Photo by: Morgan Berry

For the past two weeks, community members were invited to enter a different time in history — the time of the Renaissance. Merchants, archers, blacksmiths and llamas came together down by the Colorado River to recreate the special time in history at the second annual Dragon Unchained Renaissance & Pirate Fantasy Faire.

“Most people barely know what their grandparents’ first names were and what they did, and that’s not as true for us,” fair director John Harvey said. “We look at history, not only as a broad scope, but history as a very personal and specific thing. Each one of us is a part of it, and our ancestors are all a part of it.”

Harvey is following in the footsteps of his family lineage, as his father also traveled and performed in Renaissance festivals. Today, he is the director of Thunder Mountain Colorado Living History, a nonprofit historical reenactment group that produces the fair and other historical events each year.

“The best thing about the fair is how good of a time the people that are putting it on are having,” Harvey said. “It’s a bunch of big, overgrown kids dressing up and building forts. It’s the same thing as blankets and your sofa cushion, just on a little bit bigger scale.”

The fun of working at the fair attracts merchants from miles away, including Salt Lake City resident Meredith Entrikin. Also known as Signy Lady Thorn, Entrikin designs and makes thick leather armor with her husband David for Rose & Thorn Leather. They travel to Renaissance festivals many weekends of the year to share their leather armor.

Entrikin also followed her family heritage with leather crafting, as her grandfather used to make saddles and whips with leather. She started becoming interested in renaissance festivals as a teenager after visiting the Texas Renaissance Festival. She met and apprenticed with a master English leather craftsman. After getting married, she and her husband started their business and have continued to enjoy Renaissance festivals together.

“It is fun to pretend to be somebody else and really enjoy the atmosphere,” Entrikin said. “You get to not worry about your daily activities, or stresses of paying bills, or whether you have everything else that you need. You can just go out and enjoy a simpler life and a more basic kind of living.”

Although they run a business, the biggest motivation in their work is to bring happiness to the visitors of the fairs.

“Our big focus in our business is getting people to come out and just enjoy,” Entrikin said. “Take themselves out of their lives for just one moment and allow them to have that freedom. Whenever we get people to try on armor, sure, if they buy it that’s great, but our biggest thing is that they had a good time.”

It seems that everyone working the fair longs to bring joy, education and a sense of community to the visitors.

“Most people spend their lives these days watching TV, sitting in front of the computer and not accomplishing a whole lot,” Harvey said. “Families don’t do things together as families. What we’re offering to the community here is a chance for families to do something together.”

akmaddox@mavs.coloradomesa.edu