The Duelists of Appalachia demonstrate historical European martial arts to a crowd of fairgoers.

Valley Park became a scene out of a fantasy book this past Saturday, May 23, during the first ever Hurricane Renaissance Faire. For part of a day, the lower half of the park was transformed into Stormshire, a small kingdom located on the eaves of the enchanted Bearwood Forest. The park’s wooded trails were reimagined as a mystical forest filled with strange and unusual creatures, and visitors to the faire could go on quests which took them deep within the woods. For those less adventurous, there was plenty of other entertainment to enjoy, including musical performances by Elenna the Bardtender; photo opportunities with Siren Eos the mermaid; a murder mystery hosted by Dice & Deception, and historical European sword fighting demonstrations by the Duelists of Appalachia.

The Hurricane Renaissance Faire was put on by the same team which organized the HurriCon pop culture convention last September. HurriCon Inc. is a nonprofit organization which hosts themed events to benefit the American Cancer Society. A lot of work went into making Putnam County’s very first Renaissance Faire a unique and entertaining event for all ages.

“We developed an original interactive storyline experience for the faire that included quests, games, puzzles, and encounters spread throughout the grounds,” said Chris Francis, event organizer. “More than 30 volunteer actors helped bring our world of Stormshire to life by portraying members of the event’s four major guilds and interacting directly with guests throughout the day. Attendees were able to follow different quest paths and storylines depending on when they arrived and which guilds or characters they encountered. The goal was to create a living, evolving world that changes from year to year, with the events and interactions from this year’s faire carrying forward into future stories and next year’s event.”

At the entrance of the Bearwood Fairy Trail, visitors could pledge their allegiance to one of four guilds before venturing into the questing area. Actors from each guild explained the purpose and theme of their respective faction. The Trueguard represented knights and warriors; the Deepgrove Kin represented the magical creatures of the land; the Umbral Accord was composed of information gatherers and diplomats; and the Gilded Collegium was a philanthropic mages’ guild comprised of bankers. Fairgoers represented their allegiance with a ribbon bearing the color of their guild.

The idea was to create an immersive roleplaying game experience. Each actor in the questing area had special dialogue which was dependent upon the guild which a person had chosen, creating a unique experience for each adventurer.

The main storyline of the faire involved a magic potato which was stolen from the Potato Mage (played by Cisco McAllister) during the King’s Tournament. It was later discovered that Chancellor Vale, the leader of the Gilded Collegium, was responsible for this despicable crime. (The Potato Mage was portrayed by Cisco McAllister, and Chancellor Vale was portrayed by Cody Wolfe.)

Unfortunately, inclement weather put a damper on the Hurricane Renaissance Faire and ultimately brought about its premature end. A series of intense thunderstorms forced vendors to shutter their booths and sent fairgoers running for cover. While everyone waited for the rain to stop, Ramsey Harki, one of the event organizers, read from the fantasy picture book “Nobody Likes a Goblin” by Ben Hatke.

Event organizers decided to incorporate the bad weather into Stormshire’s official storyline. “As soon as the leader of the Gilded Collegium, Chancellor Vale, caught wind of people accusing him of this evil, he cast a dark spell over the land,” Harki said, referring to the theft of the Potato Mage’s magic potato. “Clouds rolled in, and an absolute deluge of water poured upon the fairgoers. From thunder to lightning, Chancellor Vale used the power of the stolen potato as a sort of magical battery to cause shift in the weather. Whilst the citizens of Stormshire and the Bearwood Forest took shelter from the storm, Chancellor Vale made off to a secret hideout far within the Bearwood Realm.”

Maybe the magic potato will be recovered during next year’s Renaissance Faire, resulting in clear skies and no rain in sight.

“We are incredibly grateful to the community for the overwhelming support shown at the Hurricane Renaissance Faire,” said Chris Francis. “Despite the weather challenges, nearly 2,000 people chose to spend part of their day with us at Valley Park, helping make the event a tremendous success. Events like this are about more than entertainment. They are an opportunity to bring the community together while supporting the mission and work of the here in West Virginia. Every ticket, vendor visit, and show of support helps us continue that effort. We are already looking forward to welcoming everyone back to Valley Park on September 12–13 for our signature pop culture convention.”