramouche kept mumbling that he was going to jail. It was hilarious! There were also lots of “monkeys” and “eyes” thrown on stage…which seems to be a pattern when Brave Heart Matt is in the audience. On Sunday there was much man kissing man action (as always), but with a different twist. Scaramouche had just asked the audience if they really think they’re gay…ya know the part. Then he proceeds to pick this very lovely 20 year old blonde to kiss. After planting the “big one” on her, she proclaims that she wanted to be kissed by “him”. Raphael and D’Angelo are both standing in the aisle watching and look at each other. Turns out it was Raphael she wanted the smooch from…so, he obliged. Well this leaves poor D’Angelo standing there just looking around. Suddenly, this guy walks up to him (a rather nice looking guy with a pony tail…and a girlfriend), grabs him and kisses him on the lips. Frankie Defeo lost it! If you’ve never been at a Tortuga Twin show where Frankie D is in the audience, you are truly missing an event. Once this man gets tickled, he can’t stop laughing…and the entire audience gets caught up in it. The rest of the show had guys (and gals) sharing kisses with the Twins. It was also the first time that I have witnessed people actually coming up to the stage and throwing dollar bills down if they had to leave the show early. One poor woman did this. Scaramouche looked down at the money and asked her if she was leaving. She said “yes” while slowly backing away (you could see the apprehension on her face)…with that Scaramouche jumped from the stage, ran over and kissed her. Later a guy did the same thing from Raphael’s side of the stage. The guy took off running with Raphael trying to follow. Just as you thought this guy was off the hook, his girl dragged him back to the stage where Raphael kissed him. Total pandemonium ensued for the entire show and everyone loved it…including yours truly.
Okay…today is Saturday, October 24. From the weather last week having the mid 50’s for a high, we are faced with hot, muggy mid 70’s today and…right now it’s raining. It’s not supposed to rain all day, but…(in Ronn’s words) really?! Riki is, apparently, running late…as he isn’t here at 8:50, but it’s going to be a great day anyway. Why do you ask??? Because, we’re at Faire! All of our lovely friends, family and fans will be arriving soon making this the best life ever (in my humble opinion).
We now jump to November 7. Working the cart leaves me very little time to watch shows, but I keep hearing how truly great they are. This weekend we are missing our beloved Raphael as he is at the Texas Renaissance Festival with Lucio and Salvador as they endeavor to wow the Texas fans with their witty, and sometimes very naughty, shows. I know they had a great time and are hoping for the nod for next year. The weather in Carolina was gorgeous!! After several weekends of cold, damp and dreary weather, we finally had some incredible weather! Saturday’s highs were in the upper 60’s and Sunday was in the mid 70’s. It warmed my heart to see the huge crowds that attended each and every Tortuga Twin show. Coviello filled in for Raphael which led to quite a few comments about how Raphael has changed. I could only come up with one response to the person who made such a remark to me…really?! I mean, come on, Raphael and Coviello don’t look anything alike. Coviello was, however, well received by the crowds.
The weather looks promising for weekend number 6 in Carolina. We will be privileged enough to have all 6 Tortugas running around our fair. And, even better, the Carolina edition of the Tortuga Twins Fan Club Meet and Greet will feature all 6 Tortugas as well.
New Merchandise was introduced at the cart in Carolina this year. Our “Hot off the presses” Designated Drinker shirts are making quite the splash. Two different versions are available right now. Both shirts are blue with tie-dye down one side. On the front they say “Designated Drinker” and sport the Tortuga Twin name. On the back of one it says “You say potato, I say vodka”. This one is selling quite well. The other one says “Beer. It’s not just for breakfast anymore…” We also have a limited supply of pins available at the cart. Unfortunately, once they’re gone, they’re gone. Pewter pins with the TT logo and a rose are selling for $10.00 and the wooden round ones (same design) can be yours for $5.00. We’re just sayin’.
As a note: The pins (yep, we managed to save a few…a very few…for each venue next year) will be available in Arizona, but, again, they are in very limited supplies…so, if ya want them, go to fest early and get them while they last! We should also have more of the Designated Drinker Shirts…hopefully with some additional sayings. Again, these will go fast…so make sure you visit the cart ASAP before they’re all gone.
Weekend number 6 absolutely did give us 6 Tortugas running around fest…and it was quite heavenly! Unfortunately, yours truly had to work the cart (damn slave drive Robinson) so I missed the last show both days, but from what I’ve heard it was very wild and crazy. The Carolina crowds were excited at the return of Salvador and were quite pleasantly surprised with Lucio and Coviello added as a bonus. Good times all around for CRF patrons indeed. And talk about gorgeous weather…we had it!
