Hear ye! Hear ye! If you catch a bit of medieval-sounding language in the next few days, fear not - while it may be a student who's lost their mind preparing for finals, it's most likely related to UB's first annual Renaissance Faire.
Scheduled to take place rain or shine, from noon to midnight on Friday, April 27, the Faire will be located on the special events field between Clemens Hall and the Commons.
"People are more than encouraged to come in costume. It adds to the atmosphere," said Katie Dunning, a junior English major who is coordinating the event this year.
Costumes or not, guests will have plenty of photo opportunities, either posing in giant cutouts of kings and queens or grabbing some action shots by participating in foam jousting tournaments.
Several performances, including one from UB's juggling group the Gravity Pirates, will add to the atmosphere throughout the day.
Andrew Eden, a junior psychology major, will perform as a wandering magician throughout the show, as well as an event host. Eden believes there will be something to entertain everyone.
"I'm hosting a contest called the Last Fool Standing. It will basically be like the television show, Last Comic Standing," Eden said.
If the comedy contest doesn't hit the spot, Dunning recommends the Shakespearean puppet show that will be enacted by the Shakespeare's Fools club. Alex Johnston, a junior English major and a member of Shakespeare's Fools, promises that the show will be easy to follow and laugh out loud overdramatic.
"We will be acting out various bits and pieces from (Shakespeare's) plays, mostly the funnier things he has to offer, so that it will be more entertaining than difficult," Johnston said.
In addition to all the comedic entertainment, the UB Women's Center plans to hold a date auction fundraiser. Authentic food, games and vendors will also be supplied.
"Some of the venders coming in are from the Pagan community. They won't necessarily be selling goods directed at the theme of the Faire, but many of the products will be reflective of the Renaissance," Dunning said.
In addition to food sold by Subway, Sbarro's and Dairy Queen, the Pagans at UB will sell cotton candy, popcorn and snow cones.
The Renaissance Faire will also be featuring an eating contest. Preliminary competitions will take place every half hour until 7:30 p.m., when the top three contestants from each competition will compete at 10 p.m. for cash prizes.
"Preliminary contests and finals will consist of contestant's eating a food of choice; subs, spaghetti, hot chili or ice cream," Dunning said. "We wanted to meet everyone's dietary needs so that no one is left out."
Behind all the intended merriment is the hard work of Dunning, co-coordinator Jacqueline Gerringer, a senior media study and theatre major, and a number of UB sponsors. Groups such as Pagans at UB, Anime, Women's Center, S.A.R.P.A., Student Association, Richmond Hall Council and Late Night UB all lent a helping hand in funding what they believe to be a potentially valuable asset to UB.
"We're hoping this will become an annual event," Dunning said. "Our long term goal is to establish a scholarship based on principles of diversity and openness."
Although the reality of creating a scholarship may be several years off, the event coordinators are excited to successfully premiere the Faire this year. It is no coincidence that the event will take place amongst large numbers of visitors attending the year's last distinguished speaker Al Gore.
"We want to show the outside community that we have a really vibrant student life," Dunning said. "And to leave a lasting impression of our school on everyone, the former vice president included."
