Jesters, jousters and jugglers: Old Falls Village to host Renaissance Faire Sept. 14-15

Old Falls Village in Menomonee Falls will hold its first Elizabethan-era Renaissance Faire Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 14-15.

The Renaissance Faire will host a marketplace with vendors selling pieces of fine craftsmanship harkening back to the Renaissance period.

It will also feature live entertainment such as sword fighting demonstrations from the Society of Creative Anachronism members, jousters, jesters, storytellers, and musicians performing, Menomonee Falls Zoning and Planning specialist and volunteer event coordinator Nancy Greifenhagen said.

One music group featured in the event lineup is Bounding Main , an ensemble that performs maritime music and sea shanties. The Old Falls Village Park website said the ensemble will add an authentic touch of the Elizabethan era to the festivities.

The event will also include falconer demonstrations, a scavenger hunt and other activities for children, food and refreshments, and beverages from the Old Falls Biergarten.

"This is (the faire's) first year, and I've reached out to a lot of vendors," Greifenhagen said. "I'd say that we are growing every day."

Proceeds from the event will help fund improvements to Old Falls Village Park

The funds raised during this and other events held in the park will go toward improvement projects the Friends of Old Falls Village Park plans on executing in the park and the historical buildings within it, according to Greifenhagen.

Old Falls Village offers visitors a glimpse into life from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, with an array of historic homes and buildings to explore, according to its website.

Friends of Old Falls Village Park and the Menomonee Falls Historical Society teamed up to maintain and improve the park

Friends of Old Falls Village Park is a nonprofit organization formed in 2022, and teamed up with the Menomonee Falls Historical Society to co-manage the park, Greifenhagen said.

Friends of Old Falls Village's goal is to "operate, manage, maintain, support, and improve the buildings and grounds of Old Falls Village Park and to provide recreational and educational events and opportunities at the park, such as reenactments of historical events and tours of historic buildings located in the park," according to their mission statement .

Constructing a pergola in the Miller-Davidson house's garden is one of the items on the list of improvements, Greifenhagen said. The Miller-Davidson house was the summer home to the Davidson family of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle company.

Installing an ADA-compliant path to the park's pavilion that connects to an existing asphalt path is also planned, according to Greifenhagen. There is currently a gravel path where the new path is planned to go.

A firewood shelter and additional bathrooms are also on the list of future improvement projects. Greifenhagen said additional restrooms have been in the works for many years.

More info about the Renaissance Faire

Dressing up is encouraged, however all weapons must be sheathed and/or tied down for safety purposes, Greifenhagen said. Parking is free.

Where: Old Falls Village Park, N96W15791 County Line Road, Menomonee Falls

When:

• 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14
• 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15

Admission:

Presale tickets sold until Sept. 12:

• $9 for adults
• $4 for children
• $4 for veterans

Admission at the gate:

• $10 for adults and children 12+
• $5 for children under 12
• Free for children under 5
• $5 for active military and veterans with military ID

After 5 p.m. on Saturday, the admission to the Biergarten will be free, Greifenhagen said. Typical admission applies on Sunday.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jesters, jousters and jugglers: Old Falls Village to host Renaissance Faire Sept. 14-15