Each year, Yuma's West Wetlands Park is home to the Two Rivers Renaissance Faire, co-ordinated by Jim and Desi Foster as well as Perry Dockins.
The "Ren Faire," as it is known locally, celebrated its fifth anniversary this year from February 4-6 in a small, yet lively festival with a variety of acts including bards, singers, comedians, jugglers, and professional swordfighters. This year's Faire also featured a marketplace which housed various vendors and booths selling everything from food to Renaissance-style clothing and collectibles.
The main draw for the Faire was the variety of acts available over the weekend. The acts themselves consist of nationally-known entertainers on the Renaissance circuit. These included The Duelists, Merry Wives of Windsor and international favorites such as Lord Rusty.
Some of the lesser-known performers were just as entertaining, though, including Trey Cromwell the Professional Showoff and the "Renaissance Man." Other local favorites like The Chuckawalla Rhythm Kings and the Banat Tabla belly dancers also drew large crowds.
Where each act offered its own brand of entertainment, comedy was present in most of them. Trey Cromwell used the dangers of juggling for comedic effect, while Lord Rusty and The Renaissance Man used props and interacted with the crowd. The Duelists, a clear favorite, used silly puns, over-the-top acting and raunchy humor to get the crowd rolling with laughter.
Outside of the acts, the Faire is made up of a marketplace that has booths offering items or services for sale, such as necklaces, bracelets, clothing, toys and puzzles.
AWC was well represented with the Massage Therapy program's booth, the AWC metalworking class's blacksmithing area, and the AWC theater group, which held a fencing school on the basics of swordsmanship.
This year's Two Rivers Renaissance Faire was a fascinating event, although perhaps if you're strapped for cash there's not much to do while waiting for the next act to begin. Fortunately, though, the wait times were short and the acts were entertaining.
The only downside was the unusual amount of honey bees buzzing around the picnic tables in the concession area. Overall, the event was sure to be an enjoyable afternoon out of the house.
Perhaps the nicest thing about the faire is that it appeals to all age groups, and it is one of the few winter events in town that do not cater specifically to winter visitors. So, if you want something to do over the weekend in early February in Yuma, the Two Rivers Renaissance Faire is definitely something to look forward to next year.
