Renaissance, Texas: Fantasy and Murder at the World's Biggest RenFaire [3]

When "King" George Coulam created his Renaissance fantasy world in the heart of Texas, the local cowboys and the press came calling. And it was all very 1970s.

“Renaissance, Texas” is a nine-part, serialized story I’m running exclusively in my newsletter. To read from the beginning with Post 1, click here.

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After “King” George Coulam launched the Texas Renaissance Festival in the heart of Texas in 1974, the locals cowboys and the national press came calling - including a young reporter, Leeza Gibbons, later of Entertainment Tonight fame.

In this vintage PM Magazine TV news clip from 1979, Gibbons makes the rounds of jousters, jesters, and assorted Texans out for a good time (and buckets of ale). “You might as well leave your inhibitions at home,” Gibbons says, “because they have no place here!”

But for the self-described “Rennies” who dress in period garb, it’s not just the booze and bawdiness that compels them, it’s the chance to role play and be someone else.

“They can come in costume, they can indulge in characters, they can participate and be a part of it,” one bearded reenactor in a flowing, golden robe tells Gibbons, “They are not observers here, they’re part of the show.”

In the next post of “Renaissance, Texas:” Cowboys vs. Rennies, and the murder of Brandon Smith.