"Nebraska Renaissance Faire Becomes Permanent"
With the closing of the Council Bluffs-based Renaissance Faire of the Midlands, the 6th annual "NEBRASKA RENAISSANCE FAIRE & Medieval Pageant" will now become established permanently at the Bellevue Berry & Pumpkin Ranch. The reason for the move from Scary Acres is so that the producers can begin building the region's first permanent "themepark" setting for a variety of festivals.
The Renaissance festival takes place this year on May 10th & 11th, Mother's Day weekend, from 11am to 6pm.
"The Berry Farm near Papillion is already a popular attraction with seasonal family activities and three unique banquet halls," points out producer Gregory Schmidt. "We've started the ground work for bringing the Midlands a structured festival village similar to that near Kansas City."
A merchant pavilion has recently been completed for the festival, with some of the on-site buildings being converted into quaint village shops. The ranch will add other new features each year, including an eventual working castle.
This year the NEBRASKA RENAISSANCE FAIRE line-up of 'edutainers' will feature 20 professional performing groups offering 75 scheduled shows, each day. Showcased headliners from around the Midwest will include "Joust Evolution" from Des Moines, "Tuey Wilson" the tightrope fire-juggler and the "Three Musketeers" from the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, "Steel Serenity" swordplay show from Kansas City, and the "Kojokan Armored Samurai" from Iowa City.
There will also be rare audience participation activities such as a cash-prize archery tournament, knife-tossing, cross-bow shooting, the Mad Scotsmen's Golf Challenge, kid's soft-sword battles, and children's fairy plays.
There will be working exhibits by artisan masters such as ceramics, leather-crafting and blacksmithing.
The festival grounds will be brought to life with the help of some 250 costumed and comedic village characters.
The terraced Beer Garden will feature wines from the James Arthur Vineyards, along with live music from the era.
The NEBRASKA RENAISSANCE FAIRE & Medieval Pageant, as always, will remain open rain-or-shine.
A banquet hall is being set aside for any families who wish to partake in the Mother's Day "Queen for a Day" brunch/dinner from 10am to 3pm on Sunday, May 11th. This is a separate ticketed attraction. Reservations are not required, but are suggested by calling #402-331-5500.
Admission to the outside Renaissance festival is $10 for teens/adults, $5 for kids 8 to 14 years, with children free. Two-day passes can be obtained on Saturday for $15. Parking is free.
The location of the Bellevue Berry & Pumpkin Ranch is found at 11001 S. 48th Street, which lies between Cornhusker Road and Hwy. 370. For a map of the site see www.Bellevueberryfarm.com.
For Nebraska Renaissance Faire details see www.nebfaire.com and contact greg / festint.com (641) 357-5177 for further information.
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CONTACT: Producer-Director
Gregory Schmidt *photos available
641-357-5177
641-494-8457(c)
Site Owner
Ed Schaefer
402-331-5500
402-612-4506 (c)
