Sad news for all you joust, juggling, corset, knights-in-shining-armor and tights! tights! tights! lovers. And if you love yelling “Huzzah!” you should be sad, as well. Due to last year’s poor attendance and looming construction debt, the Wisconsin Renaissance Faire over in Chippewa Falls is probably done for. From the Leader-Telegram:

• "Right now we've got one, possibly two, people interested in buying the fair," [Faire co-owner] McVey said. "But we're not even remotely close to a deal."
• One of the potential buyers lives on the East Coast, and the other is from Minnesota. McVey said the Minnesota party is not affiliated with the renaissance fair held annually in Shakopee, Minn.
• He hopes any new owners would keep the grounds as a renaissance fair.

McVey sites last summer’s $4 gas prices as the biggest troll the Faire was unable to kill on its journey towards slaying its archenemy – a fierce-hearted dragon called “$871,517.74 owed to A-1 Excavating of Bloomer.” So A-1 has foreclosed upon the noble land. McVey says the only chance the Faire has of reappearing is if the land is purchased ASAGP (as soon as gallantly possible) and the new owner holds his or her own Faire.

This sucks. That faire really added another dimension to summer around here. It’s hard to compare it with the massive one in Minnesota, but it sure was nice having our own. I’m betting a lot of sad ladies out there now have velvety, empire waist gowns and nowhere to wear them. And there’s a lot of disappointed dudes who have no (easily justified) occasion to strap a sword to their belts.