Ohio Renassance Festival to Get New Queen Elizabeth

The Ohio Renaissance Festival will be in its 19^th year when it opens this September.  It has expanded from 5 weeks when it first began to 9 a few years ago and now back to the 8 that was the norm once they found the permanent location in Harveysburg, Ohio where they still reside.  Each year people come to be part of the cast and must try out to be picked.  This includes the role of Queen Elizabeth.  And this year the ORF will have a new queen.

This will be the fifth Queen Elizabeth that the Ohio Renaissance Festival has had.  I have only seen three of them and this new one will be the fourth.  My husband and I did not discover this fun time to past life until the 7^th season, when it had been settled for years at its 30 acre site.  I have heard the original was a very good queen but she had to move on.  I also know that the second one, the Queen Elizabeth that we saw, left for a good reason.  She got pregnant!  And if you know anything about Elizabeth’s reign, you can’t have a pregnant Queen Elizabeth since she never married. 

The third queen left for reasons I do not know.  I was sad to see her go like the second because I thought both portrayed the monarch very well.  I believe we had the third queen for about 5 years but honestly I’ve gone so many years that some things blend and I can’t tell which year they happened.  You know you’ve been going to a festival long enough when you can give directions to almost anything there (we don’t frequent all the shops so some I just have a vague idea about). 

Last year the Ohio Renaissance Festival has a new queen.  I have to say I did not approve.  She was petite and very soft spoken.  Not like any of the past ladies who were this great monarch who took England from poverty to being one of the riches nations in 40 years.  Her reign wasn’t called the “Golden Age” for nothing.  This lady just didn’t do it for me and several people I know that are regulars said the same thing.

This year they have announced a new queen but are not saying who it is.  I like the idea that a different person will be portraying Queen Elizabeth but hope they have cast someone much better than last year.  Of course with the secrecy it is possible we might see one of the former ladies back to rule again.