The Hounds of East Fairhaven are an educational re-enactment group based with the Carolina Renaissance Festival. We provide a chance for patrons of the festival to interact with greyhounds and learn about their place in history, specifically during the 1500-1600’s in the United Kingdom. HoEF is made up of greyhound lovers and adoption group volunteers, and does not promote nor support any one greyhound group. Further, HoEF is firmly neutral on the subject of greyhound racing.

HoEF, originally called “The Hounds of Ulster” had their beginnings in the mind of the director, Nancy Lassiter, when she and several other folks attended the Carolina Renaissance Festival during the 2000 season.  "Why couldn't we be a part of the faire," she thought, "with the dogs, because they're period-appropriate...” She came home and did her research, and found that another woman clear across the country had had the same thought... and had presented it to the sister festival to CRF, the Arizona Renaissance Festival!  After seeing the incredible successes enjoyed by the Greyhounds of Fairhaven, she contacted the CRF folks and the Hounds of Ulster were born!

For the first time during the 2001 season, greyhounds and their humans participated in the Carolina Renaissance Festival as The Hounds of Ulster, so named by His Nobleness, John Bullfrog, the Lord Mayor of Fairhaven.  The Hounds of Ulster were the Lord Mayor's hunting and coursing hounds, and were escorted about the Faire by their keepers.  For the 2002 season, we came up with the current name (HoEF) because we were given our own tent and were no longer under the auspices of the Mayor’s Court. Credit for the name should be given to the members of the Greyhounds of Fairhaven, as they kicked around ideas for us that would let it be known that we follow in their footsteps (and pawprints!) but that we are clearly a separate organization.

After the fall season of 2002 ended at CRF, we were invited to take our show on the road to the Georgia Renaissance Festival in the spring of 2003. We jumped at the chance, and spent two hot weekends in Georgia getting to know the great folks at GARF. We went back for the 2004 season, and are already feeling quite at home there just as we do at CRF. We were invited to both the NC Renaissance Faire in Raleigh and the VA Renaissance Faire during the 2004 season as guests of Her Majesty’s Hounds, but were unable to attend. We hope to be able to do so in the future.

Please browse the links at the left to learn more about how our beloved hounds were the companions of royals and nobles, as well as more about our group. We hope to see you at an event in the future!

Huzzah, Well Met, and Tiramisu for all,

Nancy Lassiter, HoEF Director (aka Mistress Ginolwenye Greensleeves, RooMistress and DogNanny to the HoEF)