As you can imagine Renaissance Faires have existed long enough now to create several generations of participants, each having defined their own eras within the genre. For older participants some believe it will “never return to anything that resembles the innocents of those early years”, while newer generations are working to redefine what a Renaissance Faire can be. I personally have my own memories, but I think that what we all hold on to are our own collection of rich intangibles. A Renaissance Faire is as much about the heat, the smell, and the tastes, as it was what we saw, wore, or whom we knew. Unique friendships arose within this mini universe, all squeezed into a few weekends a year. For some a Faire is a job, but for others it is a lifestyle, and an annual oasis in the middle of our technology filled lives. It is common to hear that the Faire allowed individuals to “find themselves” and shape the choices they would make later in their lives. The Faire didn’t start out this grand, but was born from the minds and imaginations of two people.
RON & PHYLLIS PATTERSON
It is impossible to begin any discussion of Renaissance Faires without first talking about its roots. Renaissance Faires, as we know them today, started out humbly as a class activity created for her students by then school teacher Phyllis Patterson. In early 1963, Phyllis ran a miniature period fair in the backyard of her Laurel Canyon home in California. Later that same year a larger one weekend event was organized as a fundraiser for the radio station KPFK. Nearly 8000 people attended the event which consisted largely of reenactments of historical activities including a printing press and blacksmith. There were also crafts and food merchants, each required to demonstrate the period making of their wares. Volunteers were required to take workshops in language, history, and appropriate costuming. These groups were organized into Guilds, consisting of actors, musicians, military, peasants, clans, and others. Phyllis’ passion for teaching and Ron’s skills as art director, and self appointed “Master of Revels”, were the foundation of what would become a new form of entertainment. Modeling the event on a 16th century english country fair they created the context for hundreds of participants to joyfully improv history, making it one of the largest examples of outdoor theater. What many veterans of these early Faires will tell you, is they also succeeded in creating a giant extended family who’s year pivoted on the weekends these events were held.
During the founding years, the Faire was held as a springtime event at Paramount Ranch in Agoura in Southern California, later to include a fall harvest event held in Novato in Northern California. Christened “The Renaissance Pleasure Faire” the events have spanned a half a century and have been entertaining multiple generations consisting of millions of guests and participants. “Faire” is for many not just a festival, but a lifestyle, with some vendors and entertainers traveling year-round from one Faire to another, doing what some call “the circuit”. For those lucky enough to be there in the beginning, they can rest on the knowledge that they were witness to the birth of something quite unique.
The Patterson family no longer holds ownership of the original Faire, but they have raised a family of teachers and entertainers that are taking this unique art form into new areas. Phyllis and Ron’s eldest son Kevin and wife Leslie are the proud presenters of The Dickens Christmas Fair, an annual holiday event held in San Francisco, based on a winter event of the same name, created by Ron & Phyllis as a way to keep staff and crew employed between Renaissance events. The Dickens Fair has grown to prove that the lessons learned and the techniques used to create the yearly outdoor events work equally well for indoor venues. If you ever wish to experience the energy of one the the very first Patterson Faire’s, I highly recommend you find a way to be in San Francisco at least one weekend during the holidays.
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