King Richard's Faire is posed for its 30th enchanted season in Carver | SouthCoastToday.com

Long live the King.

For 30 delightful years, the coming of autumn has signified the return of King Richard's Faire to the Carver woods. This year's milestone will be celebrated throughout the realm, as new performances and artisans will join the stable of beloved characters that have become part of the tradition of New England's largest Renaissance fair.

"If someone had said I'd still be playing in the forest 30 years later, I'd say no way," said owner and producer Bonnie Harris Shapiro. "I'm proud to have the Faire still up and running, because our family has worked long and hard and put a good part of our lives into making it a special place."

King Richard's Faire truly is a family venture, and always has been. Bonnie and her late husband Richard Shapiro began the first incarnation in the Midwest back in 1972 and ran it there for 10 years, before moving to the 80-acre site in Carver. Although Richard — who played the original monarch — passed away in 1996, Bonnie continues to run the Faire with daughter Aimee Shapiro Sedley serving as co-producer and vice president of production, helping in the day-to-day operations.

Sedley likes to say she was "born into the realm," as she was just 2 years old when the Faire began. Along with her sister Samantha, she performed various duties each season, such as performing with the gypsy dancers and hawking turkey drumsticks.

"It was definitely fun and unusual. My friends were always jealous," Sedley said. "My sister and I always say we grew up in a magical kingdom."

And there is something magical about King Richard's Faire, even as it blends together authentic 16th-century costumes and customs with 21st-century innovations like ATMs and online ticketing.

"To me, it's about the sunlight filtering through the trees in our enchanted woods, and there are a thousand families walking around with smiles on their faces," said Shapiro. "It's so different than any other venue. People think that it's theater, but it's not — it's interactive."

via www.southcoasttoday.com