Every year Mount Hope Estate and Winery hosts the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.
The faire lasts from the beginning of August to the end of October, and every weekend has a different theme. It's weeks of excitement and celebration in the "shire," as the fairgrounds are called, from the opening of the day to the human chess match (my personal favorite) to the final joust.
I've gone to the Ren Faire with my dad nearly every year since I was 5. It's one of my favorite things to do in the summer. Over the years that I've gone, I've learned some things.
1. Believe in the fantasy
The best part of the Ren Faire is pretending that you're actually in the time period. Of course, not everything complies and there are historical inaccuracies for the sake of the show, but that's OK. I love to dress up, even though my costume isn't quite right (there are a lot of people with very elaborate costumes, and that's my goal some day), and I love to act like I'm really there. It's fun to imagine that there really are knights and that the royalty -- in this case, King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon -- are really the royalty. Make sure to shout along to the cries of "Long live the king, and God save the queen!"
2. Have fun doing what you love
One show that we went to while at the faire was the "Mud Squad," which is exactly what it sounds like -- a performance in the mud. The three performers joked about how their parents are so proud, and one mentioned that he had a degree in marine biology but was still performing in the mud at the Ren Faire. Regardless, the three of them seemed so happy putting on the show and throwing themselves and each other into their mud pit. The show that we saw them do was mud pit Hamlet and it was hilarious.
3. Never challenge a king
There's always a story to the faire, one that is explored in the opening, in the human chess match, in the final joust and in the closing. When the faire was under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the story often played off her refusal to get married and/or her place as a woman on the throne. Now that the reigning monarch is King Henry VIII, the stories seem to follow challenges to the throne -- this year, the challenger was the Duke of Suffolk, Edmund de la Pole. Of course, this cannot be allowed to stand and Henry had to take on the challenge to his throne and his honor.
4. History is fascinating
History is often thought of as something dry, only found in boring books, but seeing it come to life changes that entirely. Instead of reading about history or watching a show about it, you're literally walking through it, watching the glassblowers and the smiths and the knights and the nobles. It's a completely different approach and it's amazing.
The Renaissance Faire is more than just a fun thing to do on a weekend. For a lot of people, it's a yearly tradition and it's something to both look forward to and learn from.
