By Zoe Ashworth
A crowd of students surge through the open gates-- dressed to the nines and excited for a glorious day. It’s October first, the Student Day for The Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival, and the first field trip for BISFA newcomers. We set out to explore with orange wristbands and maps of the faire-grounds!
Cobblestone streets. olden buildings, jesters, and vagabonds, an exciting theme: medieval fantasy.
There were a number of events to experience. My party and I were out wandering, and we catched the tail end of one of the shows. We had planned to see the full show, but got incredibly lost in the winding trails. It was The Big Rat Show, hosted by Emry. His show used puppets and allowed members of the audience to assist in his act. It was a joyous performance, for the man running it was clearly a lover of his craft. According to my research, he’s been a puppeteer and entertainer for a number of years. His skill with his art and entertaining an audience shine through.
Despite my party missing many of the events, we wandered, taking in the sights of nature, listening to far-off music, and of course: shopping. The many wares and stalls were a joy to walk through, seeing everything made by careful hands over hours of labor.
On the topic of shops, I was able to speak to two people, one of whom was a shopkeeper, and the other a roleplayer.
Miranda was the shopkeeper of The Leather Lair. She’s one of the artisans responsible for making the leather clothing found within The Lair. Miranda said that during School Days, not many sales are made, as their target audience is not teenagers. According to her, she’s here to stop people from stealing and getting into the shop at large.
My other interviewee was a Troll by the name of Hob. He stayed within an overpass, chatting with people as they walked by. When asked why he chose such a spot, he responded that living under bridges was a family tradition. As I also learned, he is a talented musician, doing shows all over the world.
The other major event my ever-shifting party went to was the ending show, featuring jousting! It was a tournament between the Craft’s guild and Merchant's guild, in order to prove one was mightier than the other. Neither of them won, as the fight was interrupted by mercenaries in order to take over the crown.
They lost, of course, but not without pyrotechnics! While I’d read a sign warning of live fire, I can speak for everyone when I say we were caught off guard by the bombastic booms of fireworks, inraptured by the fire that snapped the feet of the queen’s court, and dazzled by colored smoke that rose into the sky.
After the show, we stand and get ready to leave, to head back to the buses. We see the crowd of wanderers, people just like us, once more. Decorated masks, wearing tails and ears, extreme make-up, colorful dress, high fantasy to low. It’s a place where self expression reigns supreme, where we do not judge one another.
{Photos were taken by Dahlia Borowski.}
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