Tag Archives: historical reenactments
Historical Reenactments: The Fishers Renaissance Faire, Fishers Indianapolis – authentically fun
To view more photos or order prints from Fishers Renaissance Faire, click here
Renaissance fairs and medieval festivals are the red-headed step children of historical re-enactments. The reason is painfully obvious in the United States – there basically was no renaissance or medieval era over here. Compounding the fact that for example, the Civil War lasted about four years and the American revolution around eight, the Renaissance lasted about three hundred years, the medieval era a whopping one thousand years.
Historical reenactments pride themselves on authenticity, but how do you manage to create a cohesive event, accurate in detail for a period of time that spans a millennium?
The short answer seems to be, you don’t. Most Renaissance fairs and medieval festival I’ve attended are short on realism and long on fun. Which perhaps in this country at least, is how it should be.
The History Trekker attended the Fishers Renaissance Faire near Indianapolis, Indiana this past October, held on the sprawling grounds of Conner Praire. So sprawling in fact, that golf carts and trolleys were on hand to haul people from the main parking area to the actual site of the event. Once deposited at the gates, you pass through and go not back in time, but rather come face to face with it, in a setting that never quite leaves the tackiness of the twenty-first century.
The authentic tries to push its head through the din – but for every group playing or singing historically accurate music from the period, there are a couple other groups playing music of the celtic variety, which in some cases will date all the way back to the 19th century, but usually contents itself with material which became popular post 1960. For every authentic medieval sword, there are a dozen fantasy swords, often with dragons wrapping themselves around the hilt and blade.
But hey! It’s fun. You can’t go wrong with a Punch and Judy show, a joust, Queen Elizabeth working her way through the crowd with her retinue. Day-to-day period demonstrations abound – things domestic in nature tend to dominate with a blacksmith thrown in for good measure. But let’s be honest, people cooked every day, but seldom engaged in sword play or pitched battles. It’s hard to begrudge a juggler who tosses in distinctly modern jokes when portraying a medieval entertainer when you’re laughing and when the kids love it.
But isn’t it time that we accepted one little piece of reality? Jack Sparrow is a movie character based on a ride from a twentieth century theme park. The movies were certainly interesting, but is it necessary for adults to dress in Jack’s costume and do really bad imitations?
I think not.
Still, it was all good fun and good entertainment, Captain Jack aside. And the little person I took along with me, as well as myself had a good time. Which was not only good enough for us, but good enough to ensure that we make the trip again next year.
If you go: Fishers Renaissance Faire is located on the grounds of Conners Prairie, located in Fishers, Ind., just six miles north of Indianapolis on Allisonville Road (exit 5 from Interstate 69 or exit 35 from Interstate 465). Welcome Center parking is free.
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Posted in Mid Atlantic
Also tagged Indianapolis Remaissance Faire, Renaissance Fair, Renaissance Faire, travel photographer
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New Harmony, Indiana: 19th century crafts and living history at Heritage Artisans Week
Hands and the Scheitholt, Ruth Wintczak, Heritage Artisans Week 2010, New Harmony, Posey County, Indiana
So call me a geek, but I love historic re-enactments. Give me people in period costumes, an antiquated setting and the smell of wood burning and I’m happy as a pig in um, whatever pigs are happiest in.
After moving back to the midwest last month, I was already missing Old Bethpage Village Restoration on Long Island, or the ability to take a flying trip to Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, New York, or Old Sturbridge Village and Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts.
So I was downright gleeful to find Heritage Artisans Week 2010 in New Harmony, Indiana, about a 20 minute drive from my hometown. According to their website, Heritage Artisans Week gives tri-state students a chance to learn and get hands-on experience about life in the 19th century and New Harmony’s rich history. Each year, a few thousand students and geeky adults like myself attend the five day festival in the historic district of New Harmony, Indiana.
If you know nothing about New Harmony, you should know whenever they do something there it will be tasteful. My neck of the woods isn’t known for good taste, and it’s not particularly picturesque. Sure, there are rolling hills in places, lovely farm scenes, some interesting towns, but it’s not exactly a tourist destination.
New Harmony is the exception to the rule. New Harmony was founded in 1814 by George Rapp and his Harmonist followers, in an attempt to form a utopian society. One could assume that even the stern Rappites found the muggy, midwestern summers too much, and they went back to one of their earlier settlements in Pennsylvania. When they left, they sold the site to the Welsh Utopian Robert Owen, and William Maclure, who added New to the former name of Harmony. Their utopian experiment lasted from 1825 to 1829, but split up due to quarreling amongst the residents. However, the town did become a center of science, thanks to the work and connections of Maclure and David Dale Owen, son of Robert. The tradition continues today under Jane Blaffer Owen, who made it a personal quest to restore New Harmony and make it a center of the arts. It’s perhaps her spirit which drives the town toward relentless perfection and taste.
I made it to Heritage Artisans Week on Saturday, the last day of the festival. Under threatening skies, the crowd was light and the mood among the participants laid back. After a week of dealing with school children, it was probably a relief to have a smaller crowd and the opportunity to mingle with each other, many of whom are old friends, frequently running into each other on the re-enactment circuit.
New Harmony is an ideal setting for an event like this. The log cabins restored from the early days of the community provided ideal locations, and shelter from the rain. As the wind picked up and tornado warnings came and went, those in the tents cast a wary eye skyward, but shrugged it off as part of the trade. Each one I spoke with was friendly, well-informed about the ins and outs of their crafts and the history behind them. The one regret I do have about the event, was I got so involved with conversation on the particulars of native american bowmaking, and then later with Deborraha Burnett of the No Sweat Soap Company, purveyor of fine lye soap (www.nosweatsoap.com), that I forgot my stated purpose of being there – taking photos. And before I could get back to the task at hand, the clouds closed in again, and the sponsors pulled the plug on the festival.
Still, it was a good chance to reacquaint myself with New Harmony, a place you’ll no doubt be seeing a lot of on this site.
Posted in Ohio River Valley
Also tagged "fine art prints", new harmony events, new harmony photos, new harmony tourism, travel photographer
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