That was a rhetorical question. DON'T answer it!!!

So, was it worth it? Absolutely: the Louisiana Renaissance Festival is one FUN faire!!! The first (not-so-subtle) hint is their faire logo (graphick, left: click on their logo to visit the Official LRF website). "St. George and the Dragon", right? Wrong! Look at the "dragon" more closely. Even the name of their village -- "Yallsburg" -- lends a light touch of whimsy to LRF. These folks are certainly in no danger of taking themselves too seriously!

The layout of the faire is truly unique. From the Main Gate, (Photo, right: Christophe the Insultor entertains the patrons gathered at the Gate just prior to the Opening Ceremonies), you follow a winding path -- which, for reasons which should soon become obvious, I dubbed "The Serpentine" -- doing a switchback past the merchants' tents down to the lake, then along the shore to the smithy, around the corner to more merchant tents and the adult pub, ending up finally at the Jousting Arena. Myself, I completed the circuit by going out and around the Arena, jumping the fence and passing thru an undeveloped area to connect up again with The Serpentine (Photo, below: looking back toward the Main Gate)at the Big Stage -- but you'll sample more of the faire's real flavor simply by retracing your steps to the Main Gate.

LRF currently boasts 98 booths for merchants, food vendors, games and rides; two main stages -- the aptly-named "BIG" Stage and the Bazaar Stage -- plus a number of smaller "platform" stages scattered across the grounds; and an adult Pub which serves up various entertainments, songs...and hard liquor! At present it's still mainly a "tent" faire, although there are a goodly number of permanent structures onsite already. The Blacksmith's Shop, for instance (Photo, left), is truly awesome! Not only does he have a complete forge and smithy fully-equiped with anvil and all the necessary tools, but he also has constructed an ingenious hand-operated bellows to stoke his fire. It is well worth pausing a minute or two, just to watch him at work!

Admittedly, it was still a tad rough and raw around the edges on Opening Day. The "Paradise Krew", for example, were just finishing up the gate at the Jousting Arena when I arrived. The sound of electric saw on wood easily carried all the way to the lake (I didn't know Skil saws were "period"! joke). Then, too, there were also long reaches of burlap along The Serpentine, acting as temporary fencing; the grounds themselves could use a lot more landscaping and the path itself still needs to be further improved to allow wheelchair accessability. But considering they started out with a large "borrow" pit, 100 acres of scrub pine and a whole LOT of loose sand, these folks have worked some serious MIRACLES here!!!

What really impressed me most about LRF, however, was its' people. Without exception, everyone I met there was enthusiastic, generous, friendly and most willing to help a wandering stranger like myself. When I needed a copy of their daily program, for instance, one of their "Gate Greeters" -- a spritely and charming young lass -- not only gave me directions to their whereabouts, but accompanied me as far the Royal Pavilion just to ensure I was on the right path. Her genuine helpfulness certainly set the right tone for my day!

She was only one example of the unstinting generosity I encountered at LRF. Among many others, the baker and his wife (Photo, right: with the Pirate Captain's monkey. Ask them to tell you the tale!) and the "Paradise Krew" especially, all made me feel most welcome to their faire. Without a doubt, LRF's most valuable asset are its' people!

To be sure, now, this was the very first year of faire for most of the cast and players at LRF. They did tend to wear their roles lightly on Opening Day -- which was no problem, as I slipped from BFA (Basic Faire Accent) to the Mundane tongue and back again as necessary. But give them time! By the end of this season, I do believe, they'll all be sun-fried, rain-drenched veterans of faire, both ready and able to speak forsoothly, belt out a bawdy ballad or do a bit of street improv at the drop of a baldrick. Everyone has to start out "new" somewhere, sometime -- just like the rest of us!

However, the highest compliments LRF earned that Opening Day went unspoken. Those "compliments", if you will, were the brisk sales in Season Passes -- before the Gates even opened! That, in itself, was a great leap of faith on the part of their patrons, considering it was the very first day of an unproven, untried faire. But it gets even better! As I was returning to my truck for the long drive home later that same day, I again noticed that many patrons leaving the faire were also swinging by the ticket booth to pick up more Season Passes. Obviously, they liked what they saw inside -- and definitely wanted MORE of it!!!

This is a great time to visit LRF! The cast is eager, enthusiastic and ready to play, while the faire itself has a wonderful down-home "country" feel of friendly welcome. Their time slot is great, too: just barely overlapping the last two weekends of TRF, then continuing on into the first two weekends of December. If our Autumn rains will hold off, the weather should be right pleasant for fairegoing: bright but cool days, warming up toward the mid-afternoon. You really can't ask for anything better!

If there is a downside, it can only be the mosquitoes. It seems that LRF is home to the infamous "Louisiana Tiger" mosquito, so insect repellant is advised. They are sneaky! While two of them distracted me from the front, the rest mounted a surprise assault from the rear. They were so slick, I didn't even feel the bites! It wasn't until I was home and in the shower that I discovered the numerous raised welts on my rump. No wonder I felt "itchy" on the long drive home!!!

Outside of that, Opening Day at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival was OUTSTANDING! I hope to return at least by their Closing Weekend, just to see how much they've improved this season. In the meantime, I'll raise a virtual mug o'mead to everyone at LRF -- cast, merchants, vendors and staff -- who made it all possible. To the health and success of the Louisiana Renaissance Festival: long may it prosper!

Virtual Tour of LRF - twenty-one views of the new faire grounds help to create a virtual walk-through of LRF.

Standard Disclaimer: This webpage is strictly an *Unofficial* look at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival held near Hammond, LA in the Parish of Tangipahoa (seriously!). The author of these pages is in no way, shape, manner or form connected with the Louisiana Renaissance Festival (OFFICE ADDRESS: 4521 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd, Suite 104, PMB 271, Baton Rouge, LA 70816) and/or any of the sponsors associated with this event. All opinions expressed are strictly this author's own. LRF logo courtesy of the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. Unless noted otherwise, all photographs are copyright ©2000 by George Laking.