Despite rainy weather, inaugural Renaissance Faire draws crowd

Published 9:00 am Monday, May 21, 2018

By Kelsey Hammon

NILES —  Wearing more than 30 pounds of traditional Viking wear, Barry Sokoloskis brandished a shield, sword and a faux axe tucked into his belt as he explored the inaugural Niles Renaissance Faire Saturday on the south side of Riverfront Park.

Sokoloskis, of Auburn, Michigan, hardly stood out among others who dressed the part for the event. Formerly of Niles, Sokoloskis, an avid Renaissance fair attendant, said he was eager to see what the Niles event had to offer in the city he called home for about three decades.

“I love these things. They are fun,” Sokoloskis said. “It is the most fun you can have legally.”

The Niles Renaissance Faire was hosted by the Niles Community Development department and drew hundreds to south Riverfront Park to participate in the weekend-long event. Those who attended could watch live combat, comedy shows and learn how to train their dragon, as well as enjoy fair food and live music from Celtic and Irish bands.

Mollie Kruck Watson, the assistant director for the Niles History Center, said this iconic mix of fantasy and historical lessons is what they hoped to offer to those who visited the event.

“I hope they come and have fun,” Kruck Watson said. “I like that it is a little mix of history and fantasy and just a little bit of everything, which I think is what makes Renaissance fairs so fun.”

While rain did make things a bit more cumbersome, Kruck Watson said it did not seem to bother those who attended. 

Faire officials made impromptu bridges over some water in the parking lot and a grassy area near the bathrooms, to help keep those who attended dry.

Despite a mist of rain, historical re-enactors from the Corvus Cohort managed to keep a camp fire stoked as they sought to portray life as 16th Century Gallic Mercenaries in Ireland.

Actors Charity Berg, Sean Stevens, Maddie Smith and Julia Knutson, all of Grand Rapids, spent their time at the festival demonstrating camp life, such as cooking, weaving and weaponry. Observers were encouraged to interact and ask questions about camp life. The group was formed four years ago, primarily by history students from a local college.

Clad in a bright yellow traditional one piece, Stevens said he enjoys the opportunity to dispel common rumors, one involving the height and weight of traditional Claymore swords, used during the time period.

“I have heard a few people say that Claymores are like 7-foot tall swords that weighed 40 pounds,” Stevens said. “[But] no, they are 7-foot tall swords that weighed 7 pounds. If it was 40 pounds, you couldn’t swing it.”

The group also performed regular live combat demonstrations that drew a crowd at regular intervals.

Not far from the combat arena, performer Ric Carver, of Vestaburg, Michigan, also drew a crowd as he performed a comedy routine as his stage name “Ric Roc.”

The audience and those who wandered by laughed as Carver juggled rubber chickens, poked fun at the Irish and involved the crowd in improvised jokes and gimmicks.

Carver, who teaches mime and acting at Oakland University, has been an actor in Renaissance fairs for the past 34 years. He said enjoys the chance to make people laugh.

“It’s nice to see people having a good time, especially with everything going on in the world right now,” Carver said. “It is nice to just have half hour, 45 minutes of being able to enjoy and get away from worries for a while.”

By 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Watson said fair officials were already happy with the turnout generated, despite the rainy weather. She said she hopes the fair becomes a tradition that grows and continues to draw a larger crowd each year.

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