If you go ...
"A Gathering of Rogues and Ruffians" Renaissance Faire
• When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
• Where: Tell Grounds, W5199 County Road W, New Glarus
• Cost: $10 per adult, $5 for children 5-12; weekend adult pass, $16
• Parking: $1; shuttle available noon to 6 p.m.
NEW GLARUS - This weekend locals and travelers from afar will gather at the Wilhelm Tell Grounds for the 10th installment of A Gathering of Rogues and Ruffians: A Renaissance Faire.
"I don't think anyone expected that we'd have thousands of people attending 10 years ago," said Paula Vestin, board director for Shakespeare on the Edge, the nonprofit that puts on the fair.
What started as a one-hour experience before the Shakespeare on the Edge play at the end of the summer has now become a weekend that is a boon for the local economy.
"It's sort of overwhelming," Vestin said. "But it makes us happy to benefit everyone - the kids and the community."
Shakespeare on the Edge aims to help Green County youth through arts programming that "helps develop character, self-esteem, confidence, (and) peer bonds, and combats bullying," according to the group's website.
The first event was held at a private residence outside of Monroe. The next year the fair committee decided to hold the fair the entire morning before the kids' show, Vestin said, and not long after it became an entire weekend affair.
As interest in the fair grew, a new venue was needed and Tell Grounds became home. The dates also changed from August to September and then to the second weekend in October, according to Vestin. Because of the change in dates, the play no longer follows the fair.
"Rogues and Ruffians at first was about a creative way to fundraise to make our year-round programming at Shakespeare on the Edge possible," founder and fair director Jennifer Bethel said.
The economic impact of this year's fair is expected to reach throughout New Glarus and Green County. A grant from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism estimated the weekend could account for a $475,000 to $500,000 economic boost to the county.
"I think it is outstanding that a local youth nonprofit could have such an impact on the economy," Bethel said. "We are very grateful to Travel Wisconsin for making this possible."
Bustling in the crowds will be a mix of visitors in normal attire for 2017. But there will also be fairgoers and actors clad in outfits that would have been normal 500 years ago.
"It's the last fair of the season for many of the performers. They are really relaxed and have a lot of fun," Vestin said. "Everyone is there to have fun. It's a feel-good atmosphere."
This year's fair will likely be the biggest one yet in New Glarus. Vestin said it was a hard decision to make, but given the available space at Tell Grounds, the committee had to turn down both vendors and actors looking for stage time.
"We had to close down a percent of our vendors and performers. It's a hard thing to say, 'No.' We simply don't have room this year. The bigger you get the more volunteers you'd need," Vestin said. "Parking has been an issue in years past, but we're very fortunate that someone near the grounds is helping out. We'll have a shuttle service from 12 to 6 (p.m.) every day taking people from the off-site lot to the grounds. And for those people who can't make it down the hill, we have a shuttle that can take them down to the grounds."
According to Bethel, previous visitors who have signed the guest book have traveled from states as far away as California and Colorado, as well as England, Denmark and Japan. Most of the Midwestern visitors are from the greater Milwaukee and Chicago areas, but Vestin hopes that more local residents come out and take part in the festivities.
"We don't get a lot of local pull, proportionally," Vestin said. "We're just in New Glarus, so anyone around here can come out."
Kate Landowski of Wauconda is a member of the performance group Washtub Wenches, and though she will miss this year's fair due to a recent health issue, her love for the event is apparent.
"The moment you step onto that trail, something magical happens," Landowski said. "You feel it. Your anticipation builds as you encounter performers of all types along the trail. At the end of the trail, the woods open up into this beautiful valley, and it takes your breath away. There is really nothing modern in sight. You have just stepped back in time. There is magic and merriment everywhere you look."
The Washtub Wenches, two sisters and a sister-in-law donned in corsets, position themselves on the trail, hanging laundry on tree branches and playfully insulting passersby.
"After all, what could be more fun than encountering wenches in the woods?" Landowski asked.
Between the stage shows, horseback riding through the woods and medieval armory displays, there will also be food from local vendors, a beer garden serving a local assortment of drinks, artisan vendors and a scavenger hunt for kids.
