Keeping the Alabama Renaissance Faire thriving

This weekend, Wilson Park in Florence will once again transform into a scene from another era. Men in doublets and women in sweeping gowns wander the stalls with swords, pottery and other medieval crafts on display, but behind several of those “lords” and “ladies” are volunteers like Lori Woolfolk and Mark Newton. Volunteers who are the backbone behind the annual Alabama Renaissance Faire.

Bothserveontheevent’s organizing committee, known as the Round Table, a dedicated group that spends months preparing for the two-day celebration that has brought to life the Renaissance village in Florence each October for nearly four decades. Though the Faire may look like a world of fantasy, for volunteers like Woolfolk and Newton, it’s very real work — and a labor of love.

For Newton, who grew up in Florence, the Faire began as curiosity.

“The Faire intrigued me,” he recalled. “So, I just went to see what it was like and enjoyed it. Whenever my work schedule would permit, I’d try to go every once in a while.”

By the time he officially joined the Round Table in 2010, he had already started showing up in costume. The first time, he wore a simple tunic, and Fairegoers mistook him for Robin Hood. Leaning into that theme, he created his first character, Lord Marcus of Nottingham.

“I probably do that one the most, but I’ve developed a couple more since then,” Newton said with a laugh. “Sometimes I come as a monk, Brother Ambrose, and then I also do a peasant, Godfrick.”

Each persona may have been inspired by costuming elements at first, but as someone who’s also been heavily involved with community theater in the Shoals, Newton said he’s developed complex personalities for each that continue to evolve year after year.

“At Halloween, you’re in costume, but for the Faire, I’m more of a real person,” he added. “We’re all always developing our characters. Just like a person growing up, the character grows and changes a little every year.”

Newton doesn’t just play a part. He manages the Faire’s information booth and merchandise sales, a role that fits neatly with his background in retail.

“We sell shirts, posters, mugs there at the information booth, and we have information on the entertainment,” he said. “We’ve been holding a scavenger hunt for the past three or four years as well, so we’ll have information on that too.”

Now retired, Newton spends his mornings volunteering at the front desk at North Alabama Medical Center, greeting visitors, directing guests and helping to transport patients. It’s work he said that isn’t all that different from his role at the Faire.

“I think what I enjoy most is helping people,” he said. “At the information booth, we get to greet them with a cheery smile and say, ‘good morning.’ We help them find their way, and you get to see all the characters who come through. That’s always a lot of fun.”

In many ways, Newton embodies what makes the Florence Faire special — the mingling of community service, local history, and joy. Over his years of service, Newton has watched the Faire grow from a small, local event to one that fills Wilson Park to capacity.

“We’ve got the park packed with vendors now,” he said. “And the attendees have really increased in the past few years. I think it’s because there’s a closeness here that people don’t get anywhere else.” While Newton’s job centers around greeting the crowds, Woolfolk’s official role takes place behind the scenes. She manages the Faire’s finances as “Chancellor of the Exchequer,” or treasurer.

“I’m the money grinch,” she said jokingly.

A lifelong Shoals resident who grew up in Muscle Shoals and now lives in Sheffield, Woolfolk first attended the Faire long before she joined the Round Table.

“I couldn’t tell you how long ago it was,” she said. “Many, many years ago. Not exactly from the beginning, but my son was born in 1997, and I attended a few times before he was born. I have a picture somewhere of him being pushed in a stroller at the Faire. So, that tells you about how long we’ve been involved.”

Her son, Jacob Ross Maples, is now an electrical engineer whose work takes him across the country, but he still manages to take off work for a week each fall to volunteer alongside his mother.

Woolfolk’s daughter, Hannah Meyers, is also dedicated, though more as a spectator who brings Woolfolk’s grandchildren to enjoy the Faire festivities each year.

“We’ve met so many families who come every year,” Woolfolk said. “We’ve watched their children grow up. Some of them come up and say, ‘We’re here for our annual portrait.’ It’s really special.”

That portrait, of course, refers to another of Woolfolk’s Faire duties. She and her husband, Jerry, operate a photo booth that lets guests step into costume for Renaissance-style portraits.

“Billy Ray Warren, you know, the Faire founder, asked us to do it years ago because there wasn’t anything like it,” she explained. “We started with costumes I made for my kids growing up, and we’re always adding things so we can outfit children as well as adults.”

Whether guests arrive in jeans or full medieval garb, they leave with a keepsake, and often, a new tradition.

Like most of her fellow Round Table members, Woolfolk first got involved simply because someone invited her.

“Somebody just said, ‘Hey, why don’t you come to a Round Table meeting with us?’” she recalled. “I did — and I still do.”

Her long background in public service made her a natural fit.

In college, she was a leader for the civic club Cirlce K, and when her children were old enough to join the Boy and Girl Scouts, she stepped up as a Scout leader for each organization.

Woolfolk’s career spanned more than 26 years in public education, as she followed in the footsteps of her mother, who also worked for Muscle Shoals City Schools.