Two weekends left for 2023 Colorado Renaissance Festival

Signature event in Larkspur wrapping up 46th season

BY ELISABETH SLAY ESLAY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

When patrons cross the threshold of the Colorado Renaissance Festival castle gate they are transported to a world where knights ght to the death, royalty glide down the village streets, fairies utter about and witches eat children.

Kristy Ekiss, operations manager and Queen Anne of the festival, said the 16th-century medieval amusement park is about to complete its 46th season of operation. Patrons can visit the park for the last times this year on July 29-30 and Aug. 6-7.

Ekiss said this season has been wonderful and, like previous years, has had a great response from people. With around 100 cast members, the Colorado Renaissance Festival is unique in that it’s very interactive with visitors, Ekiss said.

“We try very hard to achieve a fully immersive experience where everywhere you look, you’re being pulled into the scene and you’re being made part of the village rather than just walking through and experiencing it,” she said. “I think we try very hard to make everyone apart of the show.” ere is always a show going on at every single one of those stages and we have over 180 artisans that we hand select from all around the country that create everything from blacksmithing to swords to elaborate court costumes to anything you can think of,” Ekiss said.

She said there is something for everyone in the permanent village structure that sits on 80-plus acres of land.

“We have over 10 stages of nonstop entertainment.

Ekiss said the same family has owned the park since its opening in 1977.

Ekiss, who lives in Colorado Springs and grew up going to Renaissance fairs, has been on sta and in the cast for 17 years. For her, the best aspect of being a part of the festival is performing for children.

Eric Mindykowski, who performs as eodore Wenglewick, the Duke of Larkspur, acts as the casting director and has been a part of the theme park since 2002, feels the same way.

“Seeing that wonder in kids’ eyes, that’s one of my favorite things,” he said. e duke said while the festival can cause tra c in Larkspur, it’s bene cial to the town’s economy and brings new people to the community every year.

Mindykowski said he feels the Colorado Renaissance Festival is di erent from others because everyone from the cast to the crew is extremely kind to patrons.

“Everybody says our festival is the friendliest and I really pride ourselves as management that we instill that in everybody,” he said.

David Seeley, who originally worked for a merchant, has worked at the festival since 2001 and took on the role of King George six years ago.

“ is one of the few places where people come just to have a good time. My favorite aspect of this season is just the renewal of the cast,” he said. “People visit from all over the country, and they commonly comment about it’s so di erent here because we’re just a big family and it’s just a big heart that we have.”

Colorado natives, high school sweethearts and married couple John and Pinkie Stepp, also known as omas and Elizabeth Howard, the Duke and Duchess of Norford, rst came to the fair in 1979, became consistent patrons in 1996 and joined the cast 15 years ago.

Based on real people in history, John and Pinkie love bringing the 16th century alive for people through their characters.

“One of the things I love most is, as we walk around and entertain, people ask questions and I can share historical things like how we’re dressed and what’s important,” Pinkie said.

For John, there is nowhere greater to be than the Colorado Renaissance Festival.

“With all due respect I think Mr. Disney was wrong. is is in fact the happiest place on Earth,” John said. For more information, visit coloradorenaissance.com e study noted that lower-amplitude sound can have “adverse long term physiological e ects.” e most important factor to consider when selecting a site for pickleball courts is the distance to adjacent residential areas, according to the study.

“Continuous false alarms such as the popping sound created by pickleball paddle impacts make it di cult to relax, concentrate, or sleep soundly without disturbance as each time a pop is heard it draws the attention, creating distraction,” the study said.

Typically, pickleball courts located within 350 feet of residential properties require noise abatement and those that a are closer, within 150 feet, require “extensive” noise dampening, the study said. ose within 100 feet are not recommended and have “proven to be problematic,” leading to lawsuits, strict limitations on usage and court closures.

Pickleball courts within 500 feet to 600 feet of “noise sensitive areas” should be reviewed by an acoustical engineer in the site selection phase of the project, the study said.

“Sta is looking to take a straightforward approach to … pickleball noise abatement by using an appropriate setback distance, limiting hours of operation and monitoring lighting,” Jessica Lacambra, a Centennial city planner, said.

Lacambra said if newly proposed outdoor, permanent courts could not meet these standards, then the setbacks might be reduced with additional measures and a required noise study from a quali ed acoustical engineer.

Physical noise barriers, hours of operation, lighting rules, the directional orientation of the courts, and the number of courts all are considerations, she added.

Another way to reduce pickleball noise is requiring di erent equipment, such as a foam ball rather than the typical plastic one. However, regulating the type of pickleball equipment people use would be difcult to enforce, Lacambra said.

“Another di cult standard to enforce would be speech, whether that be volume or content,” she said.

Neil Marciniak with the city said there’s lots of details still to consider before the city has a plan.

“What … sta is gonna have to settle on and council will have to agree to is: What is that sound level that gives us the most comfort, gives our residents the most protection, and ultimately, hopefully arrives at the fewest noise complaints?” Marciniak said.

Councilmember Candace Moon said the city needs to be “very careful and equitable in how we craft this ordinance.”

“ ere’s a lot of choices that can be made as far as how we choose to have an ordinance,” she added.

City sta is expected to seek additional input from community stakeholders, such as neighborhood groups, parks and recreation districts, and homeowners associations. e city previously collected public input through its website, asking for feedback on what level of government regulation of outdoor pickleball courts residents would like to see. Residents can see the comments people shared by visiting: bit.ly/ cenpickleball.

City sta will also assess likely pickleball court locations to evaluate potential noise risks and applicability of the potential regulations.

According to the city’s website, the public hearings and consideration of regulations is expected to occur around August/September.

If residents have questions or concerns, the city said it is available via email at centennialplanning@ centennialco.gov. ose interested in learning more can visit bit.ly/ cenpick.