Welcome to the Days of Olde
What do Madison and her family see at the a woman on his shoulders. Madison’s brother
Renaissance Fair?
1
“Hear, ye! Hear ye! All bow for King Frederick
and Queen Vanessa!”
2
The bearded man yelling these words wore
a white shirt with puffy sleeves under a tan vest,
along with loose pants that gathered tightly at
his ankles. Behind him, King Frederick and Queen
Vanessa strolled slowly, waving to the crowds
that parted and bowed for them. The King’s long
robe brushed the ground as he walked, and the
Queen had huge, ruffled sleeves on her dress, an
elaborate hairpiece atop her head, and several
long, beaded necklaces draping down her front.
3
They were the King and Queen of the
Renaissance Fair, but like most people, they had
regular jobs they went to when they weren’t
playing royalty at the fair. Each year, all the
people who worked or volunteered at the
annual Renaissance Fair cast votes to decide
who would be that year’s King and Queen.
Usually, a couple who had participated in the
fair for many years was chosen.
4
Madison hoped someday she could work
at the fair, and maybe even be Queen one
day. She and her family had been attending
the annual event for the last few years. Madison
loved all the pretending, especially the way
the people in costumes spoke using very old-
fashioned English, like they were in one of
Shakespeare’s plays.
5
The buildings lining the main avenue of the
fair were built to look like the shops and inns
of a medieval village. The insides of the shops
were more modern, with cash registers and
credit card machines, but the goods on sale
were Renaissance-themed items. One store
had plastic battle axes, long swords, and other
pretend weapons for sale. Another shop sold
light, flowing clothes, flowered crowns, and
jeweled tiaras. Craftspeople displayed their
wares through the fair. They included wood
carvers, metal smiths, and weavers.
6
As Madison and her family wandered
through the festival, they saw jugglers, fire eaters,
and a lot of men dressed as knights. A rope was
strung tightly between two trees, and a man
walked carefully back and forth, balancing
Spectrum Reading Grade 7
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704585 INT 7.indd 14
suddenly ran ahead and got in line at a food
stand. He was ready to get their traditional
Renaissance Fair lunch: a roasted turkey leg.
Madison and her parents joined him, and with
foil-wrapped turkey legs in hand, the family soon
continued on their way through the festival.
7
They passed a manual merry-go-round
offering rides for a couple of dollars. Four men
worked at the center of the ride to keep it
spinning. Handles stuck out that they grabbed
onto and pushed as they ran around and
around, making the merry-go-round go faster
and faster. Madison had ridden it last year, but
all the spinning had made her feel dizzy, so she
decided to skip the ride this time.
8
The long avenue ended at the jousting field.
Several times a day, jousters competed there.
Riding horses and wielding long lances, the
jousters tried to knock each other off their horses.
It was one of the most popular events at the fair,
and the stands surrounding the field were usually
packed. The family arrived just in time to grab a
few of the last seats.
9
The King and Queen sat in a special building
at the far end of the field, and as the riders came
out, each one stopped to pay his respects. Then,
the horses carried their riders to opposite ends
of the field, where they waited to begin. All at
once, the riders started racing toward each
other with the lances pointed straight ahead.
One knight had a better angle, and he knocked
his opponent to the ground. The crowd cheered.
10
As Madison walked with her family back
through the fair, they stopped in a shop selling
Renaissance costumes. Madison picked out the
outfit she would wear next year. It would be her
first time dressing up, and she couldn’t wait.
3/16/20 4:57 PM
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1. Which of the following is NOT included in the story as something Madison and her family
saw at the Renaissance Fair?

_______ a group of medieval singers _______ a tightrope walker

_______ a fire eater _______ fake weapons

2. Besides cash registers and credit card machines, list three other kinds of modern
equipment that would most likely be part of a Renaissance Fair.

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3. Explain what jousting is.

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4. Why does Madison choose not to ride on the merry-go-round?

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5. In your own words, describe the meaning of manual based on how the word is used to
describe the merry-go-round.

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6. Why do you think the King and Queen are often a couple who have been part of the fair
for many years? Explain your answer.

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7. The people at a Renaissance Fair dress up and reenact what life might have been like
in medieval times. If you could choose a different time period to have people reenact,
what would it be? Describe details of what would be included in the reenactment,
including what people might wear or do.

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Spectrum Reading Grade 7
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