Huzzah! Texas Renaissance Festival Opens Saturday, Portion Of Ticket Sales To Harvey Relief

HOUSTON, TX — Huzzah! The nation's largest Renaissance festival just north of Houston has vowed to give back to Texans who have given so much to them. The Texas Renaissance Festival (TRF) opens for the 43rd year Saturday in Grimes County, and officials of the festival said portions of proceeds from 2017 will go back to various relief funds in the aftermath and recovery of Hurricane Harvey.

The festival has grown by leaps and bounds over the last five years, with visitors surpassing the 600,000 mark on a consistent basis. TRF stated it will donate a portion of the total proceeds garnered from the entire 2017 season's ticket sales to three organizations assisting with hurricane relief, including Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, Lone Survivor Foundation and Society of Samaritans.

"Texans have helped build our event into the largest Renaissance Festival in the country, so we want to return the favor by helping Texans rebuild their lives," states Terre Albert, general manager of the Texas Renaissance Festival. "We hope that the magic of the Festival can be a much-needed escape for those affected by the natural disaster."

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The three organizations benefitting from ticket sale have varying degrees of outreach in how they'll help. Here's information on each of them with the link to donate:

• Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund: After receiving an overwhelming number of inquiries from Houstonians and companies wanting to help, Mayor Sylvester Turner and County Judge Ed Emmett have established the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund that will accept relief and recovery donations for victims affected by the recent floods.
• Lone Survivor Foundation (LSF): the organization restores, empowers and renews hope for wounded service members and their families through health, wellness and therapeutic support. LSF is offering our therapeutic retreat program to veteran first responders (i.e. police officers, firemen, medical professionals, etc. who are also veterans) who participated in rescue and relief efforts during and following Hurricane Harvey. The retreats are tailored for those who have experienced compound trauma as a result of their military and civilian service to our country. Donations to Lone Survivor Foundation designated for the Hurricane Relief Fund will be used to fund these retreats, which are provided to the participant at no cost to them or their family.
• Society of Samaritans (SOS): It is a coalition of church congregations and service organizations, which act together to operate a nondenominational center to help meet the basic human needs of the community. Based outside of Houston, the non-profit is helping with hurricane relief and recovery in the Montgomery, Waller, and Grimes county areas.

Hurricane Harvey slammed the Texas Coast Bend on Aug. 25 as a powerful Category 4 storm, leveling buildings and destroying property in Rockport, Port Aransas, Aransas Pass and other coastal towns. Harvey quickly moved inland and to the east, where it dumped more than 50 inches of rain in the Greater Houston area, weakening the Bayou City and its infrastructure. The storm then meandered to the Golden Triangle and turned towns like Orange, Port Arthur, Bridge City, Beaumont, Lumberton and Silsbee into individual islands.

According to its website, "The Texas Renaissance Festival is the nation's largest and most acclaimed Renaissance themed event. Established in 1974, the event attracts over half a million visitors each year to its 60-acre New Market Village and Fields of New Market Campgrounds in Todd Mission, Texas. This immersive experience features world-renowned live entertainment, works by master artists and craftspeople, award winning food and drink, hand-powered rides and games, and over 100 interactive characters during its eight themed weekends from September 30 through November 26, 2017."

For more information or to order tickets online, visit www.texrenfest.com.

Photos courtesy of Texas Renaissance Festival aficionado Donna Orozco