"It's criminal for people not to come out and actually experience it," said Carol Peterson in a British accent as she danced across a picnic bench to a lilting ballad plucked by a guitar player and joined in by several dozen costumed singers flocked around him.

The it, that Peterson was referring to, was the First Annual Midsummer Renaissance Faire held at the Ukrainian Homestead in Lehighton on June 2nd, 3rd, 9th, and 10th—two weekends of minstrels, merriment, mischief, mayhem and high camp entertainment.

The event produced by Midsummer Productions, a group loosely associated with the Kutztown University Medieval Renaissance Club, and although summer has not officially begun, the weather was warm and sunny enough for the name, Midsummer Productions, to feel right.

So warm that cast member Katie Smith in the role of Countess Margueritte du Poisson, dressed in an open necked Empire Bodice dress, that she made herself from 8-1/2 pounds of velvet, felt "incredibly hot."

Another bodice ripping actress, Jennifer Chamberlain Thomas as Captain Morgan Ni'Calliegh, tempted both sides as both a temptress and a bloodthirsty pirate captain. This 16-year Renaissance Faire veteran was costumed as a swashbuckler in bodice, breeches, boots and a tailored shirt. She preferred to not think of herself as a pirate, but instead to see herself in the field of pre-emptive salvage.

Brian is the creative director of the Faire. With several partners who have been active in Renaissance Faires over the years, he formed Midsummer Productions, which produced their first major event at the 200-acre Ukrainian Homestead.

"After ten years of performing, vending, producing and directing for other people, one day, we decided to try it ourselves," said DiBonaventure. "Here we are."

"A Renaissance Fair is taking the Middle Ages, making them pretty and all cleaned up, taking the bad things out and only including the sword and sorcery movie aspects, the sword fights, the singing, and the colorful characters," DiBonaventure explained.

It took three months of rehearsals to prepare the actors for the Faire. Much of the rehearsal time was dedicated to choreographing the Chessboard combat scenes. Toward the end of each day of the Faire, the actors assemble about a chessboard that is marked onto an open patch of grass.

Instead of playing a game of chess, the actors must face one another in choreographed combat. First-time actress Helen Hrabal Ð in the role of an angry wench, fought with Rachel Liesau in a duel with pitchforks. They stabbed, swept, and pushed, eventually reaching a hand-to-hand climax when Hrabal flipped over Liesau's back.

"We look for what looks flashy, neat and keeps an audience entertained," said Michael Keifer Ð the entertainment director and one of three fight choreographers. "We try different combinations of weapons like pitchforks, a giant hammer, and a musket vs. a cane. We make sure our fights are safe and interesting."

The production was such fun that it will seem like a long year to wait for next year's production. If anyone is interested in joining the group, they practice in Allentown, contact Brian DiBonaventure at 610-652-1443 or see: www.midsummerfaire.com, or email: shp_director@subtlehintproductions.com.