Everyone has seen or heard of something with medieval fantasy in it, whether it be The Lord of The Rings movies and books, or The Hobbit. Medieval fantasy is the overlap of fantasy and the middle ages. It has elves, fairies, cottages, tiny villages, heroic quests, and so much more. But, at the Renaissance Faire, all that is real.
The Renaissance Faire makes all that come to life. This Faire is a large, outdoor gathering that creates a medieval fantasy setting. People will dress up with elf ears, jewelry, and fancy clothing. There are vendors who sell plenty of things from swords and armor to gems and tarot cards. There are also food vendors. They sell pickles, large pretzels, and offer drinks for all ages. There are events that happen during certain hours like fire shows or mermaid coves. They also have fairies that travel around to give trinkets to anyone there.
The Renaissance Faire is hosted in Shakopee, Minnesota, which is around one hour away from Cannon Falls. It begins on weekends in early August and ends in October. They have events on certain weekends such as Oktoberfest.
I went to The Renaissance Faire this year with a few of my friends and we all had an amazing time. I had one of the ginormous pickles they sell, and I got some pins from the vendor. My friend got a wooden sword, and we both got really cool crystals. We bought a large pretzel, and everyone munched on it while we went to see the fire show. The performers had sticks with fire on the end, and did tricks with them like tossing them around and dancing with them. A few of my friends were able to buy some of the items they were selling. One of them got a t-shirt, and the other got a pin. I also got henna done, and we all saw some people who were really into the theme of the faire. There was one person in particular who had this gorgeous dress on, and this dazzling crown and staff she paired with it.
“I think my favorite part was the first pickle seller we ran into. He was really eccentric and obviously was having fun,” says Grey Springer, an 11th grader who went with me to the Renaissance Faire this year.
8th grader Chloe Enevold says “I loved the food. The biscuits and gravy is really good and the walkthrough stuff is really fun!”
I adore The Renaissance Faire and have gone every year since I was 7. It is a fun event for all ages, and while it’s not required to dress up, it makes the experience all the better. The food there is good, the entertainment is even better, and it’s guaranteed to be an unforgettable experience.
