Ansonia event aims to fire up interest

Local magician to be burned at stake for Renaissance Faire's Opening Day

   ANSONIA - Magician Daniel GreenWolf wants to change history June 23, during the opening day of the Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Faire at Warsaw Park in Ansonia.
  By attempting to cheat fate, as so many other Medieval-era prestidigitators have failed to do--he will escape being burned at the stake. And he is only going to do it once.
    GreenWolf will be secured with over 100 feet of chain, locks, and rope to a 12-foot wooden stake on a raised platform in an open field, surrounded by logs and tinder covered in gasoline. A burning torch controlled by a medieval-styled timer will fall and ignite the platform once time runs out. GreenWolf will have only minutes to escape the fate of his ancestors.
   "I have wanted to perform this escape for over 10 years," says GreenWolf, who - if all goes well - will be performing his magic shows at the Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Faire. "I just never felt I had the physicality to succeed."
 GreenWolf, who has lost over 135 pounds, has spent the last two years physically preparing for this escape by increasing his endurance and strength, which the magician says he will need every ounce of to succed.
    The theme of the Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Faire is "Inspire Imagination," and although GreenWolf admits he doesn't want to inspire people to tie themselves to burning stakes, he says he does want to inspire people to do amazing things.
    The Renaissance faire is giving 10 percent of proceeds to the "Against Malaria Foundation, which provides underdeveloped countries with much needed supplies to combat malaria. "And that," says GreenWolf, "is a pretty amazing thing."
   The escape will take place on the opening night of the faire at 8:30 p.m. June 23.
   The Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Faire runs for three weekends, June 23-July 8 at Warsaw Park, 119 Pulaski Highway.
   Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.MFRenFaire.com.


The above was taken from a press release from GreenWolf.