"We have a passion for kids, the community and Shakespeare," Vestin said. "And whatever the weather is, we'll take it on. It's an outdoor event in Wisconsin, you get what you get."
"I don't think anyone expected that we'd have thousands of people attending 10 years ago," said Paula Vestin, board director for Shakespeare on the Edge, the nonprofit that puts on the fair.
What started as a one-hour experience before the Shakespeare on the Edge play at the end of the summer has now become a weekend that is a boon for the local economy.
"It's sort of overwhelming," Vestin said. "But it makes us happy to benefit everyone - the kids and the community."
Shakespeare on the Edge aims to help Green County youth through arts programming that "helps develop character, self-esteem, confidence, (and) peer bonds, and combats bullying," according to the group's website.
The first event was held at a private residence outside of Monroe. The next year the fair committee decided to hold the fair the entire morning before the kids' show, Vestin said, and not long after it became an entire weekend affair.
As interest in the fair grew, a new venue was needed and Tell Grounds became home. The dates also changed from August to September and then to the second weekend in October, according to Vestin. Because of the change in dates, the play no longer follows the fair.
"Rogues and Ruffians at first was about a creative way to fundraise to make our year-round programming at Shakespeare on the Edge possible," founder and fair director Jennifer Bethel said.
The economic impact of this year's fair is expected to reach throughout New Glarus and Green County. A grant from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism estimated the weekend could account for a $475,000 to $500,000 economic boost to the county.
"I think it is outstanding that a local youth nonprofit could have such an impact on the economy," Bethel said. "We are very grateful to Travel Wisconsin for making this possible."
Bustling in the crowds will be a mix of visitors in normal attire for 2017. But there will also be fairgoers and actors clad in outfits that would have been normal 500 years ago.
"It's the last fair of the season for many of the performers. They are really relaxed and have a lot of fun," Vestin said. "Everyone is there to have fun. It's a feel-good atmosphere."
This year's fair will likely be the biggest one yet in New Glarus. Vestin said it was a hard decision to make, but given the available space at Tell Grounds, the committee had to turn down both vendors and actors looking for stage time.
"We had to close down a percent of our vendors and performers. It's a hard thing to say, 'No.' We simply don't have room this year. The bigger you get the more volunteers you'd need," Vestin said. "Parking has been an issue in years past, but we're very fortunate that someone near the grounds is helping out. We'll have a shuttle service from 12 to 6 (p.m.) every day taking people from the off-site lot to the grounds. And for those people who can't make it down the hill, we have a shuttle that can take them down to the grounds."
According to Bethel, previous visitors who have signed the guest book have traveled from states as far away as California and Colorado, as well as England, Denmark and Japan. Most of the Midwestern visitors are from the greater Milwaukee and Chicago areas, but Vestin hopes that more local residents come out and take part in the festivities.
"We don't get a lot of local pull, proportionally," Vestin said. "We're just in New Glarus, so anyone around here can come out."
Kate Landowski of Wauconda is a member of the performance group Washtub Wenches, and though she will miss this year's fair due to a recent health issue, her love for the event is apparent.
"The moment you step onto that trail, something magical happens," Landowski said. "You feel it. Your anticipation builds as you encounter performers of all types along the trail. At the end of the trail, the woods open up into this beautiful valley, and it takes your breath away. There is really nothing modern in sight. You have just stepped back in time. There is magic and merriment everywhere you look."
The Washtub Wenches, two sisters and a sister-in-law donned in corsets, position themselves on the trail, hanging laundry on tree branches and playfully insulting passersby.
"After all, what could be more fun than encountering wenches in the woods?" Landowski asked.
Between the stage shows, horseback riding through the woods and medieval armory displays, there will also be food from local vendors, a beer garden serving a local assortment of drinks, artisan vendors and a scavenger hunt for kids.
"We have a passion for kids, the community and Shakespeare," Vestin said. "And whatever the weather is, we'll take it on. It's an outdoor event in Wisconsin, you get what you get."