Features Reporter
Imagine an olden town with ornery pirates, honorary nobles, fairies, and witches. The town is bustling with activity: jugglers and comedians roam the streets and brave soldiers combat in a nearby arena. Royalty moves elegantly through the crowd looking disdainful upon the common folk. There are merchants scattered throughout the forested town, some in small shacks while others push carts peddling food, trade items or arts and crafts.
This eclectic town is coming to life this weekend in Grand Junction. It is the first annual Dragon Unchained Renaissance Pirate Fantasy Faire and will be happening Friday through Sunday at 312 29 Road.
The main stage sits in the far corner and was put up over the past week with donated lumber. Surrounding it is a circuit of roads winding around the guild camps, archery range, and merchants. In the middle of town also sits an old stump carved into a dragon’s head.
The three days will be filled with events, live music, drumming, pony rides, and more.
Attendees are encouraged to dress up for a chance to win prizes.
“[Dress up for] 800 A.D. to 1840 with some fantasy thrown in,” Event Organizer John Harvey said. “Some people like to dress up as who they really would have been in history and others just dress up like who they would have wanted to be.”
Harvey plays the part of a heckler and will be a large bearded man.
“It is something we want the whole family to be able to come out and enjoy and we want as much ballyhoo and fun as we can get,” Harvey said.
It is along these lines that the Thunder Mountain Living History group decided to make the event free.
They are a non-profit group that believes in teaching kids about our past as well as teaching green living. Everything for the fair has been donated, recycled, or has been purchased through green fundraising events.
“We know people are cash strapped so we ask them to donate other stuff,” Harvey said.
Then they either make it into something useful or it is sold or recycled. Harvey says they try and re-use things rather than recycle them since recycling still takes energy and supplies.
Even though admission is free they plan to make money from vendor sales and will be donating two-thirds of the money to charity. Half to “Relay for Life” and the other half to cancer patients. The other third will be kept to help fund the other events the organization has planned throughout the summer.
To find out more visit www.thundermountainhistory.org.
Recent Comments