Medieval + Renaissance Festival is May 2

OHIO STATE RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL RECREATES ROBIN HOOD LEGEND

COLUMBUS -- From days of yore, medieval lore and legends will 
prevail.  The campus converts to the gothic ages as knights and 
nobles mingle with jugglers and pages.  Ohio State University 
students and faculty will recreate "The Legend of Robin Hood" at the 
23rd annual Medieval and Renaissance Festival on Saturday, May 2 from 
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the South Oval (12th Avenue at College Road).

The goal of the event is to increase appreciation for the 
medieval and Renaissance periods and to present a glimpse into the 
characters of people of long ago.

The festival begins at 11 a.m. with a Grand Processional through 
Mirror Lake Hollow.  Throughout the day, costumed performers will 
entertain visitors with medieval sword fights, plays, a human 
chessboard, dances, juggling, magic and music.

Games and amusements such as Nine-Men's Morris, Fox and Geese, 
and chess -- on a life-size scale -- are offered as an example of 
leisure-time activities of the Renaissance.  Face painting and 
balloons will be available for children and the young at heart.  
Festival-goers are invited to watch a magic show or to have their 
palms read.  Musical instruments, clothing and games all recall a 
distant era.  Many visitors also dress in period style.  Crafts and 
food reminiscent of the Renaissance, as well as festival posters and 
T-shirts, will be sold.  

"The Medieval and Renaissance Festival allows Ohio State to 
share its vitality with the community," said Shelly Bansal, a 
freshman from Cincinnati majoring in political science and public 
relations and chair of the festival steering committee.  "It's a fun 
day for the entire family.  It has juggling, sword fights, magic, 
humor, and it's free."
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Contact:  Shelly Bansal, (614) 688-2674, or David Strauss, University 
Honors Center, (614) 292-3135.