LAKE CASITAS : Festival Turns Back the Clock to Old England

About 2,000 people, many of them bedecked in period costume and the trappings of Old England, ventured back in time for the third annual Ojai Renaissance Festival on Sunday on the shores of Lake Casitas.

Warm, sunny skies with lake-cooled breezes served as a backdrop for the strolling minstrels, jugglers and magicians. Festival-goers wound their way from cross-bow contests and jousting matches to dozens of food and arts and crafts booths stretched along the lake’s eastern shore.

“We’ve had a nice turnout and have had great weather,” said Steve Hartmann, a festival spokesman. “People seem to enjoy the historical spin. We have a lot of people who are extremely well-read on the history of the Middle Ages.”

In total, about 4,000 people attended the weekend event created by Gold Coast Productions. The festival will continue this weekend, concluding at dusk Sunday. A small portion of the show’s proceeds will go toward Ventura County charities and service clubs.

Offshore, a small medieval-styled sailing barge--backed up by outboard engines--gave people rides around the lake, as musicians playing flutes and mandolins performed on three separate stages.

Throughout the day, “Queen Elizabeth” and her entourage traversed the festival ground offering greetings.

Helping to make the festival that much more true to history was Bill Armstrong, the show’s theatrical director.

“We strive to get the texture and feel just right,” Armstrong said. “I want the cast to convey a feeling to our guests that might give them a picture of the Renaissance in England in the 1500s.”

For Helen Fredericks of Moorpark, who attended the festival with two friends from Sacramento, the event offered a chance to soak up old English culture.

“I love everything about Old England,” said Fredericks. “The costumes for the royal family were exquisite. We’ve had a lot of fun today.”