Knights, fairies and peasants frolic at Renaissance Festival

MARRIOTT-SLATERVILLE, Weber County — You don't need a time capsule to escape to the Medieval era — just head north of Ogden to the Utah Renaissance Festival and Fantasy Faire.

"It's just a good time. You can get away from the real world," said Lee Greer, 41, of South Ogden, who was dressed as a pirate.

Ending Sunday, the faire is at Millcreek Hollow in Marriott-Slaterville. Straight out of the "Robin Hood" movie set, the festival sits on a 52-acre farm with woods, ponds, creek and meadows.

The event touts food, shows and activities. Volunteer actors dress up as all sorts of medieval characters, including royalty, knights, belly-dancers, fairies, peasants and pirates.

Dressed in brown monk's robes, Susan West and her husband, Dave Werner, showed off their St. Bernard dogs Ringo and Dazzle.

West said the breed started as work dogs in a Switzerland monastery but ended up being really good at rescuing people. The monks would send the dogs out in groups of three to find people who had gotten caught in avalanches. Two dogs would stay with the person and the third dog would go back for help, West said.

"St. Bernards are all part of the ambience," Warner said.

West said they own 13 St. Bernards, each eating about 50 pounds of dog food per month.

The festival offers shows and live performances on five stages. The twice-a-day joust is a big draw. Knights with real armor gleaming in the sun wow the crowds with their antics atop hefty-hooved horses with manes and tails wavy from braids. The knights toss gold-foiled candy to children.

Myriad booths have everything from henna body art to blacksmithing demonstrations. Dozens of food booths offer giant turkey legs, fry bread and other goodies. Even the vendors are in character, calling cotton candy "ogre fur" and saying the kettle corn is "dragon fired."

Kari Cordova, aka "Flora," 15, of Roy, said her favorite part of volunteering at the faire is seeing how the children react when they see her dressed up as a fairy.

The children walk down a dirt path into a circle of trees decorated with ribbons and flowers. The fairies then tell each child to take a "fairy pledge" by spinning around three times while saying "I do believe in fairies" after which they receive a "dragon tear," which is like a flat glass marble. They also get a bracelet made out of string and a glass jewel. "The kids get so excited," Cordova said.