Come One, Come All to the 15th Annual Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire!

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Lords and Ladies! Friar and Peasant! This event held in the foothills of the Coast Range is a tradition for Oregonians and beyond.

Photos and video by Tim King Salem-News.com

(KINGS VALLEY, Ore.) - The Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire is a two-day opportunity to experience interactive living history, with all the trimmings, in keeping with the flowering of the English Renaissance.

For fifteen years, fascination with the Renaissance, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, has been brought to life at this outdoor gathering.

The Renaissance period is uniquely recognized for having revived ideas from antiquity, a movement attempting to study and improve the secular and worldly through novel approaches to thought.

This vision continues at the Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire with an abundance of costumed volunteers who set up, create and handle all aspects of running the Faire each year with authentic flair, and attitudes that bestow the integrity of their commitment.

Peace-tie your weapons.

The Imperial Knights perform full contact jousting, sword fighting and ground play, so for this event, no guests may participate.

The village marketplace houses nearly 150 Vendor Booths (shoppes) displaying a wide variety of Renaissance themed handcraft items, clothing, books, artwork, including interactive games and a full-sized maze for the young, and young at heart.

For faire-goers over the age of 21, the Shrew & Thistle Pub is available on site to partake in an adult beverage or two.

The on stage productions will captivate audiences, as living history and street performers wandering through the faire surround patrons by continuous entertainment, even as they stroll along the lanes of the marketplace.

After the misty mountain Oregon morning has passed, generous shade cover will be enjoyed at all four stages as well as within the food court area, and ample hillside seating is provided for a perfect view of the live joust on horseback performed twice daily (12 & 4 p.m.).

Many patrons arrive at the Faire in full or partial costume, so the feeling of being in an actual Elizabethan market is very real indeed.

Guests are encouraged to dress in period clothing, entering into the spirit of the event, though it is not mandatory. Swords and daggers are allowed as part of costuming, as long as they are peace-tied.

For those interested in dressing in the period, resources on Elizabethan Costume can be found in the Shrewsbury Guide-Booke and elsewhere on the web. There is a good chance that you will see a little bit of everything regarding costumes at Shrewsbury. It is possible to have visitors from Europe and the Middle East, so costuming is very fun to pay attention to.

The two-day event is attended by nearly 20,000 people every year, and many individuals and families plan to be there both days.

There is no public camping at the Shrewsbury site, but there are three campgrounds relatively nearby. In KingsValley there is The Timber Hill Harriers campground with tent and cabin camping. You can email Joe Fulton at fulthasc@yahoo.com. In Albany, there is a KOA (541) 967-8521 and the National Forest Service runs a campground at the top of Mary's Peak (541) 750-7000. For more information look at the Corvallis Visitors Bureau's lodging list. And by the way, no pets are allowed at the faire.

The 15th Annual Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire will be held in King's Valley, Oregon (Hwy 223) on September 11th & 12th, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

The property on which the faire emerges is expansive, and includes free parking. Admission is only $9.00 for Adults, $5.00 for Seniors and $5.00 for Children 6 to 12 years old. Children 5 years old and younger are free.

If you've never had a chance to go to a Renaissance Faire, or you've been going for decades, this particular display from the period is not to be missed, young and old alike.

For more information, go to: ShrewFaire.com

WATCH THE SHREWSBURY RENAISSANCE FAIRE VIDEO:

Produced by Tim King

Bonnie King has been with Salem-News.com since August '04, when she became Publisher. Bonnie has served in a number of positions in the broadcast industry; TV Production Manager at KVWB (Las Vegas WB) and Producer/Director for the TV series "Hot Wheels in Las Vegas", posts as TV Promotion Director for KYMA (NBC), and KFBT (Ind.), Asst. Marketing Director (SUPERSHOPPER MAGAZINE), Director/Co-Host (Coast Entertainment Show), Radio Promotion Director (KBCH/KCRF), and Newspapers In Education/Circulation Sales Manager (STATESMAN JOURNAL NEWSPAPER). Bonnie has a depth of understanding that reaches further than just behind the scenes, and that thoroughness is demonstrated in the perseverance to correctly present each story with the wit and wisdom necessary to compel and captivate viewers.
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