Photo via Argren Faire - Facebook
Argren Faire
Attendees in costume for Argren Faire.
“Always Faire Always Free” is the motto of Argren Faire, a free renaissance faire on Locust St. between Holton St. and Humboldt Blvd. in Riverwest. Community members, fantasy lovers and medieval enthusiasts alike are called upon to gather for a royal day of food, beer, arts and entertainment in the spirit of ye olde times. The third annual Argren Faire takes place this Saturday, September 12 from noon to 8 p.m.
Photo via Argren Faire - Facebook
Argren Faire
Argren Faire on Locust Street in Riverwest.
“It’s a shock that Riverwest didn’t already have a renaissance faire,” organizer Deborah Heim says. Sponsored by Black Husky Brewing (909 E. Locust St.) alongside Tabletop Bookshelf, 91.7 WMSE, Quizzical Spirit Press and others, the event will feature some 70 vendors (including an “Author’s Alley” with local publishers as well as nonprofit and community organizations), food trucks, live music, feats of strength, costume and beard contests, belly and fire dancers, live action role-playing (LARP), tintype photography by Amber Ascher and an aluminum pour. New this year is a storytelling popup hosted by Ex Fabula, Scottish and Irish folk dancers, a dog-watering station and “witch trial retribution” by Grimoire Girls Coven.
Heim’s partner Ross Hightower is the award-winning author of fantasy series Spirit Song Saga, of which he published the fourth book Spirit Light: Volume Two in July. Back in 2022, the two hosted Hightower’s first book launch at Black Husky. “It was our third space to write and do more involved readings where we had people acting things out and participating,” Heim says of the brewery. “I really wanted to create a community around the books but also fantasy in general.”
After conceiving the idea for an accessible renaissance faire, Heim was met with enthusiasm from the Black Husky owners upon approaching them. The inaugural Argren Faire was held at Garden Park across the street with 25 vendors. Last year’s faire expanded into the street itself with more than 50 vendors, drawing approximately 5,000 people.
Argren is the name of the world Spirit Song Saga takes place in. Heim notes that the idea of “found family” is a major theme in the books, and that the power of the people is often underestimated by oppressors. “We use fantasy as a way to address issues we’re all facing and to work through it. In Argren are witches and rebels taking on an oligarchy. You have community-based people who are artistic and who take care of each other, and nobody goes hungry. Then you have an empire that is super inquisitive and hierarchical and patriarchal that oppresses and persecutes the people, but the people learn to fight back.”
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Follow Argren Faire on Instagram for more information.
