As I said last week, the season of events has begun. this weekend is one of my favorite small faires: the Great Plains Renaissance Festival. A twice a year festival, both the Spring and Fall faires tend to bring in a wealth of talent. This Spring proves to be no different.
Headed up by Little Beard, of both Beard and Bean and The ScallyWags fame, it’s one of the best places to catch a ‘Wags show.
Image Courtesy Roberto Gomez
For anyone unfamiliar with the guys, the ScallyWags area bawdy, nerdy, goofy pirate comedy group featuring a lineup of Renaissance Festival and convention circuit veterans.
GPRF also consistently brings back the Musical Blades, who- off their Spring Smackdown last week- officially open their Spring festival run at the faire.
Image Courtesy Roberto Gomez
This year, other acts include fan-favorite Crazy Boy Coy (juggler and insane entertainer extraordinaire), the long-running (and well-loved) traditional musical group 3 Pints Gone, the soulful shanty stylings of Cheeks & Phoenix, and so much more!
Perhaps the funniest show to attend, the 21+ “Smoker” show occurs daily and is certainly more raucous than a traditional pub sing. If you’re a fan of dirty jokes and ridiculous bawdiness, it’s not to be missed.
For someone like me, GPRF is also the last chance to do a spot of shopping before I start a long haul in Oklahoma. Vendors pour in from all over- everyone from small, local leatherworkers to nationally recognized weaponry vendors such as Badger Blades. It’s not as big of a shopping faire as the Norman Medieval Faire, which occurred earlier this month in Norman, Oklahoma, but you’re still bound to find something you want or need ( and often for a decent price as well). If nothing else, I suggest dropping a little money on a good bottle of mead.
Yours truly being a goof…
Image Courtesy Roberto Gomez
The one thing to note about GPRF is its tendency to invite bad weather. While a tent faire provides considerably less shelter than a permanent site faire, the crazy weather (which, in the past, has included high winds, hail, rain, and snow) has never taken the heart out of this expanding faire. Acts adapt and have intimate tent shows and, indeed, the show goes on. Just bring a cloak and be ready for something a little crazy to happen one way or another.
The Spring Great Plains Renaissance Festival is open on Saturday, April 23rd and Sunday, April 24th from 10 am-6 pm at the Sedgewick County Park (located at: 6501 W 21st St N in Wichita, Kansas). Tickets are available on their website or a number of physical locations in advance (also listed on their site). Also, be sure to check out their Facebook page for any updates.
To see more pictures by the exceedingly talented Roberto Gomez from the 2015 Spring festival, be sure to check out his Flickr page.