What do you get when you amalgamate a history lesson with equal parts of carnival, art show, street theater, stage production, horsemanship, sword fighting, musical talent, gluttony, and colorful people who will engage passers-by with Olde-English accents? The answer is a summer tradition known as the Northern California Renaissance Faire! If you are looking for something to do that is not only somewhat immersive, but that is also fun, entertaining, and unique to the point that it defies an easy description, it might just be worth your time to take a 30 minute drive and enter the Elizabethan world that is open each weekend from now through October 18th.

The first Northern California "Ren Faire" was held in 1967 in the town of China Camp in Marin County. Since that time, this mecca for those with a colorful flair for the past has moved several times. From 1970 to 1998 the faire was held at "Black Point Forest" in Novato, (where at one time as many as eighteen thousand visitors attended per day). After Black Point was no longer available the venue moved to the the Nut Tree property in Vacaville. In the last few years, the home for the Renaissance Fair has been at Casa De Fruita, about 33 highway miles west of Los Banos and just a little ways up highway 152 from Gilroy.

As noted above, the Ren Faire is an unusual mixture of many things. When one enters the faire they are immediately greeted by people in period costume who take their tickets and allow them to enter what can only be described as a place unto itself. The pageantry begins at the gate where guests enter the twelve acre living-history-like Renaissance Village. The visitors immediately come into contact with a bevy of young ladies dressed in peasant clothing who are tasked with washing other villager's clothing in a rather muddy well. These young lasses speak among themselves and to the guests, sing songs that are sometimes in tune, and are occasionally visited by the odd passing noblewoman from the queen's court dressed in finery that makes these young lasses quietly or perhaps not so quietly jealous.

The faire environment is made to be immersive. Visitors are welcome to arrive in costume themselves, (though it is certainly not required), and you can enjoy the Ren Faire whether or not you are dressed in period clothing. Even if you are not in costume, you can expect that at some point shopkeepers, actors, and even other visitors may spontaneously engage you in accent laden conversation or pithy exchanges. One street-theater group that travels around the town are the 'puritans'. This group of black-and-white-clad actors will regularly verbally accost ladies who they believe are being "impure" because their hair is not covered. The puritans do the best they can to prevail upon the sensibilities of those that they run into to don some sort of head covering, while totally ignoring the fact that in nearly every direction around them ladies' cleavage tends to show in a rather obvious manner thanks to the clothing of the period.

Another kind of show that is going on all around is that of the artisans and craftspeople. More than 135 craftspeople and artisans make up the faire's marketplace. Many of these artists actually create products on-site and are willing to share with visitors insight into what they are doing. Some of these can actually be quite educational. In their own way these artists are contributing to visitor's education by providing some fun little glimpses of living history. Examples of the artists doing their trades include a blacksmith, a person doing metal castings, and a glassblower.

Stuart Ableman of Ableman Art Glass puts on a most intriguing glass blowing demonstration. Mr. Ableman has brought in a gas-powered furnace and several times per day he opens it's door to reveal the incredibly hot honey-colored liquid inside. Mr Ableman then shows those who gather around and sit on the bales of hay in his area how glass blowing is done. Watching this guy is a real treat as he makes turning liquid that could give you a third degree burn in a half second into plates, flowers and vases with apparent ease. He does this without missing a beat as he explains what he is doing and answers audience questions on everything from the chemistry of glass to the annealing process that he uses in his studio. Stuart has a large set-up in the marketplace which includes a number of tables of American Art Glass for sale.

In addition to the art, demonstrations, and street theater, there are also a number of other venues for traditional entertainment. Five stages are set up on the property where entertainment in keeping with the period of the 1490's to the 1630's is performed. From comedy, to plays, to juggling, and fire-eating, visitors will get a little taste of all manner of entertainment. This year the Renaissance Fair is also doing something a little different - after the faire closes at night, visitors are being invited to stay late for the first ever Celtic Rock Concert Series.

The Celtic Rock Series will be held each night at 6PM and includes bands and musicians that are nationally known. These include bands such as Culaan's Hounds, Avalon Rising, Brother, Wicked Tinkers, The Young Dubliners, and Tempest. The concert is included in the ticket price.

Speaking of tasting, there is a pretty large food court. I counted 17 different places to get things to eat. Everything from Gyros to turkey legs is available. We had the gyros from "Acropolis" and a tri-tip sandwich from "Bangers, Brats, and Tri-Tip". There are places to buy sweets too of course. We tried the 'fruit ice' which was something of a sorbet stuffed into a hollowed out lemon, but there is plenty more and be sure to watch for the traveling carts that offer fudge, and cookies and more.

Finally, one could not write a Ren Faire article without mentioning the jousting. The Ren Faire joust is one of the more popular attractions at the faire. Horsemanship, swordsmanship, acting, and theater all come together as riders take to their mounts and put on a show which includes everything from games of skill to 'fight scenes' where the colorfully clad knights beat each other up with everything from axes, to medieval maces, to pole-arms. And yes, there is of course sword fighting and full gallop jousting that results in a fair share of broken lances and thrown riders... all to the glee of the people in the stands.

If you are interested in exploring the Northern California Renaissance Faire they will be open every weekend from now through October 18th. The gates open at 10 AM. You can get more information on their website at http://www.norcalrenfaire.com.

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If everyone in Los Banos would just take 1 or 2 hours a month to do something to help their neighborhood or their community we could truly make Los Banos the gem of the valley.

The above is only my personal opinion and I strongly encourage readers to seek out more information from expert sources. Copyright 2009