A blast from the past: Alabama Renaissance Faire sets up camp in Florence

FLORENCE, Ala. (WAFF) -Every year, volunteers set up the Alabama Renaissance Faire in downtown Florence.

For the 37th annual Faire, volunteers and vendors begin early the morning before the faire is set to take place. They say they have to set up so they are ready to go when the faire starts.

They have brought over one hundred vendors to the small block of Wilson Park. Renaissance Faire officials said that last year brought around ten thousand people coming to check out the faire.

They are hoping for more than that this year. There will be games, vendors, scavenger hunts, archery lessons, glass blowing, and more. And the fan favorite: turkey legs. Officials said every year brings different fun.

A member of the board of directors Don Green has been to thirty-six of the fairs and he said he enjoys the lessons he gets to teach people about the Renaissance.

“If you don’t remember your history, you’re bound to repeat it,” Green said. “The Renaissance period we were coming out of the dark ages where everything was forgotten and we brought all the science, technology, and literature back. To me, that’s what this means. It’s where we’re reborn from the ashes of death and destruction into something that means something to everybody. Art and science affect everybody in their lives.”

Green said he knows how important history is to people and wants to continue teaching it in a fun way. He said he has always been interested in the Renaissance period.

“I grew up watching swords and knights and that kind of chivalry just kind of stuck with me,” Green said. “People love it. This is the only free faire that I know of in the nation and we’re done by an all-volunteer group.”

The Renaissance Faire will start Saturday morning at 10 and end around 6 p.m. On Sunday, the Faire will run from noon until 6 p.m. It is free to everyone who wants to show up.

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