The first ever Wizard Faire is coming to Victory Park in Old Pickerington on Friday, August 11 from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The event, which is part of Fairfield County’s Wands and Wizards Weekend, is Pickerington’s own Renaissance festival with games, entertainers, vendors and food trucks!
“Wizard Faire will be a family-friendly, enchanting event filled with magic, music and fun,” said Kasey Anklam who serves on the planning committee. “From fantasy enthusiasts to D&D gamers, this event is for your inner witch or wizard and for children and adults alike.”
On the stage, solo acoustic guitarist Beth Nuzum Cronenweth will perform at 4:00 p.m. followed by Paul Weiss on the melodica at 4:30 p.m. At 5:00 p.m. musician Mockery Max will be “turning muggle oldies into wizard goldies!” At 6:00 p.m., the Ohio School of Falconry will treat the audience to a demonstration of their incredible birds. Five lucky adults will be chosen to assist in the demonstration! The falconry exhibition is sponsored by the Pickerington Public Library which is co-hosting the Wizard Faire with the Pickerington Village Association. At 7:15 p.m., renowned guitarist Bob Ford will take the stage. Lastly, at 8:00 p.m. anyone who dressed up is invited to enter a costume contest with prizes awarded in a variety of categories including “Best Group Cosplay”, “Most Creative”, “Best Pet Costume” and more.
In addition to those performing on stage, several entertainers will be wandering the crowd including magician Jake Lundgren, juggler Lindsey Geers, and the library’s Violet the Cow.
Kids of all ages can buy tickets to play carnival games such as ring toss, slingshot launch, and duck races. The tickets to play are $1.00 each or six for $5.00. The games all have fun prizes like sword pens and magic wands.
More than 40 vendors have signed on to offer a variety of goods and services. Make a craft at the library booth, have your tarot read, or paint your own ceramic dragon. The Knotted Cloak from the Ohio Renaissance Faire will be selling her handsewn cloaks.
Several food trucks will be on hand offering dinner options like cheesesteak, burgers, shrimp tacos, and reuben sandwiches. Sweet options include caramel apples, beautifully intricate sugar cookies, fruit pops, fry pies, mini doughnuts and kettle corn.
For a complete list of vendors, please visit the Wizard Faire event page.
Wands and Wizards Weekend runs from August 10-12 with special food and entertainment events occurring throughout Fairfield County. For more information visit Wands & Wizards Weekend event page.
In Pickerington, Combustion Brewery & Taproom is hosting Harry Potter Trivia on Thursday night and feature special drinks throughout the weekend. Sorso Coffee and Fiiz Drinks will also feature special menu items. Rule 3 will offer a discounted rate on its Wizard-themed escape room, “Sorcerer’s Study”.
Also debuting this weekend are a Magical Creature Hunt and a Fairy House Trail. Both use the Visit Fairfield County app on mobile devices and participants can collect prizes for following the trails.
With the Magical Creature Hunt, you follow the map on your phone to various locations around Pickerington where you will find posters featuring creatures from myth or fantasy, intricately drawn by local artist Alex M. Clark.
On the poster, you will find a question. Type the answer to all eight questions into your phone and you will win a prize which can be collected from either Combustion Brewery & Taproom or Sorso Coffee. This trail runs through the Wands and Wizards week only. For more information, visit the event page for the Magical Creature Hunt.
The Fairy House Trail will debut Wands and Wizards week but will remain in place throughout the year. Check into the app at every stop and your prize can be collected at Fiiz. The houses along the trail were designed and built by local youth including the high school art programs, Girl Scouts and BSA Scouts.
The trails overlap, so they can easily be completed at the same time for double the fun and double the prizes!
