LOWER LAKE >> Any woman who had romantic notions about Renaissance European fashion probably had them dashed after watching a demonstration of 16th century clothing by a Scottish lass called Lady Lark at last weekend’s eighth annual Lake Renaissance Festival.
That’s because Renaissance ladies, especially from the colder climes of Scotland and England, had on more layers than a wedding cake.
Some of the clothing even contained steel and whale bones. It took women and girls more than an hour to get dressed in the morning and this with one or two people helping them. And that doesn’t include the layers of makeup, usually containing such toxic ingredients as lead, antimony and mercury — even urine.
Guild Mistress Lady Lark (aka Liz Reynolds) is the matriarch of Lark’s Cove, a Scottish Guild that represents the Isle of Mull. This is her fourth year at the local fair. Each afternoon, she put on a demonstration of the intricacies — and many layers — of 16th century Scottish attire.
Lark’s Cove was a big draw for kids at the festival, with an area set aside for them to play. It included building blocks that could be turned into castles and other simple toys.
The festival, at Terrill Cellar’s Tuscan Village in Lower Lake, re-creates a Tuscan, Italy, seaport village of the 16th century when Queen Elizabeth I ruled England and pirates often ruled the seas.
“This is a great venue for this event,” said lady pirate Diana Schmidt of Lakeport. “At smaller fairs like this we get to spread out and get to know each other.”
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 ogres. One of the more infamous Guilds is that of the pirates — both dastardly lads and busty lasses — who were abundant at the Memorial Day weekend event.
Nationalities represented by guilds at the festival included Scottish, Irish, English, and Italian.
For Pat Nelson of Oroville, this was her fourth consecutive year at the festival. She is from the Lark’s Cove Actor’s Guild and was playing the part of household help, working mainly with children.
“This is all improvised,” she said Saturday of the festival, sitting under a large canopy at the Lark’s Cove site. “We have no script.”
Visitors to the encampment were met with the traditional Renaissance greeting, “Good morrow.”
Nine-year-old Elora Scott of Oroville is Lark’s Cove’s official greeter-hawker, walking about the village telling people about the clothing show and then welcoming them just before the demonstration starts.
She is also available to play with other kids who can use a playmate.
One of those other kids was red-headed Tristan Bair, 6, of Merced, who was at the festival with his family. He took advantage of the play area to build a wood-block castle that several people said resembled Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies.
Tristan said he was enjoying the festival and having fun at what he said he likes best: “Playing with the other kids.”
Fine wine, ale, mead (honey wine), soft drinks and a range of food options, including a whole roasted turkey leg, corn on the cob, boiled artichokes and olive bowls were available to visitors in the festival’s shaded dining area.
A few vending booths offered many Renaissance-style items for sale, including metal drinking cups shaped like a steer’s horn, period jewelry and clothing, swords and face masks. Renaissance-style musicians and singers — including Lake County’s own My Divas — were scattered throughout the grounds as were other entertainers.
“My sister came from Colorado just for this,” said Katherine Bisaccio of Lakeport. “I love it. It’s a riot. The people are very welcoming and high-spirited. It’s good, clean family fun.”
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.
Most of the participants and vendors go to other Renaissance Faires throughout northern California during the spring and summer. These include Grass Valley, Woodlawn, Folsom and Fortuna, the smallest faire.
The Lake Renaissance Festival is held annually on the Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.
