During an overcast weekend in October, visitors to Kingdom City were magically transported to Carlingford, Ireland – to a time of swords and bows, kilts and armor, and mead and turkey legs.
KBIA’s Nate Brown visited the Central Missouri Renaissance Festival in Callaway County and filed this audio postcard.
Rigger, Brotherhood of Steel: We are a live steel-on-steel entertainment troupe. We do steel-on-steel sword fights, and we do wooden shehnai fighting.
You came up, and I was teaching children how to do the basic stage combat, and we do it because we think children are amazing and that's how you train the next generation.
"My favorite thing about renaissance fairs, I think, is the camaraderie."Rigger, Brotherhood of Steel
Reporter Nate Brown: Can you tell me your name?
Anelise LeMieux: Anelise.
Brown: And what did you just do out there today?
LeMieux: I dueled. I liked that I could swing the sword around.
Brown: And did you win the duel?
LeMieux: Yes. I think it's a good experience.
Rigger: My favorite thing about renaissance fairs, I think, is the camaraderie. You come to one renaissance fair and either you get it or you don't, but if you get it, you want to come to another and another and another – and it's been 20 years, and I'm still doing this.
"I've been hunting with them for the last four or five years – maybe not the most successful because it is hard to get close within 15, 20 yards of a deer on the ground and try to get it with a stick."Kyle Roberts
Kyle Roberts, Holts Summit: I am making a wooden longbow. This one is made out of black locust, It’s going to be a youth bow for a small child.
You can do whatever you want with these bows, like they are potent enough you can hunt with them.
I've been hunting with them for the last four or five years – maybe not the most successful because it is hard to get close within 15, 20 yards of a deer on the ground and try to get it with a stick – but they're just as potent as any modern bow.
Or you can just target shoot with them. You can play with them.
You can do historical reenactments, like there's groups that are part of the English War Bow Society, and their whole goal: to shoot a heavy arrow as far as you can.
Onegus MacOg, Pictus: We've been together for about 10 years, and we've been doing renaissance festivals all over the country all of those 10 years.
Renaissance festivals have kind of morphed over the years. It used to be period specific, like all of your garb, all your clothing, everything had to be period specific, and now it's more of a fantasy festival.
"That's the best thing about Fair. I get to do what I love to do the most in the world, which is bring joy, and I get to do it in the most beautiful situations, and to me – Renaissance festivals are the best of humanity."Onegus MacOg, Pictus
So, it's basically anything from Renaissance to Medieval to the Lord of the Rings or, you know, anything that's fantasy-based – fairies and whatnot.
But the best thing about fair – and the thing that I love about fair so much – is that I call it a place for the people without a place.
It's a place for the people outside of these gates to come in and be themselves or to be someone else – with no judgment.
Everyone comes together, and we call it the “fair family,” which is the “fairmily” we call it, and everyone is invited and everyone can be whoever they want to be or themselves.
And to me that's the best thing about fair. I get to do what I love to do the most in the world, which is bring joy, and I get to do it in the most beautiful situations., And to me, renaissance festivals are the best of humanity, and that's why I choose to make my living doing it.
