Children’s Renaissance Faire at Manito Park still popular

As the queen anointed lords and ladies to the Order of Duncan, local dad Levi Keesecker decided he wanted the honor, too.

So he lined up next to his costumed son and daughter.

“Do you promise to love and cherish Manito Park and never throw trash on the ground?” the queen said.

Sir Bartholomew, as Keesecker preferred to be called, swore the oath Saturday along with 4-year-old Elliot, dressed as a dragon, and 7-year-old Eva, who wore her finest sparkling medieval dress.

It’s events like the Children’s Renaissance Faire that made him want to raise his children in Spokane.

“I think it’s wonderful,” he said. “It’s part of what I love about Spokane.”

The annual event is put on by the Friends of Manito Park. Past President Dave Lennstrom said children seem to keep coming back to the low-key event in a meadow near Duncan Garden.

“They’ll dress up,” he said. “They come year after year.”

Kids could paint a picture, listen to a story, make crafts, have their faces painted, and play games. This year, Lennstrom said the event drew about 100 people an hour for the three-hour event. He said they like to keep the event small so children don’t have to wait too long to take part in any activities.

“Last year, we may have had a few more,” he said. “The lines were longer.”

One of the stars of the event was Roscoe the Rescue Duck, who was abandoned in Manito Park’s pond when he was 2 weeks old. It took park staff a little while to catch him, and Friends of Manito volunteer Janis Saiki took him in three years ago.

“He was so scared,” she said. “I decided I was going to take him home.”

Roscoe isn’t scared anymore. He sat quietly and allowed children to pet him, occasionally gobbling a small piece of cantaloupe from a tiny hand. Saiki said she’s taught him to count to three and said he loves to play hide and seek, and sometimes will flap his wings on command.

“He’s very smart,” she said. “He loves to be petted. When he’s happy, his tail wiggles.”

He lives inside during the winter and outside on a balcony during the summer. Since he’s not house trained, he has to wear a diaper when he’s inside. “He’s a lot of work,” Saiki said as she ruffled his neck feathers affectionately.

Lennstrom said the event accomplished its task of encouraging people to use and enjoy Manito Park.

“We do things that make the park more enjoyable,” he said.