Actors, hobbyist, and enthusiasts dress in garb of their favorite Elizabethan Archetypes to entertain, or be entertained. All manner of performances, skills and games from the era might be seen at a Renaissance fair, and are only limited by the imagination of the performers and those in attendance.
At a Renaissance Fair, you can be whatever you want, from King to pirate, from queen to gypsy, from wizard to warrior. Everyone is welcomed, in fact encouraged, to dress for the times!
The fair we attended, the Olde English Faire, hosted performances by minstrels, belly dancers, theater actors, fire eaters, wizards, bards, falconers, jousters, sword fighters, and jousters.)
There were acrobats, both in the air and on the ground.
There were vendors for food, including the symbolic turkey leg, henna tattoos, swords, crafts, crystal work, and clothing from gypsy wear to wizard robes. Other Faires have their own combinations of entertainment, such as challenging a Chessmaster, portrait drawing, and photograph rooms with costumes.
There were areas to experience archery, ax and knife throwing, tomato throwing, horse riding and firing the cannon(with water balloons, of course.) In the target throwing game, there were knives and axes, but there were also martial arts stars for the middle aged children, who were not strong enough to wield the knife.
Cash and Jaxon, Brittany and I, enjoyed the games, a lot. Our fun really started with water balloon cannon. The master demonstrated how to use the sling-shot type mechanism, and chose me as his target. It was almost a dead on hit to the heart. Good thing it was just a water balloon, but I was drenched. The kids found this hilarious and inspirational, and they were quite determined in their attempts to hit each other.
The archery range attracted all ages of shooters. There was a variety of bow sizes and weights to choose from, so the children were able to select a good fit for their size and strength. By the time Cash and Jaxon each went through their twelve arrows, they were actually hitting the target. They were very proud of this accomplishment.
But you cannot attend a Renaissance Faire, without attending the Joust. Jousting was performed by the Knights of Valor. The battle was hosted by Shane Adams, of the History Channel’s program, Full Metal Jousting. He had the crowd involved before the knights even came into the arena. He also informed us that all of the horses were rescued horses, which I thought was really cool.
Then the knights came on the scene, in their full armor. They were quite an impressive sight on their steeds. Each side of the stadium had a designated Knight to cheer on, and each knight selected a maiden, in whose honor they fought. Then the five pass battle began.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not point out that the host site for the Olde English Faire was Wildlife Prairie Park. Wildlife Prairie is an excellent place for a Day Trip at any time. There are animals, adventures, playgrounds, trails, campsites, and train rides. The list goes on far too long for this post.
Mike the Bison is one pretty amazing resident of Wildlife Prairie!
Check out their website and it’s fully stocked calendar of events. http://wildlifeprairiepark.org/
To see all post images and a couple extras in a light box, open the gallery here: http://gypsywithadayjob.com/portfolio/day-trip-olde-english-faire/
