After a month of preparation, Casa de Fruta will be transformed
into 16th-century Europe
– complete with knights, queens and William Shakespeare – at the
annual Renaissance Faire beginning Saturday.
By Alice Joy Staff Writer
Hollister – After a month of preparation, Casa de Fruta will be transformed into 16th-century Europe – complete with knights, queens and William Shakespeare – at the annual Renaissance Faire beginning Saturday.
The Northern California Renaissance Faire starts this weekend and will continue through Oct. 14. The annual event draws history buffs and intrigued families into a fantasy world where jousting is commonplace.
“It’s a great family outing because it’s educational and it’s fun,” said Frances Larose, spokeswoman for the event.
The event, the largest and oldest Renaissance fair in Northern California, attracts about 10,000 people each weekend, said Larose.
Larose stressed that the faire provides educational enlightenment for kids and young people and a chance to see with their own eyes what they had previously only read in history books.
“We hope people realize that it’s just walking history of the Renaissance,” Larose said. “As they come in, they’ll be able to live and walk in a town that’s just like the Renaissance.”
To push the educational portion of the event, Larose added, there will be free admission for children age 12 and younger the opening weekend.
At the fair, managed by the same people who act in it, attendees will have the chance to interact with actors and actresses portraying people from the period.
There are more than 600 costumed performers at the fair, said Maurene Drew, entertainment director. Some of the actors portray famous historical figures, while others joust, sing or simply make up the rest of the townspeople.
“To make the villages come to life, you have your peasants, your constables, your puritans,” said Drew. who added that those working at the fair come from a variety of backgrounds. She, personally, came from a theatrical background and always had a penchant for the period and for the “fairy tale” of the era, she said.
“Some people are theatrically inclined and other people just like the romantic environment,” Drew said. “Then, definitely, you get your historical geeks. And the longer they stay at the fairs, the purer they get about historical accuracy.”
But if the idea of stepping back in time into an era without cell phones and computers seems overwhelming, Drew stressed that all the people working at the local version are willing to educate attendees .
Besides watching others act out history, visitors can participate. While there are many stages of entertainment and live jousting, there also are games.
“A lot of it people enjoy because it’s period appropriate, and you realize you don’t need all this high-tech stuff to have a good time,” Larose said.
