Olde-Time Cultural Faire : Annual UCI Festival Features Food, Drink and Medieval Exhibits

At “Celebrate UCI” Saturday, all roads led to the Wayzgoose Medieval Faire, an outdoor party which was really more a 1990s free-for-all than festival from the Middle Ages.

Bungee-jumping, sumo wrestling, food booths and rock ‘n’ roll all went on simultaneously at the fair in Aldrich Park, the centerpiece of an all-day open house that was expected to draw more than 18,000 people to the UC Irvine campus.

“It’s for getting together and seeing what everyone’s all about,” said Carolyn Fong, 19, a sophomore psychology major from Moraga. “This gives more spirit to the campus, which can be quiet since we don’t have things like football.”

The warm, hazy spring day started with a 5-K “Zot Trot” run, continued with campus tours and environmental displays in honor of Earth Day at Gateway Plaza, and finished with the 24th annual fair, which is billed as UC Irvine’s oldest tradition.

“Historically, the wayzgoose originated in a medieval printers union,” said Randy Lewis, an associate dean of students. “They used to have an apprentice fair called Wayzgoose. A couple of students picked it up in the early 1970s as an idea for a festival.”

But it has evolved into a way to feature the variety and diversity of the campus, said sophomore Rosie Tepos. More than 100 student, faculty and staff organizations operate a variety of booths throughout the park.

Food has become one of the fair’s highlights with spring rolls, enchiladas, shish kebabs, Korean barbecue and Navajo tacos, a variation of the traditional Mexican taco but with a thicker, flat tortilla, among the offerings.

“It’s a party and a good advertisement for people who are coming to see the school,” said Tepos, 19, from Covina. “Everyone gets out and joins together. It’s a lot of fun.”

Fun, not historical accuracy nor tradition, was what brought 9-year-old Kai Hally-Rosendahl to the fair. After one session at the bungee-jump exhibit, he got back in line for more.

“It sort of feels like you’re in a dream,” said Hally-Rosendahl, a student at Irvine’s Turtle Rock Elementary School, of his bungee experience.

UC Irvine’s fraternities and sororities were out in force, taking part in a mini-songfest from the stage in the middle of the park, as well as operating food and drink booths featuring such concoctions as nonalcoholic “mocktails,” which resemble pina coladas and strawberry daiquiris.

“This supports our scholarship and philanthropic activities--if we make a profit,” said Allison Burns, 20, a junior engineering major.

For a medieval flair, the county’s chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism exhibited members’ colorful, handmade costumes in a booth complete with shields, armor, swords and masks. After dressing up for combat, society members squared off in mock battle at the center of an impromptu ring.

“We try and re-create the medieval times when the idea of craftsmanship and the idea of chivalry were still alive,” said Bob Morris, 35, of Anaheim, the chapter’s president and “baron.”

“Unlike most sports of today, it’s all based on the honor system. If someone scores a blow on you, you acknowledge it.”