Magic comes to Red Apple in Phillipston

The Boston-based Meraki Caravan, which provides a folk and fusion music of the Balkans, Romani, Mediterranean and Middle East will be among the performers at the Enchanted Orchard Renaissance Faire, taking place May 4 and 5 at Red Apple Farm in Phillipston.

The Boston-based Meraki Caravan, which provides a folk and fusion music of the Balkans, Romani, Mediterranean and Middle East will be among the performers at the Enchanted Orchard Renaissance Faire, taking place May 4 and 5 at Red Apple Farm in Phillipston. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Nagashri Dancers will be at the Enchanted Orchard Renaissance Faire.

Nagashri Dancers will be at the Enchanted Orchard Renaissance Faire. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO—

This map shows the complete layout of the Enchanted Orchard Renaissance Faire, which will be held at Red Apple Farm in Phillipston May 4 and 5.

This map shows the complete layout of the Enchanted Orchard Renaissance Faire, which will be held at Red Apple Farm in Phillipston May 4 and 5. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

By MAX BOWEN

Athol Daily News Editor

Published: 04-24-2024 2:32 PM

Modified: 04-25-2024 6:06 AM


PHILLIPSTON — Red Apple Farm will become home to faeries, knights, trolls and lots of magic on the first weekend in May.

The Enchanted Orchard Renaissance Faire will take place on May 4-5. Richard and Rajuli Fahey of Winchendon have been to the farm a number of times, and had envisioned such an event for awhile. The two presented the idea to farm owners Al and Nancy Rose, who strongly supported it.

Rajuli is the stage manager, art and entertainment director. The event is produced through FaeGuild Wonders.

“As we were working to develop a renaissance fair, Red Apple was top of my mind,” said Richard, who serves as playwright, academic consultant, and creative and theatrical director.

The Faheys come with a lot of experience with such events, having created the Wyndonshire Renaissance Faire, which will take place April 27-28 in Winchendon. Much of the team that will be at the Wyndonshire Fair will also be at Enchanted Orchard. Richard noted that the two events will be somewhat different, as Wyndonshire is more focused on town history.

“It will be a different texture, different storyline, different vibe,” he said.

Richard said that his inspiration for the Enchanted Orchard event is making it similar to a Shakespearean play, such as ”A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

“There’s a magic in the air that is going on,” Rajuli said. “We are so excited for this. People are getting excited and thinking of costumes. It’s like there’s a lot of desire for art.”

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Al Rose said that the Red Apple Farm is home to a number of events, such as the Blueberry Jamboree in July, Sunflower Festival in August, and Appleseed Country Fair on Labor Day weekend. The farm staff also is getting into the fair spirit, pairing ciders with characters or themes of the event, and making specialty foods for the weekend.

“We love that component, we love that the fair will have a lot of agriculture woven into it,” Al said. “I hope that the blossoms are out. All our staff have lined up and embraced it on every level.”

There will be a wide array of events and performers at the Enchanted Orchard, which will feature the Knights of Lord Talbot, Phoenix Swords and Meraki Caravan, among many more. People can enjoy troll hayrides, get their pictures taken with mermaids or be knighted by the high nobles. Along with the performers already mentioned, the Skeleton Crew Theater, Mt. Wichusett Witches and Nagashri Dancers will be there, along with musical performers.

Richard said that the melee tournament will be a popular part of the fair. He described his direction style as highly immersive and that in addition to theatrical performances, there will be other immersive opportunities.

“It makes you really feel like you’re walking into another world,” Richard said. ”We encourage patrons to come back for a second day.”

Rajuli said that children age 6 and under will get in for free, and a fairy-themed area will be set up for the young and young at heart. Nancy said that the Red Apple staff are looking forward to the fair and coming up with ideas for costumes.

“There’s a lot of entertainment beyond the storyline,” Nancy Rose said. “There’s so much interaction with it. I think it will be a wonderful, interactive fair for everyone that comes.”

For more information, visit https://enchantedorchardrenfaire.com/.

Max Bowen can be reached at mbowen@atholdailynews.com or 413-930-4074.