Live The Dream

Renaissance Pleasure Faire Poly Connections
2025-05-17 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Live and on Zoom, 8515 Penfield Ave, Winnetka, CA, 91306, United States
The Renaissance Pleasure Faire of Southern California was founded by Phyllis and Ron Patterson in 1963. Between that time and this couples have met at the Faire, married in its Wedding Garden, and brought their children back to enjoy it. Some of them have been in Guilds which feature role play Families which can become very real for the 6-12 weekends of Faire and preparing for Faire each year… perhaps for decades.
The children may regard Faire family as Aunts, Uncles and perhaps cousins by Choice. There are couples who having met at Faire and formed romantic relationships there, have legal marriages separate from Faire. In some cases, spouses who do not go to Faire or choose put in the time and commitment necessary to be part of one of these Guilds know about these romantic connections which have perhaps gone on for many years before they knew or married their husband or wife and have consented to them.
If they meet and form friendships with such people, it can lead to kitchen table polyamory or even group marriage. Or they may just accept that for the weekends of Faire, this relationship will continue separately from the marriage.
Some of this may depend on whether the other partner lives close enough to spend time together separate from Faire. I believe that as long as the non-Faire spouse knows and willingly consents to the arrangement, it is poly. If they do not know or do not willing consent to it, that is just garden variety cheating. What do you think?

Darkover Novels by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Filk!
2025-09-20 11:00 - 13:00
We’ll discuss fascinating novels based on the concept of a world on which a few hundred Terrans were marooned in crashed space ships hundreds of years ago and were forced to build a viable community from this limited gene pool. Many women found themselves unable to bear children on the new world. This resulted in a society where a fertile woman having more than one child by the same man was considered a kind of selfishness. Group marriage became the norm and ties of fosterage frequently stronger than ties of blood.
Many new writers as well as successful professional writers have chosen to create stories in the Darkover universe dealing with the alternative lifestyle of multiply committed relationships. We’ll focus on Marion’s own Spell Sword and Forbidden Tower, two novels based on a real life two couple group marriage which lasted 16 years!
1 pm Pot Luck lunch—bring something healthy and delicious to share
2-4 Socializing in clothing optional hot tub.
We may watch a Poly Movie or do verbal/nonverbal sensitivity exercises between the meeting and the Filk as the group decides.
6 Pot Luck dinner – bring something healthy and delicious to share.
Filk Sing follows at 6:30 on Zoom and in person—music of science fiction and the Space Age from the Ballad of Appollo 13 to the hilarious Star Trek based Banned from Argo in all its many forms. We have all kinds of Poly Filk, too, including selections from Kathy Mar’s Living the Dream album and Craig Brussel Roger’s Half of Me. You should see what he does with The Tennessee Waltz!

Building a Faire Family/Intentional Community: Koroneburg
2025-10-18 10:00 - 23:00
Twenty-Nine Years of the Koroneburg Renaissance Festival
with Baron Henirich von Laufer
Presented by the Baron Himself, Chuck Spitler
For 29 years, Chuck Spitler has been the Baron. Played him as an actor? Maybe at first, but after a generation or two of children have grown up spending 6 weekends of summer with this Uncle by choice and are now bringing their children to see the Faire, be in jousts for the Baron’s entertainment, and just EXPERIENCE it, the Baron in many ways is the Reality. This is not like the Renaissance Pleasure Faire of Southern California, where the Queen is just an actress playing a role. I have seen the owners of this Faire wisely taking council with the Baron on many things, from promotion to the activities being offered to who should be in them.
The buildings were real and stood all year round, creating a feeling of traveling through Time to be there.
In August of 2025, dark news came that Koroneburg was to be closed down after Riverside County Parks decided not to offer the Festival a renewed lease. All those beloved buildings, knocked down and gone!
Is there a way that Koroneburg could be brought back to Life? Perhaps. Chuck is in the process of writing a book about the Koroneburg Renaissance Festival – its history and how to build something like this wherever you are. That will keep it alive for those who come after.
11 to 1 Poly discussion live and on zoom. Live only after that.
1 Pot Luck lunch – bring something healthy and delicious to share.
2 to 3:45 Afternoon activity: Exercises for developing intimacy – empathic communication to enhance your love life and friendships. Clothing-optional jacuzzi available.
4 to 5:45 Socializing in the shaded, clothing-optional hot tub or watch a Poly movie in the living room.
6 Pot Luck dinner – bring your favorite Halloween-themed dish to share with 10 people.
7:15 All Hallows Eve Samhain Ritual led by Terry and Craig Brussel Rogers.
8 to 11 Halloween Party. If you want to present anything perhaps relating to the costume (or body paint) you choose to wear, do let us know. We may play the Rocky Horror Picture Show. It’s traditional, after all!

Poly SF Sampler Discussion, Winter Solstice Ritual, Hanukkah and Winter Holiday Party
2025-12-20 11:00 - 23:00
Discuss the Poly content in stories by Robert A Heinlein, Spider Robinson, S. M. Stirling, and others. Enjoy a potluck lunch. Laze about in the hot tub, discussing polyamory, science fiction, and other topics. Enjoy a potluck dinner. Celebrate the winter solstice in a ritual lead by High Priestess Lilith. Exchange gifts. Play and listen to music. Sing a bit. Have a good time.

Memorial for Leslie Fish
2026-01-17 11:00 - 23:00
Live the Dream will host a memorial day for Leslie Fish, Poly anarchist and prolific filk writer/performer.
Joining us for this Memorial to speak about Leslie and share their personal experiences with her:

Oberon Zell, founder of Church of All Worlds, the first officially recognized Neopagan religion in the US.

Paul Gibbons, Political Activist/Libertarian/Anarchist and Water Brother to Leslie Fish.

Elaine Anderson, Deputy Lady in Waiting to the Queen of Caid in the SCA for 2025.

Terry Brussel-Rogers, Founder of Live the Dream and Leslie’s Water Brother will share her knowledge of some of Leslie’s Poly experiences.

Additional speakers may be announced in the future.
The day includes a potluck lunch and a potluck dinner. There is afternoon time for discussion, socializing, etc.
In the evening, Live the Dream will host the monthly LAFA (Los Angeles Filkers Anonymous) filksing, focusing on Leslie and her music.
The Live the Dream meeting will be Live and On Zoom 11am – 1 pm PT.
The LAFA filk will be Live and On Zoom 6 – 11 pm PT; the first hour will be a live and virtual dinner, with music commencing at 7 pm PT.
