Over the weekend I attended the Kansas City Renaissance Festival.  And I had a blast!  It was so much fun.  It really makes me sad that while this festival has been going on in KC for 32 years, I’ve only been once before!  And that was several years ago.

There were so many sights to behold.

Great costumes, men on stilts, and women about to fall out of their dresses:

One-legged sword fighting, elephant rides, and maypole dancing:

Jousting, lovely Irish singing and music, and crazy fire-wielding performers:

Crafters, fairy dancing, and acrobatics:

Quiet places to reflect, an amazing parade of characters, and fun games/rides:

There was also a really cool dungeon museum with depictions of various forms of medieval torture.  Sounds gruesome, I know, but it was rather interesting (and frightening to see what humans are capable of doing to one another).

The festival opened labor day weekend and goes through October 13th.  It is 17.95 at the gate, I think, but we caught a deal.  On special weekends, they’ve joined forces with Harvester’s.  On these weekends, you can get one ticket free when you buy one by bringing in five non-perishable food items.

I might just have to go another time before this season closes.  As I went through the festival grounds, I made a list of challenges for future visits.

• I’m going to get or make a costume/dress of my own to wear.  I’ve always adored the dresses;
• I’m going to get my fortune told;
• I’m going to get a Henna tattoo; and
• I’m going to ride that bungee/trampoline thingy.  It looks like so much fun.  Although, if I wear a costume, it might not be such a great idea. 

I think it would be a blast to work at it, but I’m not nearly outgoing enough.  Even the food peddlers sing and call out to get you to come eat (as if I need encouragement).  I did good, though.  I only had a bite of a pretzel the entire time I was there, and I walked for 3 1/2 hours straight (and not all on flat ground).

There was also lots of shopping, of course.  Somehow, I was able to confine myself to buying a single pair of earrings and a choker/necklace.  I am completely in love with the choker and would be happy if I could wear it every day.  It was created by a company called Fleur du Jour and is made from a real rosebud.  According to the guy who sold it to me, they use a process similar to how they preserve the bodies in the “Bodies Revealed” show that I went to see a while back.  Of course, this is much prettier to the eye.    In checking out their website, I also noticed that I got a significant discount by buying it at the Ren Fest.  Here is a picture of my necklace. Please forgive the hideous background as it’s only my ironing board.  The picture also doesn’t begin to do it justice.  I’ve already received more than one compliment on it.

If you’re in the KC area, I highly recommend you check the festival out.  Each weekend carries a different theme, so check out their site to see which you want to see!