This was our first faire in 2 years and, frankly, we expected more. We left after only 3 hours. The Toledo Fantasy Faire is in its second year and it was very well advertised. I started seeing ads for it in May. The web site is very nice (at www.medievalfantasy.net/). The faire rates a weak mediocre.

We drove out to Fremont (which is near Sandusky and Cedar Point) the night before and stayed in a hotel. The Fremont Hotel was nice, clean, cheap and maybe a little on the small side, but the woman at the desk gave us excellent directions on how to get to where we could find dinner and then gave us directions back. If I were going back to the Fremont faire I would definitely stay there again.

"If."

In the morning we got up, donned costumes and headed out to the site. There are no signs leading you to the site. I’m used to the Ohio Ren Faire and the Great Lakes Faire that have signs leading you in from the nearest major highway. This faire was a long way through town and the first sign we saw was the one we nearly missed at the end of their drive. The faire is an add-on attraction to the Hunted Hydro (don’t know, didn’t want to think about it much.) It does have a beautiful location, right on the banks of the Sandusky River, partially in shade, partially in sun, but they aren’t using the location to advantage.

The lay out is a globby 9. You come in the front gate and there’s some things there, then you go down a long dirt road along the river and there’s a couple of vendors there. At the top of the road there is a jousting field and, beyond it, the main food area, with a lovely view of the parking lot. Then a circle with a couple more vendors and a couple of stages.

Food?
If it was deep fried, you could have it. I chose the only non fried-option I could find and ended up with shredded chicken, not chicken salad, shredded chicken on a bun. There was a reasonably good alcohol selection which you would probably need to get through the day.

Entertainment
Precious few, though the one we did sit through was very good. It was a whip and danger show complete with a bed of nails. Also appearing there, according to the program, was Gibbon, musician and story teller. He’s quite good, but we didn’t see him at this show. And we stumbled across another trio who was doing medieval versions of rock songs during the joust to entertain the vendors. The very best time to go buying is during the joust because you can actually look around and talk to the vendors.

Shopping?
There were about 20 vendors spread out through the faire. The usual soap, costumes, and jewelry. There just wasn’t much to choose from, though the soap we got smells great.

Attractions
The fairy forest was wonderful. Attractively done with at least one very good fairy lurking in the brush. When you go in you are given a few flakes of fools gold which is a nice touch. There were a few games, but they all seemed to be unmanned while we were there. The joust was quite good, the half of it we watched (it was too hot in the stands) and the jousting stands were excellent. They look like real stadium stands.

Location
It should be a great site with the river right there and the shade, but they aren’t using it well. When you look at the map it looks pretty orderly, and then you start walking around and realized that the map has no relationship to reality. Rather than deciding that, since they didn’t have a lot of vendors they should only use part of the space they had, they used the entire space and spread out the vendors. Rather than bring the food trailers closer to the jousting field so you wouldn’t have to look at the parking lot, they put the trailer out in the middle of the field so you have to hike for your bad meal. Rather than put the vendors on the opposite side of the road from the river so the visitors get a scenic view, they put the vendors with their backs to the river so nobody can see. Very odd to say the least.

I feel like this could be a good faire. It’s got lots of room to grow. The performers we caught were good. The grounds are nice and have promise. However. First of all, three of its weekends conflict with the Great Lakes Faire and if given the option I’m going to take the Great Lakes Faire every time. There is nothing going on in May or early June, why does everybody have to gang up on July? Second, the food is absolutely dreadful and it doesn’t have to be that way. Third, the grounds in use should be tailored to fit the number of vendors so the visitors aren’t walking forever to get to something. Fourth, signs. How are we supposed to find this faire without signs?

I won’t go back next year, but maybe the year after. Given some time and some gentle criticism, there is hope.


Recommended: No

Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Never