Dressed in peasant shirts, vests, and flat floppy hats, we left the 21st century behind and escaped into a pretend Elizabethan English village for a day of ye olde English merriment. It was our first visit to the original Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale. Although the Renaissance was a time of enlightenment, an awakening and appreciation for the arts and sciences, now five hundred years later, the Renaissance Faire seems to be a place for former high school thespians and Dungeon and Dragon devotees to get their drink on.
We started the day with two fine ales from the “Drynk” station and were greeted by the lusty, corseted pub wench as “m’ Lord & m’ Lady.” When we told her that this was our first renaissance festival, she hollered out, “Ah, we have faire virgins here.” Hozah! The faire-goers cheered. “Don’t worry it only hurts the first time,” she said.
With beer in hand, we did what any responsible subject of Her Majesty would do – we headed for the knife throwing and archery stands. For 500 pence, you get ten knives to throw at targeted hay bails. We leisurely strolled through the dusty faire filled with frolicking jugglers, minstrels, jesters, airbrushed-faced fairies, and pirates, while looking at the arts and crafts booths to the constant sound of flute music. We met friends at the jousting contest where cheering, heckling, and burping filled the crowded bleachers until the black and white knight fell from his horse, squeezed the blood packet, and died, all to the crowds delight. “Hozah!”
I grabbed a roasted turkey leg and another ale, because overindulgence is the theme of the day, and then strolled over to “the wise woman” standing on a platform with a sign that read “Ask me a question!“ In my best attempt at a British accent I asked if she could briefly discuss the political philosophies of Francis Bacon. She pointed me down the lane to the “wise man” in the glass blowing booth.
They did a good job of re-creating the time period, though only about half of the faire-goers fully play along. The fourth wall is continually being broken throughout the day when you see faire maidens chatting on their cell phones, shirtless tattooed Raiders fans, and the Queen’s soldiers withdrawing cash from the ATM. Even so, we enjoyed our day of time travel and suspended reality. The experience reminded me that participation is better than observation, and as Roald Dahl wrote, “A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.”
Embrace the fantasy each weekend through May 19th www.renfair.com
