Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Oct. 14, 2024 – Ticket holders from far and wide stepped into a whimsical realm of fantasy and history at the Red Wolf Renaissance Fair at Craighead Forest Park this past weekend.
Visitors and volunteers alike were adorned in costumes ranging from armor-clad medieval knights, damsels in flowing gowns, goblins, mythical fairies, mermaids and minstrels.
Merchants of all sorts lined the grounds with tents and tables displaying everything from trinkets to turkey legs. There was no shortage of crafts and crafters. One could spend all day walking (or taking a carriage ride) and visiting a variety of interesting folk like An Arkansas Trapper selling fine pelts, or the Fortune Teller giving glimpses into the future.
In addition to intricately personified folklore and fantasy characters, actors were portraying Renaissance Era attire with historical accuracy. Memphis Armored Fight Club warriors not only pummeled each other with swords and shields but also gave historical insight into battle tactics and individual backstories pre-dating the Modern Age.
The fair also aimed to provide information about the conservation of the American red wolf.
Jonesboro Parks and Recreation teamed up with the American Red Wolf Conservation and Research Center to assist the cause by hosting Jonesboro’s inaugural Red Rolf Renaissance Fair. While not partnered with Arkansas State University, the fair did raise money to contribute to A-State’s planned red wolf conservation center.
For several years A-State has procured grants and pledged upwards of $5 million in coordination with Jonesboro’s A&P Commission, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and Endangered Wolf Center in St. Louis, among other non-profit entities. The fair is just one of the many efforts to fund a 10-acre fenced enclosure to house 12 red wolves, as well as a research facility in Craighead Forest Park, which would expand the ability to protect the red wolf species.
