This autumn marks the 45th season of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. The Faire has kept the medieval fantasy alive for almost half a century. There have been many Renaissance Faires established throughout the years, but the most local is the PA Renaissance Faire, located in Manheim.
The Faire is run by many diligent people, one being Daniel Yocum. Daniel handles the food and product aspect of the faire. When asked about the purpose of the Faire, Daniel explained, “It’s a place for people to escape a mundane life and come here to be whoever they want to be, and have a great time doing it.” Daniel’s wife, and partner in running part of the Faire, Tasha Yocum, says the faire is almost “like an educational experience,” yet it’s still “a no judgment zone.”
Daniel specifically highlighted the safety and security of the Faire. To him, the most important aspect of the Faire is “the fact that we protect everybody that is here. We do our best from security down to the food booths, making sure everybody has the best experience they can have here and the safest experience.”
The Faire is open both Saturdays and Sundays from late August to October. During the Faire season, Daniel and Tasha work diligently all through the week to prepare for the weekend festivities. Tasha claims that working the Faire “is a challenge, and every day is different. It’s not boring, so it’s not like your normal Monday through Friday job; it’s a lot of fun.” The Yocums have run everything from restaurants to resorts over the years, but nothing compares to the task of keeping the Faire running. Throughout Daniel’s management journey, he has overcome many obstacles to keep the businesses running. At his prior jobs, every day was “the same thing day in and day out, your problems [were] exactly the same. Here, it’s a new problem every day, you have to be on your toes.”
With the endless effort needed to run it, many people are offered jobs at the Faire. Ethan, one of the cooks in the turkey leg stand, described that while the people of the faire are very fun, and the Faire itself is an enjoyable experience, the work required can be exhausting at times. Though the job can be tiring, the Faire is a great place to make some extra money over the weekends during the school year. Ethan states, “During the fall, I have football, so I can’t work during the week, and this is the only one I found that I could do only weekends because it is only weekends.” Another employee, Melina, says that as a customer, she would come to visit the Faire, though as an employee, the job itself can be overwhelming with the amount of tickets sold each weekend. Both Ethan and Melina believe that “the free food” makes the job worth it. From turkey legs to brat and sauerkraut, to cinnamon bread, there are many delectable dishes available at the Faire for both customers and employees. Nick, another employee, previously worked at the Pittsburgh Renaissance Faire, and when asked what the difference between the two faires was, he described the Manheim location as “much larger and more established.” To Nick, working at the Faire is “pretty cool…I think they do a really good job of all of the actors portraying characters and making everyone feel like you’re actually in the Renaissance.”
The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire is open now until October 26th, every Saturday and Sunday. As Daniel puts it, the Faire is “an escape from reality. All of us, all the patrons, we feel like we don’t fit into society, but when we’re here, with these people, we all fit in together. So we are essentially The Land of Misfit Toys, where we all come together for 11 weekends out of the year, and the world seems right when everybody is here.” Visit the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire to experience the 45th anniversary of the fantasy this year. Tickets are available here.
