Medieval Faire to return to SWFL

By Staff | Jan 4, 2017

Ye old annual faire is back!

The annual Riverdale Kiwanis Medieval Faire returns to the grounds of Lakes Regional Park, 7330 Gladiolus Drive, Fort Myers, on Jan. 7-8 and Jan. 14-15.

The high-quality medieval entertainment provided by Riverdale Kiwanis is always unsurpassed in authenticity and professionalism. Several acts, musical groups and performers show their Medieval flair, all who travel the country, and are seen at only the biggest medieval shows.

“We are truly honored to provide you with the best medieval entertainers in the U.S.,” said Terry Short, chairman of the Medieval Faire, past Kiwanis president and Kiwanian for 24 years.

Upon the faire opening every morning, all guests are greeted by the royal families and their Renaissance entourage, from the kings King Llewellyn and King Frankl right down to the jesters and hand maidens, and everyone in between.

“You really feel like you’ve stepped into another time period,” Terry said. “Many royalties are very difficult to approach. Not our royalties. Our royalties are very easy to approach.”

Little faire-going princesses are given special necklaces, and young princes are knighted by the kings.

Entertainment is continuous each day of the faire, from jugglers, magicians and minstrels to live combat chess matches, live sword fighting and roving medieval musicians. The family-friendly faire has something for everyone rides and the games, merchants and vendors and plenty of live entertainment. Terry gives you just a taste of what to look forward to at the faire.

Take your chance at the ax-, knife- and star-throwing booths, or cool off at one of the most popular kid’s attractions there.

“The Balloon Catapult, everyone loves the Balloon Catapult, whether it’s kids against kids or kids against their parents,” Terry laughed, as he explained the water-balloon-toss setup and how it’s a great way to cool off in the warmer afternoons.

During several times of the day, take in a good professional jousting match, an ancient and time-honored tradition, with the New Riders of the Golden Age (WarHorse.com), as knights show their talent of spearing apples, lancing rings and knocking each other off of their big, beautiful, armor-clad war horses. And, who knows what else can ensue on the Medieval battlefield. You’ll just have to swing by to see!

What’s a faire without the food? Enjoy the delicious Rennaisance-period food, like enormous turkey legs, meats-on-a-stick, and meade plenty of meade!

You might even be lucky and catch a good game of rat-pucking, with King Llewellyn as the “important hole” to puck the rat near.

“Rat pucking. It’s a very serious sport,” Terry explained. “When you were dying of starvation in the Middle Ages, most of the commentating was done by village criers, so the peasants, who had plenty of sticks and dead rats on hand, developed a game called ‘rat pucking.’ The object of the game is to puck rats as close to the hole (or king, in this instance) as you can. This game later became known as golf, replaced with balls and clubs, and now played by doctors.”

Between special acts, stroll the dozens upon dozens of archaic vendors, merchants and artisans, offering anything from clothing, crafts, crowns and collectibles to jewelry, dragon-age items, magical curios and musical instruments. Tarot readers, psychics and mystics are available for readings.

Guests may see roaming fiddlers, harpists, strolling flower girls and even some acrobats – one minute you’re perusing a merchant’s tent looking at the fabulous merchandise, the next, a belly-dancing quartet is shimmying, shaking and contorting two feet away.

Tickets are $15 for adults 12 and up, $5 for children 5 to 11, and children (and trolls) are free. No pets are allowed on the site, and there is no charge to park on the site.

For further information on the annual Riverdale Kiwanis Medieval Faire and all the group does for the local community, visit Medieval-Faire.com.