The final weekend of the Carolina Renaissance Festival was…ummm…something. First off, the weather was not the greatest and that’s about all I really remember about it. Cold, rainy, dreary, sparse crowds…pooey. I was coming down with a nasty cold (which didn’t help matters any) and just was not feeling the love…or the fun. I was, however, very impressed with the amount of true Tortuga fans/friends that showed up to cheer our lovely men on in spite of the weather. They were the one bright spot to my lack-luster weekend. Not saying that fest was awful..far from it. The entertainers…participants…patrons…management and everyone else affiliated with fest were absolutely wonderful. The Tortuga line-up for that final weekend in Carolina was Scaramouche, Raphael and Salvador while D’Angelo, Lucio and Coviello were entertaining the crowds at the Sarasota Medieval Faire in Sarasota, Florida. It’s quite intoxicating to think of two different sets of Twins cavorting onstage across this great country. I can imagine the delight for people who are just now being introduced to the “Tortuga Style of comedy” that all of us have come to know and love for many years. I hope that they go away feeling just as loved, happy, content and sometimes flustered as I do each time I watch a Tortuga Twins show. After all these years, I can still find delight in watching grown men make fools of themselves as they lift my spirit (and overall outlook on life) with their humor. I do my very best to make sure they know just how much they have touched my life with their humor, companionship, friendship, love, acceptance, tolerance and understanding. Though quite often I seem to miss the mark, I think they know how much they are all loved…and not just by me.
On that final cold (in the upper 40’s) day, one would expect (hell, even plead) that the Twins not take off their shirts for the final show of the day, but they did. It is always their aim to please their fans and leave them with lasting memories. I for one have a ton…as I’m sure everyone that has ever attended a Tortuga Twins show has as well.
The 2009 season of the Carolina Renaissance Festival has come to an end, but the memories will live on within us for many years to come or at least until the Tortuga Twins come back next year to help us create new ones.
Next stop…The Louisiana Renaissance Festival!
I think that’ll do it for now kids…my next update will include all Fan Club updates, Louisiana news and a surprise or two (maybe).
Almost forgot…if you’re in the Florida area and are in need of some pretty fantastic Christmas displays for your yard, house, business, get-together or event, please visit www.decoratingelves.com. Our very own D’Angelo Tortuga (Jef Hall) does this kind of work year round and would love to talk with you about your Holiday needs. You can always write him at jef@tortugatwins.com too.
Till next time…
Love and laughter to all!
-
October 2…
Today is the start of the last weekend for the Golden Tortuga Twins to perform at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival (in 2009). It’s been wild (as usual), it’s been fun (as usual), it’s been naughty (as usual) and it’s been immensely entertaining for all Tortugas. It’s always wonderful to see family, friends and fans during this Festival. All Tortuga (and their families) hate leaving, but know that they’ll be back next year to do it all over again…and, for those that were wondering, the Twins have informed me that they signed a new three year contract with the Minnesota Renaissance Festival and are extremely elated to know that they will indeed be coming back to Shakopee again.
Weather for the final weekend was “nipple numbing” cold and kinda wet, but that didn’t stop anyone from having the best times they could. The boys would like to thank all of those that braved the elements and help to make it one of the most memorable send-offs they’ve experienced in quite some time. The highlight of the weekend (for the Golden Tortuga Twins) was when they were presented with the Prestigious Unicorn Award. For those that don’t know, this is an award that is given out at the end of each Festival season by the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. It honors those that have contributed the most to the patrons, participants and the festival itself…and is rarely given out to a performance group. To say Ronn, Riki and Jef were surprised would be an understatement. This award has touched them all deeply and they were so overwhelmed by the whole thing that in relaying the news to this proud “Mama Tortuga”, the emotion in their voices and the pride in their hearts could be felt across the miles.
As our Golden Tortugas are finishing up Minnesota, we find our Blue Team still prancing upon King Richard’s Stage at King Richard’s Faire in Carver, MA. This is the first solo outing for our brave young men in tights and they are loving it! The Crowds have warmed up nicely to the boys in yellow & black and they have gathered quite a following. If you’re in the area, you should really drop in, lend some support and show these remarkable performers much love. Salvador, Lucio & Coviello will be performing weekends thru October 25, 2009 at this delightful Festival and would love to see any and all that care to visit.
Sarasota Medieval Faire
Don’t forget that a blend of Golden & Blue Tortuga Twins will be performing for one weekend only at the Sarasota Medieval Faire. November 20th, 21st and 22nd are the magical days…so mark your calendar. You don’t want to miss them.
Carolina Renaissance Festival
October 10 will see the start of the Carolina Renaissance Festival for the 2009 season. The Golden Tortugas are feeling the tug and longing for the feel of fall in the Huntersville area. It will be great to see old friends, and make a few new ones, as well as connect with family once again. It’s shaping up to be an exciting year and we know you don’t want to miss a minute of the action!
Texas Renaissance Festival
The Tortuga Twins are proud to announce that a mix of Gold and Blue Tortugas will be performing for one weekend only, November 7th & 8th, in Plantersville, Texas at the Texas Renaissance Festival. If all goes well, they hope to be performing a full run in Texas in 2010. So, Texas Tortuga fans, if you want to see the Tortuga Twins at your Faire, come see the shows and let the Festival management know that you’d want The Tortuga Twins all Festival long next year! This is going to be fun!!
Till next time…
Love and laughter to all.
