Gallery • 10 Photos

Harrison Barden

Grab a turkey leg and your jousting stick and get ready to time travel back to the 16th century at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.

Characters in 16th century garb wander the streets talking in their medieval tongue. Not only do the entertainers dress up, but festival goers enjoy sporting their take on the 16th century attire.

Greg Marchand is a contracted entertainer who has been a part of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival since 1985. He began working at a game booth called the Dueling Buckets at the festival as a fundraiser for his high school’s student council and continued working there until he graduated from college in 1993.

Marchand auditioned for a performing group, The Royal Guard, and has been an entertainer with the Minnesota Renaissance Festival ever since.

“We portray soldiers who are bodyguards for the King and Royal Court at the festival,” Marchand said. “We keep men with the King at all times; it helps provide the illusion of the King’s importance to the audience.”

Junior Claire Ogrady is an avid festival goer and said she enjoys dressing for the occasion. Ogrady achieves her medieval look by wearing a tutu and a vest.

“I aim for a more jester look,” said Ogrady.

There is a diverse crowd of individuals visiting the festival every year.

“Many people come to see our wonderful entertainers wandering the streets and others come out every year to see their favorite stage show,” Marchand said.“Some people just like to shop at all the unique craft shops.”

There is everything from handcrafted wooden mugs to exclusive medieval wands and artillery and even handcrafted gowns, blouses and tiaras.

The Minnesota Renaissance Festival has attractions for just about everyone.

“There is food and drink that will please most, and the games area has attractions for all ages,” Marchand said.

The Minnesota Renaissance Festival tries to have a little bit of something for everyone in the family as well.

“There are shows and characters that are bawdier for the adults, and for kids, the festival has a Children’s Realm containing a Fairy Wing Forest, a Mermaid Cove and medieval jousting,” Marchand said.

“My favorite part of the festival is seeing the performances because they present spectacles that you usually wouldn’t see elsewhere,” Ogrady said.

It takes nearly a year of planning to put the festival up, so after this year’s festival ends, the planning for next year begins very soon thereafter.

“Every year, The Royal Guard starts rehearsing in the March/April timeframe,” Marchand said. “We have at least one rehearsal every three weeks until the Minnesota Renaissance Festival starts.”

When rehearsing, the Royal Guard spends time on improvisation and perfecting every aspect of their character.

“Our main focus is on making sure all of our members have the proper uniforms and gear, and then we work together on marching and military behavior,” Marchand said.

Whether it is the adult who wants to escape the day-to-day grind, or the child who still believes in magic and fairy tales, the performers of the fair help our audience forget the outside world.

The performers interact with young children making their make-believe worlds come alive.

“It feels like I’ve gone back in time,” Ogrady said.

“They really are a knight, a princess or any other character they want, and we the adults play right along with them,” Marchand said.