Feb 22: Merry Olde

If you want a party, this is a good one. Very good. I went to the Florida Renaissance Festival last weekend, an annual event that's totally wacky and just a whole lot of fun. You're not likely to get much of a history lesson there. The centuries and eras are so mixed up in a delightful jumble that Medieval knights walk side-by-side with Italian Renaissance musicians - and it all seems to make sense somehow. That's why it's such a hoot. This is not a festival that takes itself, or anything, too seriously. Each weekend through March 11 at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach, the Renaissance Festival will offer a willy-nilly version of Merry Olde Times with one simple goal: to entertain you. Well, guess what? I was most thoroughly entertained on Sunday afternoon, believe me.

This 20^th edition seemed much larger to me than past Ren-fests I've attended. The tents and stages and arenas stretched on and on, offering just about anything you might care to buy. Or eat or drink. Want some hand-blown glass? You can watch them make it in front of your eyes. Leather goods? Yep. Musical instruments, jewelry, decorative armaments? Uh-huh. You can even pick up Renaissance dresses and shirts, boots and hats to get you in the spirit.

I got in the spirit on Sunday simply by wandering and watching. And laughing ... a lot. A clever parody of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" was first for me, a stage show acted out in part with audience members selected by the main actor-comedian - with additional contributions from the the rest of us at appropriate moments in the play. Too funny. During my afternoon I also spoke with a Robin Hood sitting up in a tree along a path, then looked on as guests took their chances at throwing knives and axes and spears. And tomatoes. That was a new one on me. You can actually buy a basket of tomatoes to toss at a jester, who of course insults everyone taking aim at him. Later on, I stopped at the mini-fortresses equipped with water balloon catapults. This was maybe my fave moment of the day. Two kids, both around 10-years-old, were hammering away at each other, firing one balloon after another toward the other's "enemy castle" with predictable results. Two water-splattered but smiling boys emerged from their combat otherwise unscathed. My day ended with music, an improvised drum circle of sorts. At a tent that sold drums I sat in with three other dudes as we got our groove on for a few minutes, with me banging away on two congas. Oh yeah, it was a very good party indeed. You can learn more about the Florida Renaissance Festival by clicking here: http://www.ren-fest.com/deerfield-home.asp This is a great family event as well as a wonderful outing for friends or couples or anyone else, really. You may not come away with a deeper understanding of the Renaissance, true, but you're not going there for an education. Like me, you're going there to party and to laugh ... a lot.