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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 1988)
Page 6 The Battalion Monday, October 10,1988 Renaissance Festival ( revives enchantments By Fiona Soltes Staff Writer Come, Milord and Milady! The King doth bid your presence at the 14th annual Texas Renaissance Festival. His Majesty King Henry VIII began welcoming visitors to Sherwood Forest last weekend. He was joined by his royal court as well as jugglers, magicians, belly dancers, mud wrestlers, tightrope walkers and many other servants, all wishing to share new delights with visi tors. This year, the festival has several new exhibits, including Noble House, a Greco-Roman structure displaying the treasures Marco Polo brought back from the Orient, as well as a post office and a bank where visitors can exchange checks or credit cards for pound notes to be used at the festival. Also new are six new food buildings and two new stages for enter tainment. Many more street characters are new to the festival this year, too. The people who play these parts are as diverse as the characters themselves. Some of the workers, like Paige Hunt, are locals who enjoy working at the festival just for fun. Hunt, who is from Conroe, works for Chrysler Credit Corp. during the week and sells flowered hair wreaths at the fes tival on weekends. “This is my third year at the festival.” Hunt said. “I do it basically because it's extra fun for several weekends during the year. I’m definitely planning on doing it again next year." Hunt said she is paid a base rate, near minimum wage, plus a commission for each wreath. The wreaths, made by an outside company and shipped in for the festival, are avail able to visitors for $8 to $20 each. Visitors can have their faces painted by “Lady” Susan Griffin, who partici pates in the festival as an extension of her real-life career. Griffin works for a performing arts costume company in Houston during the week, making cos tumes and doing make-up for actors in feature films. Griffin said she is willing to paint any design. “The most common designs are uni corns, dragons and free-form,” Griffin said. “But the customer is king; I’ll do whatever he likes.” She said she will paint bodies as well as faces. The art work ranges from $5 to $8. Elaborate costumes abound at the fes tival. Eulice Vial, who portrays Lady Anne. Duchess of Somerset, makes many of the costumes visiton «| during the festival. “I am a specialist in the Elitai* time period,” Vial said. "Iraakettn tumes out of my home, onealitj have made about 80 of the costtj this year’s festival." Vial saiJnj the performers own only onecca since prices usaully start at i $l.500. The characters are responsibleIj plying their own costumes, shti Some of the lesser characters, s® those who are not members of tie: court, buy theirs at the Repfi clothing shops at the festival. Many shops are on the fj grounds. They sell just about ever; including clothes, armor, ham woodwork, paintings, mirrors a; statues of wizards. David Dawson, apprentice tolef derhill of Underhill Pavilions,Ea and Tents, said he takes enougj for Renaissance tents and banntm festival to keep him in business long. "We really enjoy making them,'; See Renaissance Feslha! ;< Photo by JayJanner h mill in l pies pros zom difi zoni tion in l stea nog pros l f e a t c c t c t l ( ( I I l I ( I s f J \ I [ t I ( j i Photo by Jay Janner (Top Right) The Queen and King Henry VIII sing “Morning Dew” with the royal court. (Bottom Right) Magical Mystical Michael explains the mystery of the red box during his magic show. His 40 minute show is largely improvisational. (Bottom Left) Miniature clay wizards on display at the festival. They cost around $20 each. These are just some of the hand-crafted items available to visitors. (Middle Left) A fool yells “Make Thy Day!” as he pre pares to be hit by tomatoes by visitors. He was the target in the game Vegetable Vengeance. Photo by Jay Janner