LOWER LAKE — Lords and ladies, pirates and peasants, wizards and wenches, beer and bosoms could all be found at the sixth annual Lake Renaissance Festival held Saturday and Sunday on the outdoor grounds of Tuscan Village at Terrill Cellars Winery.
The festival recreated a Tuscany, Italy, seaport village of the 16th century when Queen Elizabeth I ruled England. It”s a world where fantasy and history meet and where role-playing is the rule of day for participants and visitors.
At the center of the festival are role-playing guilds that usually represent a trade, such as innkeepers and mariners; a nationality, especially Scottish, Irish and English; or social class, primarily peasants and nobility. Guilds also include fantasy elements, such as the Ogres Guild. There”s even a Pirates Guild.
One such group at the weekend event was a Scottish Guild called Larks Cove, representing the Isle of Mull and headed by Guild Mistress Lady Lark, otherwise known as Liz Reynolds of Oroville. About 15 other guild members were with her, camping out in canvas tents at night. It was their first time at the Lake Renaissance Festival as a guild, although Lady Lark has attended three times as a visitor.
“We”re here to have a good time and show off our guild,” Reynolds said, holding court in a shaded area next to the guild”s tent encampment. She was dressed in a red and gold outfit from the Renaissance period of Scotland.
Larks Cove members presented story times during the two days, telling stories of the Isle of Mull and several fairy tales. Reynolds, as Lady Lark, also did period clothing demonstrations that she described as, “Basically, a 16th century striptease.”
Among the Scottish Guild members and their chosen traditional names were Elora Lee Scott, 7, of Oroville, as Valentina, and Isaac Bease, 8, of Redding, as Issak (pronounced is-ack.)
Visitors to the encampment were met with the traditional Renaissance greeting, “Good morrow.”
The festival was started by Tom Wilsey, of Lower Lake, and has been held every Memorial Day weekend since 2009, growing in size each year. Wilsey is part of the Pirates Guild, a staple in the Renaissance Faire community.
He said most of the participants and vendors go to other Renaissance Faires throughout Northern California during the spring and summer.
“A lot of Renaissance Faires are all vendors,” Wilsey said. “Our festival emphasizes the history, customs, and cultures of the 16th century. We want a lot of interaction between visitors and the guilds.”
Among the festival vendors were Treasures of the Ancient Dragons which sold swords, daggers, bow and arrow sets and crossbows; Wizardcraft Technologies, offering candles, oils, incense and handmade crafts; and Farthingale”s, with a selection of tailoring goods.
Other vending booths offered face painting, hair braiding, fortune telling and ornate face masks. There were also booths offering 16th century food and drink, especially ale and mead (honey wine.)
Darrius King of San Francisco was visiting friends in Lake County and read about the festival in the Record-Bee.
“It”s my first time to the festival and I kind of wish I had dressed up, maybe as a European rogue,” he said Saturday. “It”s good to get out of the city for a bit and breathe some good air. I even enjoy the sun because it”s been pretty dreary in San Francisco.”
Nationalities represented by guilds at the festival included Scottish, Irish, English and Italian.
Music was provided by Lake County”s My Divas and the Celtic music group, We”re Not A Band, from San Jose.
