Proud to call it home:Renaissance Festival draws all kinds through it's gates

BONNER SPRINGS, Kansas -
As the gates of the Kansas City Renaissance Festival opened this Labor Day weekend, all kinds of people entered the sixteen wooded acres of Canterbury village circa five hundred years ago. Suburbanites and farm families were immersed in a world that's part history, part fantasy and part entertainment. But this magical world doesn't spring up on it's own overnight. The festival has a handful of dedicated year round employees who make the magic happen.

In April they start auditioning actors and musicians. The process is selective. They audition hundreds each year to select about a hundred performers who roam the village.

"Creativity that’s what I’m looking for. Try to overlook their nerves and give me sparks of creativity", Entertainment Director Jim Stamberger instructed his staff at one of the auditions.

And then there are the parades, public appearances, and previews.

And of course, there's the food. "Ninety thousand pounds of turkey legs every year" Carrie Shoptaw, General Manager says.

There are sixty-nine food and beverage booths.
And don't forget the shopping. A hundred and sixty-five booths of unique handmade items. No wholesalers here. A veritable art fair of it's own.

"There's a jury process for all of our artisans which is fairly demanding" Shoptaw says.

And they have to give the crowds what they expect; swordfights, music and jousting... And the attention to detail that makes this festival unique.

"We're not like every renaissance festival in that we are very careful about the aesthetics and it bothers us when there are anachronisms" Shoptaw says.

They work hard to make sure that, as you stroll these shady lanes, you don't see anything from the modern era.

In an increasingly polarized world, the festival brings all kinds of people together. The annual attendance is 180,000. But if you don't like crowds, Shoptaw says; "A secret insider tip for guests; come early, come the first 3 or 4 weekends and you will have much shorter lines."

But it wasn't always like this. The festival started in 1977 as a three weekend benefit for the Kansas City art institute.

"It was still pretty early on in the renaissance festival idea around the country, so everybody was having a blast" Shoptaw reminisces.

So what attracts such a diverse crowd for the past 34 years?

"I think people just like walking in and feeling like they're in a story book and forgetting about everything else for the next four or five hours."

The festival says they've found they attract visitors from a six state region, thirty percent of whom stay in town overnight and visit other area attractions.

It seems as long as people feel that need to escape the mundane, there always be a future in the past. And that's why the Kansas City Renaissance Festival is another reason we're proud to call it home.

The Kansas City Renaissance Festival runs weekends, rain or shine, plus Labor Day and Columbus Day, through October seventeenth.