Renaissance and Pirate Festival Underway in Grand Junction

Most of us have probably seen at least one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and we all know about Captain Hook in Peter Pan.  I seriously doubt that either offering is a realistic depiction of the pirates of old. But thanks to Thunder Mountain Living History, we can get a pretty good idea of a pirates's life at the Dragon Unchained Renaissance and Pirate Fantasy Faire this weekend in Grand Junction.

Thunder Mountain Living History is an educational, restoration and re-enactment organization dedicated to keeping history alive in Western Colorado. They also sponsor the Heroes' Harvest Renaissance  and Fantasy Faire in October.

The Dragon Unchained Renaissance and Pirate Fantasy Faire runs for two consecutive weekends at 312 29 Road in Grand Junction. The festival features at least 16 bands including Jack and Jill, Defy Gravity, and Get Creative.

The merchants aren't your ordinary festival vendors. The Fairy Rose, Twisted Spiders, and Bad Moon Crafts are just some of the booths that will be offering their unique products.

The attractions are many: knife and hatchet throwing, spear and javelin throwing, horse vaulting, acrobats, puppeteers, jugglers, hands-on blacksmithing,  pony rides, live cannon demonstrations, food and drink,  and a whole lot more.

Of course, the festival is not just about pirates and the daily life and workings of a pirate ship.  You will also see the average day in the life of soldiers in the early, middle, and late Middle Ages, the Renaissance, Colonial, Pirate, and Fur Trade eras, with demonstrations of combat and stage weapons use.

This is the second year of the Faire ,which certainly sounds like a lot of fun. Daily admission- Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - is free, but by purchasing a camping pass,attendees receive after hours access to the festival period village Drakestown.