THE GREATER ST. LOUIS
        RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL 2004
        Village of Petite Lyon




        In one major respect the St. Louis faire is virtually unique among renaissance festivals in the United States. Whereas the majority of U.S. faires portray Renaissance England -- and most notably the reigns of Henry VIII and/or Queen Elizabeth, in particular -- the Greater St. Louis Renaissance Festival chose to focus on Renaissance France and King Henri II instead (Photo, Above: King Henri is shown with his lovely Queen, Catherine De Medici, during the Noon Parade; Photo, Right: and again with the Queen and several Men-at-Arms, waiting for Afternoon Court to begin). Considering that the present-day metropolis of St. Louis was founded by the French; that the entire state of Missouri was at one time part of extensive French holdings in the New World; that French culture and heritage still runs deep in this part of the Midwest and the choice of France for this faire was both obvious and natural. Frankly, this was a most refreshing change of pace for me: while the many loves of England's Henry VIII are almost too well-known on the faire circuit, the intricate intrigues and byzantine plots surrounding Henri's French Court are downright new and novel by comparison! So in 2004, the storyline went like this:

              "It is the year 1555. Henri II, King of France, has learned that Spain is in political turmoil. It is a rare chance to press the advantage on disputed territories on the Spanish borders. But wait! Henri is in debt up to his doublet and can't afford a new war! What's a king to do...perhaps some consumer credit counseling?"
        To make it really interesting, while King Henri quarreled with his Finance Minister as His Majesty tried to refinance his royal debts in order to take advantage of the Spanish king's desire to abdicate, the Princes Ludwig and Henri clashed over the fair maiden, Anna; AND King Henri's taxes were highjacked on the High Road all at the same time! Of course it was all neatly resolved by 5pm -- even the lovers were united! -- just in time for King Henri to raise a parting glass and toast the assembled company, cast and honored guests at the Closing Ceremonies (Photo, Above Left).






        The overall French theme wasn't the only thing novel about St. Louis -- at least to me, that is! The Aerial Angels, for example, simply astonished me, first with their fire-eating show and then with their amazing gymnastics on the aerial hoop (Photos, Above and Right). Admittedly, I had seen something very similar during a televised performance by the Cirque du Soliel, but actually seeing those same maneuvers performed on stage in front of a live audience was truly a unique and wond'rous experience. Considering the difficulty of their aerial moves, it did not surprise me too greatly to later learn that the Angels have, at one time or another, all suffered serious injuries both during private rehearsal and in the public performance of their act. I, for one, not only admire greatly the marvelous talents displayed by the young ladies, but sincerely appreciate their sheer dedication and deterimination with such risks involved. HUZZAH! indeed for the Aerial Angels!!! Still, aerial acrobatics wasn't the only "new thing" at St. Louis, truth be told. This faire also features an extensive Faerie Kingdom -- presided over by Baragund and Etian, King and Queen of the French Faeries (Photo, Below Left: the Faery Royals taking part in the Noon Parade at St. Louis), respectively -- with many a young and lovely Fae in attendance. Here the Fae held Court, built Faerie bowers and homes (miniscule little dwellings, aye, since the Fae can change size at will), and played Faerie Chess among other things. One of the more unusual attractions in the Kingdom was the daily performance of "Dragonscales & Faerytales" on the Mystic Stage, there. Besides having a most-beautiful Faerie as Mistress of Ceremonies, that show also featured the hatching of a live baby dragon on stage (Photo, Below)! Believe me, it was a real delight to watch the youngsters in the audience, watching the show. They really and truly BELIEVED! and cheered most heartily when this littlest dragon finally broke free of its' shell. All in all, this particular production was very well done, leaving the entire audience smiling warmly at the grande finale!







        Dragons, it seems, were a featured item at the St. Louis Renaissance Festival. Besides the wond'rous and delightful "Dragonscales & Faerytales", there was also "Wyndsong the Dragon" (Photo at Right) who charmed young audiences several times a day with magickal tales and humorous patter of his own. Both Aaron and I really appreciated the light touches of whimsy found throughout the faire, such as the sign displayed in front of one merchants' shop (Photo, Above); or the naughty dragon in a cage (Photo, Above Left) on public exhibit at another. St. Louis was definitely one faire where you have to literally look everywhere or you'll miss a lot of the sly sight gags, subtle street humor and ongoing but-hidden light bits!






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        Standard Disclaimer: This webpage is strictly an *Unofficial* look at the Greater St. Louis Renaissance Festival held at Rotary Park in Wentzville, MO. The author of these pages is in no way, shape, manner or form connected with the Greater St. Louis Renaissance Festival (Faire Office: 425 Spencer Road, St. Peters, MO 63385; Phone (636) 916-1643) and/or any of the sponsors associated with this event. All opinions expressed are strictly this author's own. Unless noted otherwise, all photographs are copyright ©2000-2005 by George Laking.

        This page created 31 May 2005
        This page revised 7 June 2005