Rite Of Spring Who Doth Protest Renaissance Fair’s Tradition?
It began as a peace picnic in the late ‘60s - a chance for war protesters to celebrate the first warm days of spring playing Frisbee and music in the park.
The Frisbees still fly and there are picnics aplenty, but these days the little stage in East City Park attracts big names and as many as 15,000 visitors on a given Renaissance Fair weekend.
Community members view the fair as a necessary break for stressed-out Washington State and University of Idaho students studying for finals. It’s also a reunion event - drawing former Palouse residents back to the green, rolling hill country from around the Northwest.
And as one of the first fairs of the summer season, it’s sometimes the first glimpse of local artisans’ new handmade offerings.
“People have been snowed in in Montana and Idaho working on their crafts for spring and now here we are,” said fair impresario Peter Basoa. “In a lot of ways it’s a tribal sort of gathering that happens as the community begins celebrating itself in spring.”
For 21 years, Basoa has drawn a diverse amalgamation of world folk music to Moscow. This year will be his last, said Basoa, who says he needs a break from the four months organizing time and three intense days the fair demands.
“I think I’ve shown that I can do it,” Basoa said. “It just takes a lot of personal energy.”
The fair is just one of Basoa’s Moscow arts contributions. He also helped renovate the Micro Moviehouse and start up the Palouse Folklore Society. He currently hosts a show on KUOI, the UI radio station.
While some worry that the event may suffer without Basoa’s music connections, this year’s lineup is a sure hit.
Among the performers are local folksinger Dan Maher at 12:30 p.m. today and Ellensburg native Erin Corday at 2:30 p.m. Colorado Banjo player Tony Furtado and two members of Taj Mahal’s band will offer “flexigrass,” a contemporary type of bluegrass, at 4 p.m. The all-woman blues band Swamp Mama Johnson goes on stage at 6 p.m.
Sunday is set aside for local bands, including the Galactic Tofu Farmers, Dervish, and Moments of Clarity from Coeur d’Alene.
The annual introduction of the Renaissance Fair King and Queen kicks off festivities today at 10:30 a.m. The traditional maypole dance is set for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. An interactive William Shakespeare will be wandering through the crowd today as well. Wenatchee-based actor Rod Molzahn will perform “A Visit With Will,” at noon.
A separate children’s stage will feature storytelling, children’s dancing, magic, mimes, clowns and face-painting.
, DataTimes MEMO: Cut in Spokane edition This sidebar appeared with the story: FAIR FACTS The fair is free and runs from 10 a.m. to dusk today and Sunday.