Pittsburgh
Renaissance Festival
& Artisan Marketplace
The All New Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival
August 23-24, 30-31, September 1, 6-7, 13-14, 20-21, 27-28 - 2008
Saturdays, Sundays and Labor Day Only!
Educational School Days September 18th and 19th.
FREE Parking
Student Days
An Educational Experience
Click Here For Flyer
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
Q: When are Student Days and what are the hours?
A: 2007 Student Days at the NEW Pittsburgh Renaissance
Festival will be Tuesday, September 18 for all students in
Elementary Schools and Home School Groups and on Wednesday,
September 19 for all Middle School and High School classes.
The hours of operation on these days are 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Plan to come early and stay the entire day. *Events are
geared toward the age groups designated for each day;
however, you can book for the day that best meets your
schedule.
Conemaugh Township Area High School
Photo by Jan Bowman
Q: Are reservations needed and if so, how do I make a
reservation?
A: It is recommended that you make a reservation for your
group. All you need do is to call our office at 724-872-1670
or fill out an order form and send back; we’ll take it from
there. You will receive a beneficial Curriculum Guide and
Chaperone Packet for your advance registration as well.
Q: What is the cost of admission?
A: Price is $7 for students in advance, $9 at the gate if
not pre-registered. One educator will be free for every 7
students.
Q: What about Lunch?
A: You may wish to have the students bring their own lunches
or they may want to try the many delectable hand-held foods
that our Royal Kitchens offer. (Most food items are in the
$2-5 range.) We also have food coupon books available in
advance for your students to purchase.
Q: Will my students need extra money?
A: Students wishing to purchase Festival Foods for lunch
should plan to bring extra money. Also available to enjoy
are games and rides that have nominal fees associated with
these activities. In addition, students can shop at any of
our over 90 craft shops. Game and Ride coupon books are also
available in advance; inquire at 724-872-1670
Q: How do I pay for our visit?
A: An invoice and written confirmation will be sent to you
as soon as your reservation is received. Checks should be made payable
to: The NEW Pittsburgh Renaissance
Festival. You may also choose to pay over the phone by
credit card. 724-872-1670
Q: Will I receive tickets for each student?
A: Yes upon arrival, your students will receive tickets
for their admittance. Should you need to add to your initial
order, you can do so upon arrival.
Q: What if it rains?
A: The Festival is an outdoor event and will operate RAIN OR
SHINE. NO refunds will be given for inclement weather.
Teachers/Chaperones should monitor the weather forecasts and
advise students to dress appropriately. Comfortable clothing
as well as sun-block is advisable every day.
Q: Are Student Days open to the General Public?
A: No, they are open only to pre-registered student groups.
Q: Where are we located?
A: The Festival is located just 6 miles west of New Stanton
at Exit 51A (Mt. Pleasant) off of I-70. Please feel free to
easily look up driving directions on our website. 112 Renaissance Lane, West Newton, PA
15089 724-872-1670
Interesting Facts from the 1500’s
The next time you are washing your hands and complain
because the water temperature isn’t just how you like it,
think about how things used to be.
Here are some facts about the 1500s: Most people got married
in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still
smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to
smell so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the
body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when
getting married.
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water.
The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all
the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children-last the
babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually loose someone
in it. Hence the saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.”
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw piled high, with no wood
underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the
dogs, cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When
it rained it became slippery and sometime the animals would slip and
fall off the roof. Hence the saying “Its raining cats and dogs.”
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed
a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could
really mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a
sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That’s how canopy beds
came into existence.
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt.
Hence the saying “dirt poor.”
The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when
wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their
footing. As the winter wore on, they kept adding more thresh until when
you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood
was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a “thresh hold.”
In the old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that
always hung over the fire. Every day they lit a fire and added things to
the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They
would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold
overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food
in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, Peas
porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days
old.”
Sometimes they would obtain pork, which made them feel quite special.
When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It
was a sign of wealth that a man “could bring home the bacon.” They would
cut off a little to share with their guests and would all sit around and
“chew the fat.”
Those with money had plates of pewter. Food with high acid content
caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning
and death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400
years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got to the burnt bottom
of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or
“upper crust.”
England is old and small and the local folks started running out of
places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the
bones to a “bone-house” and reuse the grave. When re-opening these
coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the
inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they
though they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it
through the coffin and up through the ground and tie a bell on it.
Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the “graveyard
shift”) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be “saved by the
bell” or was considered to be a “dead ringer.”
And that’s the truth…Now, whoever said History was boring!! Educate
someone…share these facts.
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Student Days Educational Support Materials
(Click on item below to download)
Pennsylvania Academic Standards
Educational Support Materials
Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival
The Renaissance - A Brief Synopsis
Projects & Classroom Activities
Produced by Rocky Mountain Festivals, Inc. Castle Rock, Colorado.
The owners of the Colorado Renaissance Festival.
For further information please call:
Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival
112 Renaissance Lane
West Newton, PA 15089
(724) 872-1670