The annual event takes place on weekends from Labor Day weekend through the end of October. The festival is set up to resemble a 16th-century English village during the reign of Elizabeth I.
The festival, which now routinely attracts more than 200,000 visitors a year, got its start as a weekend event that was considered a success if 15,000 people paid just $5 for a daily ticket.
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For this edition of Vintage Dayton, we look at the history of “Ren Fest,” one of the most unique events on the annual Dayton calendar.
• TODAY’S FEATURED STORY: How a weekend Medieval Fair blossomed into today’s Ohio Renaissance Festival
More on Dayton festivals and event history
• When Aerosmith headlined a ‘mini-Woodstock’ rock festival at Dayton’s Eastwood Park
• Beer cost WHAT at the first Oktoberfest? What you should know about its boozy history
• Dayton Air Show: How the event took flight 50 years ago
• Soap Box Derby: This world-famous event was first held in Dayton
Did you know?
Here are a few great Dayton history facts we’ve learned from our stories:
• Dayton native Edwin Moses once won 122 straight 400-meter hurdles races
Columnist Tom Archdeacon this week told Moses’ story on the eve of the premiere of a new documentary about Moses.
• The Air Force Museum got its start as an engine museum in the corner of a hangar
The museum that would become The National Museum of the United States Air Force was founded in 1923 at McCook Field in Dayton.
• Gangster John Dillinger once had a girlfriend in Dayton, and a visit here led to his arrest
Dillinger was arrested in Dayton in September 1933 while visiting Mary Longnecker. Here’s the story about how that unfolded.
We want your help!
Do you have any requests or ideas that you would like to see us cover in this history newsletter?
What about cool old photos or stories of your own?
Let us know and we’ll include them in future newsletters.
Ashley’s Pastry Shop received a mention in a new book by former “West Wing” cast members Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack called “What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service.” The pair wrote about how the actors used to get excited every time Dayton native Allison Janney received a package of goodies from Ashley’s.
We received a request from a reader for more information about Janney’s background in Dayton, so we’re sharing a wonderful story from 2022.
• Click here for our story: Before actress Allison Janney was a star, she was an aspiring figure skater from Oakwood
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Thank you for reading.
