Renaissance Festival steps way back in time

By: Melinda Skutnick | Mooresville Tribune
Published: October 09, 2009

Starting Saturday, you can spend your weekends throwing tomatoes, munching on roasted turkey legs and rooting for your favorite knight.

The Carolina Renaissance Festival near Davidson kicks off its 16th year at 10 a.m. on its permanent, 22-acre grounds off Poplar Tent Road southeast of Davidson. The event runs each Saturday and Sunday through Nov. 22.

Open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day, rain or shine, the festival allows guests of all ages to immerse themselves in another era ruled by a King, his Queen and their royal court.

The festival offers a variety of entertainment, such as the three Tortuga Twins, Zilch the Torysteller, the comedy of London Broil and the balancing theatrics of Dextre Tripp.

Plenty of games will be on hand, including the Archery Range and the Dragon Climbing Tower, as well as some new entertainment -- acrobatics and comedy from Barely Balanced and the interactive Ye Olde Public Punishment.

Also featuring plenty of food – some steak-on-a-stake or a bag of cinnamon-roasted almonds perhaps? – beverages and a 100-shop artisan market, officials say the annual event "has grown to become one of the largest renaissance festivals in the county" in its 16 years.

Discount tickets – $18 for adults, $7 for kids ages 5-12 – for the festival are available online at www.RenFestInfo.com or at Harris Teeter stores across the region. Ticket prices at the gate are $1 more. Senior discount tickets, age 60 and over, are $17. Children under five are free as well as parking.

For more information, visit www.RenFestInfo.com or call 704-896-5544.