Renaissance Festival and Cajun Fest draw in crowds

Getting away has never been so close.  This weekend thousands of people flocked to the Amana's for either the Renaissance Festival or the Cajun Fest.  And thousands of more people are expected Sunday.

The Renaissance Festival takes over the park in Middle Amana.  The crowds come for many things, but they come especially for the swords, the fun and to just get away.

“You get to think about other things besides the mortgage and the job and the boss,” said one of the Scottish actors at the Festival.

The crowd is from across the Midwest.  The jousters are from a company called Joust Evolution, based in Des Moines.  The jousters this weekend come from Iowa, Ohio and Michigan.

Beyond the knights and kings and queens, are the self-proclaimed “Scottish Royal Family.”  They're a group of Scots that most-likely live in Iowa,  but won't admit that in costume.

“The number one question adults ask us is what's under the kilt.  A common answer is my boots,” said one of the Scots.

They love to show off their kilts because it's a source of pride.  However, they also admit it's a source of plenty of jokes.

“There is one piece of clothing on this earth that is one-size-fits-all.  That's the kilt.  It's seven to ten yards of fabric, and if you can't fit seven to ten yards of fabric around you, you're not moving on your own anyway,” said one of the Scots.

If the Renaissance isn't your style, maybe a dose of Cajun is, and that's overflowing at the Cajun Fest at the Amana RV Park.

The Fest was a staple until 2007, when the staff said they wanted to have a Memorial Day Weekend to enjoy, and not work.  Three years later, Sharon Widmer brought the Cajun Fest back.

Beyond the smell of crawdads lathered in butter, your senses will pick up the typical Zydeco music that accompanies the Cajun lifestyle.  It's rich blend of Creole history in Louisiana and Texas.

“Yeah, its different and its fun and its lively and even though a lot of it is sung in French, people don't realize they can't understand it because its just fun,” said Widmer.