Sure, men in tights run amok and corsets help women's cleavage defy gravity at the Renaissance Faire going on now at Casa de Fruta. But look a little closer - past the bawdy jokes being bandied about, the singing washerwomen and the delightful fire-eating and tightrope-walking jesters - and visitors may just learn a thing or two about Renaissance England, which lasted from about the late 1400s until the early 1600s. Queen Elizabeth I is there in "Willington" visiting Lady Essex and escaping the plague running rampant in London. She makes herself available to her subjects daily by lounging in her glade and talking with anyone in the mood to chat with royalty. She doesn't even mind questions about her parents or her unwed status - sticky subjects indeed, considering her father, Henry VIII, had her mother, Anne Boleyn, beheaded and the queen's duty was supposed to include marriage and children. But Queen Elizabeth is remarkably open on these and many other topics about her position.
"I feel myself wed to England. (The hardest part of being queen) is keeping the country at peace," she said. "Many of my counselors - who are all men - do like to make war. But war is wasteful in lives and money. I prefer to be at peace with my neighboring countries."
The queen is also happy to brag about two of her favorite countrymen, William Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe - both in attendance at the faire, of course. She refers to Shakespeare as "our prized playwright" and recommends everyone hear some of Marlowe's poetry.
Not far from the queen's glade is the jousting arena, where the Knights of Avalon perform three times a day, giving the audience an amazingly accurate feeling of 15th century jousts - with a lot of laughs thrown in, of course.
"We try and keep it as authentic as possible. We make the lances the same way they did - we don't use breakaway lances," explained Bil Woodford, better known as Sir Eaton Blackheart, lord high sheriff of the town of Willington and emcee of the joust. "These guys are charging at each other on horses at 30 miles per hour, wearing armor and hitting each other with 10-foot-long wooden lances."
Woodford gets the audience involved, having them cheer for their knights, demonstrating what an "unseating" is and why it's worth five points, and explaining what it means if one of the contestants "throws down his gauntlet." The end result? A rowdy audience yelling "God save the queen," jeers for the cheating French black knight and wild applause when the blue knight managed to break his lance in a hit on his competitor.
Watching the joust and seeing the "big sticks" was the day's highlight for 3-year-old Micheal Pritchard of Turlock. While chatting with the black knight after the show, Pritchard decided he'd like to be a knight one day, too.
The Knights of Avalon are a horse rescue group. All the horses have been adopted by the organization, aiding many with expensive medical treatments and saving others from abusive situations. The horses are treated and then trained for jousting. The knights wear traditional armor, and the hits are all real.
"They said, 'Get on a horse and you'll get all the women,' so I got on a horse and then they started hitting me with a lance," said Sir Ponteous Poundswell, the black knight, with a wink. But he also said he's had several broken ribs from his time jousting and plenty of bruises.
Visitors wanting some hands-on Renaissance-style action can try ax throwing for $5-10, fencing for $8, archery for $5 and many other activities.
"I liked shooting archery - it was my favorite," said Maya Garza, 7, of San Jose, who was dressed as a gypsy with her sister, Reyna, 5. "I like my costume, too."
Visitors just wanting entertainment also need not go far. Shows go on regularly on multiple stages. The Belles of Bedlam show is a must-see, but audience members should check their scruples and children at the door - the raunchy jokes aren't appropriate for young ears. Also, be forewarned - when a show comes equipped with a "Clap, damn you" sign, audience participation is required.
Other shows worth seeing are MooNiE the Magnif'Cent and BRooN, two top-tier jesters. MooNiE juggles fire while walking a tightrope, juggles Ping-Pong balls with his mouth and doesn't let the audience get away with passive participation. Whatever happens, don't let MooNiE catch you not paying attention. BRooN combines comedy with fire eating and magic.
"A lot of people ask me if it's real fire, which is like asking a jouster if it's a real horse," said BRooN, also known as Brian Howard. "Eating fire is dangerous because it's fire, but it's fun because the audience loves it. I don't recommend trying it. It's a lot like drinking really hot coffee for me, but it would be much worse for you."
Really want to get into the spirit of the faire? Rent a costume for about $38 when you get there. Jill Espicha of Tracy said she comes to the Renaissance Faire every year and dressing up is one of her favorite parts of the experience.
"Getting the proper corset is key, and having someone to help you get into it is important, too," said Espicha, who carried a small chalice in her cleavage. "I'll tell you one thing, (my breasts) look better today than they do any other time of year."
A few other tips for the Renaissance Faire? Learn to answer with a "nay" or "aye" and remember that "Huzzah!" - a general exclamation of joy - should be said often and loudly. Skip the $15 "preferred parking" and go for the free regular parking. For those who don't want to make the short walk from the parking lot to the entrance, a horse-drawn carriage will shuttle you in for $2 per person.
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