Four Winds plans Easter service

Four Winds Faire continues this weekend with a 17th century Easter service and egg hunt scheduled. The Renaissance festival is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and is located off Hwy. 110 South on CR 2178 between Whitehouse and Troup.

The annual event runs eight consecutive weekends, offering a season full of jousting, swordsmen, pirates and buccaneers, artisan demonstrations, craft booths and food and drink fit for a king and queen.

Following this weekend's Easter celebration, the next two weekends are themed "Knights & Chivalr y" and "Highland Clans/Celtic Heritage Fest."

"Four Winds Faire offers a unique opportunity for families to have an educational and fun experience and escape the stresses of modern life for a day," said Dustin Stephens, owner and general manager. "We have recaptured the essence of entertainment in the Renaissance era that will spark imaginations of the young and not-so-young alike."

At Four Winds' "Tournament of Chivalry," knights compete to display their jousting and gaming skills at the Royal Jousting arena twice a day. Four Winds' internationally acclaimed jousting company, the Knights of the Four Winds, offers full contact performances in a setting reminiscent of the royal jousting fields of Western Europe.

The Renaissance festival offers an impressive variety of 17th century living history venues, boasting more than 40 live performances daily. Dueling swordfighters, Musketeers and Cardinal's Guards, Queen Anne and her royal court, exotic harem belly dancers, bagpipers, magicians and minstrels are found on eight stages throughout the grounds.

An authentic living history encampment offers a vivid glimpse into what military life was like during the period of the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) as Col. Walter Butler's Dragoons demonstrate live steel sword duels and period weapons demonstrations.

Sword duels and intrigues abound in the live chess match, performed daily by the Fellowship of the Four Winds performance company.

The idea for a Renaissance faire in East Texas began in 1994 as Four Winds opened its gates for the first time with three stages and a tent village on 15 acres at the Vizcaya Ranch near Tyler. In the years since, it has added permanent vendor booths, eight staging areas, a wall with towers and gates enclosing the grounds, and a nearby campground with RV hookups and shower/ restroom facilities.

Four Winds is one of the most historically authentic Renaissance experiences in Texas, said Stephens. Visitors stroll along scenic paths through the village and encounter artisans' shops and costumed characters.