FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) - The fifth annual Renaissance Faire of the Ozarks was held at the Washington County Fairgrounds this weekend (April 18-19). The event attract hundreds of locals and out-of-towners.
Highlights of the event included an axe-throwing station, belly dancers, flame jugglers and live music from several medieval bands. The fair also had their own royalty. A cast of 25 actors performed scenes from the Renaissance era. Sir Donal Laird McRae was one of the actors.
"You get to teach history to the children, and that is the most enjoyable part, of all the things we do, teaching somebody a little bit of history puts a smile on their face and puts a smile on our face," McRae said.
There were also 20-30 booths set up from merchants from all over the country. Springfield native Jason Sinco had a booth showcasing his woodworking business. Sinco makes hand-crafted furniture, and said he jumped at the opportunity to teach others about his trade.
"It's been really neat to take a project from start to finish here in front of people at the fair and show them the whole process from laying it out and figuring out the angles and the curves and the measurements cutting the wood with handsaws, using the planes and doing all of it by hand with the appropriate tools," Sinco said.
Teresa Griffith was another merchant at the fair. Griffith said she is a potter and a retired art teacher from West Fork. It was her first time participating in the Renaissance Faire for the Ozarks.
"It's kind of a hidden activity that a lot of people don't understand what the actors bring to the Renaissance festival, that it's not your typical craft fair, that you don't just look up and down the aisles and look for artwork," Griffith said.
The next Renaissance Fair will be in Gravette in November.