FRANKLIN — The Franklin Renaissance Faire brought around 150 spectators to Odell Park near City Hall on Saturday afternoon, and visitors dodged forecasted heavy rain, at least for a while.
By noontime, a wave of spectators, coursing like a heavy river into the park, were greeted by dozens of vendors, prepped and ready to entertain them all day and almost all night.
“I’m it,” Myla Everett, manager of the renaissance fair, said Saturday afternoon. “These people are my friends that are supporting me 100% to pull this off for the City of Franklin.”
Everett said Franklin Mayor Desiree McLaughlin declared Friday, Saturday and Sunday to be Renaissance Faire Weekend in the city.
The event was established nine years ago, Everett said, and this year’s was the seventh iteration.
“This is the rebirth of the renaissance,” she said. “I do it for my city.”
Everett secured vendors from all over New England ahead of the event, and entertainers, too.
“I love it because it brings people together, it spreads a good image of Franklin, our community,” she said.
Xzavier Mansfield, 16, is one of the members of the Franklin community who attended the fair on Saturday afternoon. He was dressed in period costume, portraying a member of the Knights Templar. He built his own sword and shield, and modified a metal battle helmet, adding padding into the crown to improve the user experience.
“It’s not really comfortable,” he said.
A children’s area at the park included a soft-tip archery range and corn hole course, and attracted a few dozen visitors at once.
Sitting in a chair and holding a puppet near the children’s area was Chuck Clark of Livermore Falls, Maine. He portrays a storytelling character, Timothy Tomfoolery of Timothy Tomfoolery’s Timeless Tales.
Clark said he’s been working on his storytelling chops for his entire life, but it was his first paid gig Saturday at the Franklin Renaissance Faire.
“This is what I do, this is my reason to be, my ‘raison d’etre,’” he said.
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