The ORF Blog

June 16, 2020

The sun is out, the air is clear and we are working our way to the 2020 season of the Ohio Renaissance Festival! Our faire just wouldn’t be complete without the vibrant cast of characters from history and imagination wandering the lanes. They help make the experience a memorable one for our guests through song, […]

June 9, 2020

We’ve all seen the Big Bang episode where perpetually nitpicky Sheldon Cooper bemoans the inaccuracies of their local faire, completely missing the point of going in the first place. While Sheldon is an exaggeration of the accuracy geek, he isn’t off by much. There is a debate perpetually happening in the Renaissance Festival community over […]

June 2, 2020

Hailed as the cradle of human-kind, Africa’s history is one of unparalleled distinction. We tend to think of this continent as a singular entity when in reality Africa has 54 countries and is a diverse tapestry of culture, civilization, and development. Over 3,000 indigenous peoples are living there with over 2,000 different languages spoken today. […]

May 26, 2020

I think when this began we all felt – perhaps a bit too optimistically -that it would be over relatively soon. We’d miss a paycheck, maybe two, but everything would bounce back. It was just a matter of time and patience. So we began finding other ways to spend our time. We baked bread with […]

April 7, 2020

It’s looking a wee bit rough out there, isn’t it? I debated for a long time about how best to write this blog entry. We’re all going through some tough times right now. Most of the people I know are motivators, preaching the tenants of Keep Calm & Carry On as they livestream teaching their […]

March 31, 2020

The way in which faire can change us is often unexpected. It often feels like a rediscovery of something we forgot was within us. That vague sense of joy and free play we had as children that escapes us as adults comes rushing back and suddenly our imagination is limitless. During cast auditions it is […]

March 24, 2020

Amid all the beloved cliche’s of television and movies is that of the Ren Faire Episode. I have a sincere fondness for this trope, even if it mostly exists as a backdrop for the characters to explore facets of their personality, their inter-group relationships, and the fun of dressing in tights and flouncy dresses. But […]

March 17, 2020

Green has always been a hopeful color. Green is a sign of life, a sign of returning abundance and change. The sharp clarity of a fresh bud rising from a barren branch. The scent of grass rising up from the wet earth and shuddering in the breeze. Green is about life. It’s about renewal. It […]

March 10, 2020

In an era of plastic and cardboard, the simple yet labor-intensive charm of woodwork is often overlooked. It’s even hard to find anything that has been made by a true craftsman anymore unless you have the finances and time available to commission it yourself. Much of the old woodworking is considered antique. In Ohio, there […]

March 3, 2020

When you look out across the bustling Upson Downs of the Ohio Renaissance Festival you come to realize all the different little communities that flourish here within the village of Willy-Nilly. From the ORFans to the Vikings, you come to know each of them over time and discover why playtrons choose to join a particular […]