Local Renaissance Fair Equally Fun and Delicious
Stalls, tents, and pens with goats and ducks lined the dirt paths between towering trees, hidden from view behind a sports field in Canby, Oregon. Knights, peasants, lords and ladies chowed down on savory meat pies, fresh fruit, spicy ciders, smooth ales, and mouth-watering turkey legs. The food permeated the air of the fairgrounds.
During the weekends of June 10th and 17th, Canby hosted the second annual Oregon Renaissance Faire. Renaissance fairs are organized to paint a live picture of what it was like to experience this time period. While some are weekend-only events, like Oregon’s, others are year-round parks. The fairs usually portray the Renaissance era, but some showcase the medieval times or even 17th–18th century pirates.
While Renaissance fairs are mostly meant to make money, they also create a great atmosphere for patrons. The fairs are also a good opportunity for merchants, specialized producers, or small companies to show off their goods and make a name for themselves.
At Oregon’s fair, food stands were arguably the most crowded. While not all the food, such as frozen fruit pop or root beer, was historically accurate, most of the baked goods and fresh produce was. And while craftsmen, leather workers and blacksmiths called out to advertise their merchandise to customers, food vendors didn’t have to: their aromatic goods did the advertising for them.
Many merchants have been making their goods for far longer than the two years the Oregon Renaissance Faire has been in existence. Samantha Tomly, owner of McGilly Sassparilly, has been brewing sarsaparilla root beers for 24 years now. Tomly and her family, Michelle Palmer, Melissa Shambly and Amanda Lonning, ran the tent at the fair.
“We get our extracts from three different all natural extractors on the east coast. Two in New York and one in Maine,” said Tomly.
While root beer was not historically present during the Renaissance, it was more than welcome by the fair goers. Patrons could be seen drinking several types of root beer, including the company’s ever popular Birch Beer, all day long. An additional perk: McGilly’s bottles can be brought back for a discount on a refill. “It’s the souvenir that gives year after year,” said Palmer.
Fresh produce was another hot seller for the day. Spicer Brothers Produce, a family owned company, was making quite the splash. While their stall was lined with romaine lettuce, carrots, apricots and other fruits, Kayla Spicer said the biggest seller was their strawberries and cherries. While their merchandise is not grown by the family, Spicer said they buy all of their produce locally.
Some of the stalls were actually hired by the fair producers. Sara Inetupski ran the pickle stand on behalf of the fair and her friend who asked her to take her place. “Usually we have a cart to bring the pickles all around the fair, but this year we decided on just the booth,” said Inetupski.
And while not all fairs are one hundred percent authentic, due to the merchants use of inventions not available during the Renaissance or fantasy elements that belong squarely in the 20th century, patrons say the fairs are a fun and delicious environment nonetheless.
