Medieval activities rule this weekend at Grand Valley State University as the popular, family-oriented Renaissance Faire brings the Middle Ages to campus for two days.
The outdoor Renaissance Faire is featured from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, October 13 and 14, at the Cook Carillon Tower on GVSU's Allendale Campus. Admission is free. Activities include two stages featuring continuous entertainment -- including fencing and live steel demonstrations, jugglers, belly dancers and fire eaters -- period food, Renaissance merchants and children's games.
The two-day event is featured as part of the GVSU Shakespeare Festival, running Sept. 20-Oct. 19, but is actually a student-run event held in conjunction with the festival. The Faire is the big annual event planned by a group of medieval-era enthusiasts informally known as GV Ren.
The popularity of such activities as dressing up in period costumes (including armor), assuming new identities and fencing, to name a few, is evident in the group's membership, which is up to 40 members, the majority of whom joined this year, said organizer Lisa Brown.
It's one of the most exciting things that I think goes on on campus, said Brown, a GVSU education senior (alias Viscountess of Elisabeth Kelleway). It's different, it's interesting, and it's free.
More information on GV Ren and the Renaissance Faire can be found at www2.gvsu.edu/~gvren.
