Md. Renaissance Festival looking for bigger digs KATIE IRELAND Daily Record Multimedia Reporter August 7, 2009 8:10 PM Since 1984, the Maryland Renaissance Festival has annually transformed a 25-acre plot of forest in Crownsville into the “Faire,” a replica of a bustling 16th-century European village. That could soon change, though, as its organizers are looking to grow the event further by moving it to a larger site.
Jules Smith Jr., general manager of the family-owned-and-operated event, said management has looked at more than 80 potential new locations and is currently considering nine sites in the Greater Baltimore and Washington areas. Smith said although this type of outdoor festival is not recession-proof, people do tend to look for cheaper trips and vacations in a tough economy and, because the festival has expanded, the need for a larger space has also increased.
“The economy is a challenge but, right now, this is also the best pricing for real estate,” said Smith, “Right now is when you'll find the most motivated sellers.”
Smith said although it will take years for the move to actually happen, he has taken steps toward finding the perfect site, including placing ads in local newspapers last year announcing the search for a new location.
“We need about 150 acres of relatively undisturbed land for the village and booths and parking,” Smith said. “This is not a clear and level type of enterprise. Trees and hills are part of the experience.”
After all, that is what the Maryland Renaissance Festival is selling — the experience.
Started in 1977, the festival moved to Revel Grove in Crownsville as it grew in popularity from its “ramshackle” beginnings. Today, organizers estimate the festival has close to 280,000 visitors a season and the American Bus Association has named it to its list of 100 best events in North America.
Revel Grove features a scattering of established trees that surround the main village, as well as acres of cleared fields for parking and other temporary structures. The festival employs about 600 people, and there are more than 130 craft shops and more than 40 food outlets operating in the village.
In the search for a new location, Smith's concern is always preserving the illusion that the visitor has traveled back in time, meaning a secluded location away from any major commercial development.
“We give people the romanticized version of the Middle Age Renaissance,” said Smith. “Someone grabs a turkey leg and they feel like they're Henry the Eighth. You wouldn't want to see a cell phone tower in that time period.”
If the festival should move out of Crownsville, Anne Arundel County would certainly feel the economic sting of its absence. A 2005 study conducted by the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau found that each year the festival generates almost $19 million in revenue for the county, and that figure is even more likely as the study did not include revenue generated by day-trippers and exhibitors.
The bureau's president and CEO, Connie Del Signore, said she would be “dismayed” should the event leave the county.
“I certainly understand why [Smith] is pursuing other options, but it is a signature event that showcases Anne Arundel County,” Del Signore said. “It would be a tremendous loss fiscally.”
Magician and Baltimore resident Brian Wendell Morton will be performing for the 11th year when the festival begins at the end of the month, and he relishes the chance to perform at what he calls a “cheerful, family-friendly event.”
“It's a way to step out of your daily life into a fantasy world,” Morton said.
Even if the festival should move, the local performer claims he would remain a loyal participant.
“I'm sure it will still be the Maryland Renaissance Festival,” he said. “If it happens, it happens and I'll roll with it.”
Other performers echo Wendell's sentiments, claiming a move would not deter them from continued involvement with the festival. Drummer and percussionist James Gummer, who will be performing for his 12th year this season, travels an hour each way to be at the festival every weekend.
“They're the best people to work for, the absolute best. They're really supportive of everything we do,” said Gummer, a Perry Hall native. “I'm just as much a fan as I am a performer.”
The festival runs from Aug. 29 to Oct. 25 this year. The event kicks off with children's weekend, one of the many themes that mark each three-day session, including Oktoberfest and Scottish weekend. Smith said he is hoping to draw more than 300,000 participants to the festival this year.
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