Travel back to the medieval times with Fort Bragg’s first Renaissance Fair on Sept. 17 and 18 at the Smith Lake Recreation Area. “This is our first year, but we are hoping it will be an annual event,” says Pearlita Price, Fort Bragg’s Special Event Coordinator. “We were just trying to brainstorm new event ideas and one of our colleagues suggested a Renaissance Fair, so we surveyed some other customers at events that we were doing it and we had a very positive response that customers did want to see a Renaissance Fair.” The gates will open at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday and will close at 6 p.m. on Saturday and the fair finale will take place at 5 p.m. on Sunday.

“There will be a lot of different things that are all Renaissance and Elizabethan era themed,” says Price. Watch live Paragon jousting tournaments, go on a Unicorn or Warhorse ride, and get educated with the living history exhibits and role players. There will also be armor and combat demonstrations by knights, belly dancing shows, live musicians and games such as axe throwing and archery. Some of the child-friendly events will include knighting ceremonies, and some arts and crafts where they can make their own shields and head pieces.

Aside from the medieval games and performances that will take place, there will also be a Masquerade Ball on Saturday from 5-6 p.m. where participants will be teaching customers how to do authentic dances from this time period.

The Renaissance Fair is free of cost and open to the general public. “Everybody and anybody is welcome,” says Price, “You’ve got the hardcore people that really live for the Renaissance Fairs, subscribe to the magazines and travel around to the different Fairs, you have the families with the younger kids that would think it’d be cool to get knighted or little girls that want to be a princess and ride on the unicorn and you have the people that maybe don’t think they’ll enjoy it, but they don’t have anything else to do that weekend and we can just get them out and show them a different side of Fort Bragg and the Army.”

While the admission, the performances, and the exhibits are all free of charge, there will be food and beverages on site for purchase and some of the games are going to have a minimal cost of a dollar for three tries at the archery or three axe throws. So come out to the Smith Lake Recreation Area, chow down on a roasted turkey leg, watch some live middle-age entertainment and help Fort Bragg welcome their first Renaissance Fair to Fayetteville.

Photo: Come out to the Smith Lake Recreation Area, chow down on a roasted turkey leg, watch some live entertainment and help Fort Bragg welcome their first Renaissance Fair too Fayetteville.