LOWER LAKE — The second annual Lake Renaissance Festival takes place on Memorial Day weekend, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 29 and 30, at Tuscan Village on Main Street in Lower Lake, next to the post office. The day will be filled with festivities, entertainment, food and drink, clothes, jewelry, crafts and goods to buy, music for the soul, both the wayward and the not-so wayward; dancers to see, sword fighting, games to play, hilarity galore and mischief abounds.
Sing along, clap hands and tap feet with those scoundrelly scalawags the pirates of the deep seas, the infamous Seadogs who will be bending ears with their sea shanties on stage and around the town throughout both days.
Come to the wedding of the year at the Tuscan town of Porto del Mare, when the Scots of the Clan Fraser visit town to prepare for the wedding of their own young master with the fearful bride, a cousin of the powerful De Medici family.
Since Porto del Mare is a trading town, those dastardly Scots must have this match in mind for their own benefit.
Not to be missed are the Barbary Coast pirates who plied the Mediterranean during the Italian Renaissance, those under the flag of the Ottoman Empire, as well as those scurrilous rogues, the Brotherhood of the Black Flag. All will be here near the marketplace and will make their presence known. Visitors should beware lest they get caught in the middle of a sword fight.
The bustling port town will see vendors of various sorts with rare jewels, clothing and crafts to purchase. Partake of the various foods and ales and the wines of this region when you visit the winery in the center of the town.
Would you like to know the truth about yourself? Then come have your fortune told by the mysterious fortune teller, Madame Judith the Gypsy. She is known far and wide for her Egyptian stone casting readings.
Tickets are $7 with a $2 discount for students and seniors, patrons in costume or a discount coupon, while children 10 and younger are free. Parking is free.
Visitors are invited to the fun and interesting workshops, which are open to the public free of charge, where they can learn about the history of the area and the age being portrayed. They can choose a character and learn how to dress, walk and talk like the people of 400 years past. To learn more, contact the Workshops Director, Judith Hinkel at afrontierlady@yahoo.com or Ann White at AnnDrewArt in the Tuscan Village at 995-5079, or visit its Website at www.lakerenfest.com.
