Turkey Leg Renaissance

The Bristol Renaissance Faire has returned to Kenosha, where performers will again reenact life in a 16th-century village with theatrical flair, to the delight of some and the discomfort of many others.

The Faire has been a staple of summer in southeastern Wisconsin since 1972 and an essential resource for fans of juggling and live lute music.

People fall into two primary buckets at the mention of a Renaissance festival. One group sees it as a viable entertainment option and looks for open dates on their calendar. And the other cringes violently at the thought of forced encounters with costumed extroverts who mix the word “huzzah” into casual conversation.

It’s reasonable to feel uneasy at the prospect of an aggressively immersive theater experience. Especially when you consider that, deep down, everybody knows the “King” is really just some guy named Dennis who has a day job working in IT and drove to the festival grounds in a hatchback.

On the other hand, they do serve big ol’ roasted turkey legs there. And, from a handheld culinary standpoint, gnawing on one of those babies is unmatched in human history.

There are some pragmatists who will tell you the pursuit of a massive drumstick simply isn’t worth the awkward encounters. The risk of being confronted by an itinerant poet, court jester, or some chatty wizard is simply too great, and suggest waiting for Thanksgiving to satisfy your turkey leg jones.

But, as regular readers know, we here at Drink Wisconsinbly are staunch advocates of leaving comfort zones. Therefore, we endorse a day of being accosted by village idiots, bawdy maidens other high school drama club alums at the Renaissance Faire. At the very least, they serve beer there. And there’s an end-of-day drum circle, too. Plus, even if you spend the entire day squirming, you’ll have some funny stories to tell your friends once the PTSD wears off, of course.

The Bristol Renaissance Faire takes place Saturdays, Sundays, and Labor Day through September 4th. You can find more information and tickets are available at their website. Tell the His Majesty we said, “Huzzah.”