Shiver Me Tudors-“Pirates of the Renaissance”

It is time for the 24th Annual Bristol Renaissance Faire just north of the state line in Wisconsin. This year’s “Faire” will run rom July 9th for 9 weekends through Labor Day, Monday,September 5th. This is a rollicking romp through Elizabethan England with Noble Knights, willful wenches and pirates! Yes,  as Captain Jack Sparrow hits the movie screens, Queen Elizabeth has placed a moratorium on plundering Spanish treasure ships so that people of the Midwest can set sail for Bristol Wisconsin for a summer of merriment,music, and mayhem.

The Bristol Renaissance Faire is a place to check your normal self at the gate so you can whoop and holler at jousting Knights, get down and dirty with beggars or hurl a ripe tomato at a blustering braggart. You can also watch glass blowers at their art, join in on court dancing ( 16th Century style) or just relax to the dulcet tones of a classical harpist. You  can also partake the live-action fantasy play,RenQuest, an interactive theatrical experience like none other. For the little “nipperkins”, KidsQuest will provide daily opportunities for them to embark on adventures that are age appropriate ( filled with sand-boxes,climb aboard pirate ship, and a cast of characters that will preside over games, arts & crafts and other “kid stuff”!

Between the stages, the Faire streets are lined with game and ride areas, food vendors and merchants selling all sorts of wares. You will also find strolling minstrels, jesters and other characters who are there to add to your pleasure on this historical trip through time located on 30 wooded acres just west of I-94’2 Russell Road exit ( near Kenosha, Just north of Waukegan/Gurnee area). The Faire is open, rain or shine every Saturday and Sunday through Labor day from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tickets are $19.95 for adults and $9.75 for children: advance tickets are available at www.renfair.com or call 847-395-7773

Enjoy a day of living in another era!