Photo by Record Searchlight photography staff / Record Searchlight

Dani Kyle pours water on her best friend Barb Pedersen, both of Redding, during the 2007 Renaissance Fair in Anderson.

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Visit the Anderson River Park this weekend and you are likely to see some things that don't happen anywhere else or at any other time of year.

Take, for example, sword fighting, a parade for a queen or people dying wool. It's all part of the Shasta Dragonwood Renaissance Faire at the Anderson River Park on Saturday and Sunday.

The faire, put on by San Francisco-based Renaissance Productions, will be held Saturday and Sunday at Anderson River Park.

"There's something for everybody," said Marti Miernik, an event organizer.

Set in the 16th century, the faire begins Saturday with a large parade celebrating the arrival of Queen Mary Stuart. The celebration of the queen's visit will take the form of a harvest festival, set in a mid-1500s marketplace.

More than 80 merchants will set up shop. Authentic jewelers and leather specialists will show off their goods, as will vendors of Renaissance-era clothing and specialty perfumes.

Faire-goers can count on magic shows, comedy acts, story telling and singing and dancing. Meantime, patrons will be able to watch workers master their crafts: painters, wool dyers and archery bow makers.

There will also be re-enactments of battles and sword fighting. Visitors can interact with the actors and learn about Celtic sword fighting history and techniques. Visitors will also be able to participate in a number of games, meet the queen and even try their hands at archery.

Additionally, Friday is dedicated for local school students to attend. Last year about 800 students attended, and Miernik expects similar numbers this year. The actors will perform as they will throughout the weekend, but intertwining the performance with educational facts on Celtic and Scottish history and lifestyle.

Miernik, now an advocate of Renaissance education, was influenced and inspired by her history teacher.

"You can read books about it, or you can watch it happen," she said. "I learn by watching."

Miernik is excited about the musical performances by groups Golden Bough and Tartanic.

About 5,000 people attended last year, and she is optimistic about drawing a good crowd this year.

She encourages people to come dressed up. It shows the actors that you are interested, and it's more fun when you interact, Miernik said.

The food options are many, ranging from turkey legs to Chinese food. There will be soft drinks and a large variety of alcoholic drinks.

This is the second year Renaissance Productions has done the Anderson faire. After a hiatus by the former company, Miernik took the opportunity to bring the faire back to Anderson.

"I truly loved the area and I loved the people in the area. When we saw the opportunity, we took it," Miernik said.

There will be 15 different entertainment guilds, some of the actors coming from as far as San Diego.

In all there will be more than 600 actors filling the 5-acre spread of booths and stages.

Renaissance Productions performs on average six Renaissance fairs each year all over the West Coast.

Freelance writer Joshua Corbelli lives in Redding.