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Arts & Entertainment

Dickens Fair Transforms Cow Palace to Holiday Wonderland

Step inside the world of Victorian England — and marvel at the feat of it all by going behind the scenes.

'Twas the night before Thanksgiving, and all through the house, more than a few creatures were stirring: humans, not a mouse.

Such was the scene at Daly City's Cow Palace two days before the opening of the Dickens Fair, when a few dozen moved busily around a sparsely-decorated 120,000-sq. ft. space. 

The fair — a "Victorian Christmas card come to life," according to organizers —  transforms the stark, fluorescent-lit warehouse-like space into a for the senses.

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Over 700 performers attired in costume (with English accents to match) entertain fairgoers in London of the historical — yet fictional — world of author Charles Dickens.

With an alehouse, a revolving schedule of live entertainment, shops galore, puppet shows and a safari-style carousel, it's a wonderland for children and adults alike.

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No period-specific detail is spared. Whether it be ensuring that visitors are just as likely to encounter a streetsweeper as an aristocrat on the streets of Victorian London to stumbling upon a lecture with a well-known intellectual of the day expounding upon new ideas and discoveries, the fair has it covered.

Creating what the professionals call "suspension of belief" is no easy task, organizers say, but it's all a "result of the passion and joy of being involved in something so creative," according to fair director Kevin Patterson, whose parents founded the event 42 years ago. The family also founded the Renaissance Fair in Southern Caliornia and held the event in Novato from the 1960s to the late 1990s.

Dickens Fair Technical Director Genevieve Southwick oversees a crew of 30 people who work 40 hours a week for three weeks to unpack and set everything up.

"We're putting the finishing touches on five minutes before opening day begins," she said, laughing.

The sheer volume of pieces that make up the sets at the fair is mind-boggling: 40 road boxes (4 ft. tall x 4 ft. wide x 8 ft. long), 90-100 flat "set" kits and two 53-ft. long box vans filled with miscellany too big to be packed anywhere else. When not in use, the materials are stored at Mare Island in Vallejo.

Southwick says that while it may seem complicated to set up and put away so many sets comprised of small pieces and details, the same crew returns every year to do the job, so "we know we where everything goes."

Overall, over 1,100 people are involved in putting on the fair, Patterson said.

Just around the corner from Southwick's crew, costumer Sarah Goodman was sewing mermaid costumes for the fair's "tasteful" age 18 and up show titled "Naughty French Postcards."

Goodman, who is also the assistant director of the show, said that preparation takes an entire year in advance.

This year, four real-life British nationals have traveled far to portray a group of servants at Charles Dickens' Tavistock House.

Three women — Lilian Power, Bridget Poole, and Kate Poole will perform as cooks and a charwoman (cleaner) respectively, while Gerry Rhodes will be the author's butler.

The group connected with the Dickens Fair through their work in historical re-enactment at Kentwell, a 16th century manor house portraying everyday life in England's Tudor period.

A open-window kitchen was added on to Dickens' parlor set this year so that fairgoers can see Power and Bridget Poole make fresh scones, mincemeat pie and raised game pie filled with rabbit, pheasant and venison.

Recently, Americans "Buffalo Bill" Cody and Annie Oakley were found enjoying some of that fare at Dickens' house. The pair said they were visiting London to perform their Wild West show.

Cody, played by Vallejo resident Patrick Gaul, got involved in the fair when a friend said that he bore an uncanny resemblance to Buffalo Bill.

"What's really nice about this fair is that it connects people in civil, human contact — it's a place where people pass each other in the street and say 'Happy Christmas' to each other," Gaul said. "It's a magical space where people can be friendly and it's okay to open up to strangers." he said

Oakley, portrayed by Oakland resident Thena MacArthur, said that for her, the value of the Dickens Fair is that it offers a refreshing respite from technology, which she said can have the effect of making people feel cut off from their communities.

"Here, you have different rules of behavior," she said. "You get to reconnect with people."

"The fair gets richer every year in the depth of characterization," Patterson said. "It's now a theater production compared to what it was in the '70s, when it was more spontaneous."

Among Southwick's fair recommendations are the live squid feeding, ballroom dancing at Fezziwig's (lessons are available), "Naughty French Postcards," and the can can girls.

"I would invite them to explore the individual environments and not be bashful about talking to the performers," said Patterson of what he would tell those who enter the streets of Victorian England this year.

"We're don't intend to change it much," Patterson said when asked about the future of the Dickens Fair. "We see it getting deeper and more refined with new stage shows and new talent."

The Dickens Fair wraps up its run today, Dec. 18, at the Cow Palace (2600 Geneva Avenue, Daly City). Hours: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Parking is $10. For admission fees and more details, visit the event website here.

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