Hear ye! Hear ye!

Good dawning to thee! It is Snowdown once again in Durango, and many participants will receive a nice dose of British and literary history, as the theme of this year’s festivities has been placed in the hands of arguably the most famous playwright and bard in the course of human history: William Shakespeare.

Larry Hartsfield, a professor of English at Fort Lewis College, said interest in Shakespeare and his works have endured to this day because he confronts the dark nature of human folly and vice with storytelling that is timeless, sagacious and often very funny.

“He forces us to confront issues that continue to trouble us as humans, but he does it in an entertaining way,” he said.

Shakespeare’s love for the dramatic and the absurd, as well as finding humor even in the darkest of subject matter, is a perfect fit for Durango’s unique and quirky winter holiday. Founded in 1979, Snowdown was conceived as a means to bring levity to the cold gloominess of late January and early February in Colorado. It was decided that each year would have a different theme, and participants could wear costumes according to that theme, oftentimes being rewarded for their efforts by participating in various costume contests held by local business. All businesses are encouraged to join in the festivities and create activities for patrons centered around each year’s theme.

Snowdown’s festivities with their Shakespearean twists officially kick off today, and in keeping with tradition, participants can expect a multitude of Renaissance-themed activities around Durango.

“Everyone’s pretty excited,” said Snowdown Board of Directors President Chip Lile. “There’s the usual events this year, and some new events, too. We’re all looking forward to it.”

Those interested in eating and partying like royalty from Renaissance times can attend “A Midwinter Night’s Dream Beer Dinner” for a multicourse feast fit for a king and queen today (Jan. 27) at Carver Brewing Co. Participants can also attend the “Snowdown Kickoff Party and Theme Announcement” on Sunday at Purgatory Ski Resort, which will have a ski parade on the slopes featuring all costumed skiers, as well as live music, margaritas and other alcoholic beverages served in modern-day Shakespearean goblets, i.e., aluminum cups.

Those still hungry after eating and drinking like kings and queens can enter the “Hot Wing Eating Contest” on Wednesday at Animas City Theatre. Later in the week, they can cool down their burning mouths and throats by joining “Snowdown Beer Pong” on Thursday at The Garage or “Drunken Dictionary” at EsoTerra Ciderworks, which is also hosting a “Bobbeth The Apple Contest” on Feb. 3 for those participants who want to get more fiber in their diets.

“People (in medieval times) mostly played games of skill,” Hartsfield said. “They liked fighting. They had bare-fisted boxing and wrestling fights and things like that.”

Those who want to work off the calories from their hot wings and margaritas can test their Shakespearean-era fighting skills at a few different Snowdown venues this year.

Animas City Theatre will host “Knight Fight Night” on Thursday, where participants can jump into the arena and show off their medieval cage-fighting prowess. An arm-wrestling tournament will also be held Thursday at the Wild Horse Saloon for those who never miss arm day at the gym. Those with feet as strong as any Hobbit’s can join in the “Dauntless LEGO Walk” on Wednesday at 11th Street Station, where they will be tasked with walking across LEGO blocks. Enter this timed trial race at your own peril.

Finally, those who want to test their plastic sword-fighting skills can attend “I Challenge Ye To A Duel” on Wednesday at the Starlight Lounge, plastic swords not required for entry.

“We have some swords here that we will be providing for contestants,” said Starlight Lounge co-owner Matt McDermott. “We’ll do one-on-one (fights). It will be hosted by Andrew Savage, who’s doing all the night fights in the city.”

Outside of Renaissance-era eating and fighting, Shakespeare’s plays often reward characters who use their wit and intelligence to fight evil and corruption. Durango Public Library will offer games for those with the skills of acumen and ingenuity in such activities as today’s (Jan. 27) Shakespeare-themed scavenger hunts and escape rooms, as well cosplaying as one of the fairies from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and ruff crafting from recycled book pages on Wednesday and Shakespearean button making on Thursday.

Those also interested in showing off their writing and lingual skills can challenge an opponent to a duel of bards at events like the “As You Like It MC/DJ” battle at the Starlight Lounge, or the “Bard Off” at Stimulus Cafe and Coffee Lounge, where contestants will have one minute to perform their own a cappella song, dance, poem or musical composition. Both events will take place Wednesday.

Finally, Snowdown is nothing without its world-renowned fashion prowess or lack of fashion prowess, and this year’s Renaissance-style theme is no exception.

Hartsfield has ideas for participants who want to dress for the occasion but are working with a limited budget.

“They can pull up their pants and have puffy pants that buckle right at the knee to imitate it with long stockings,” he said. “During the Elizabethan era, men wore flat wool caps on their heads. Brimmed hats with feathers were a sign of nobility or upper-class standing. The lower, working classes were required to wear those flat caps on their head but no feathers.”

He recommends checking out the nearest secondhand stores.

“They could go to a thrift store and find some old pirate shirt with puffy sleeves, that would be great,” he said. “Many of the men also had one gold earring. Men were much more fashion dandies, especially the upper classes. Upper-class men wore high heels with ribbons on them, slashes of color on their sleeves made of silk and various things like that.”

Both men and women should also look out for certain fabrics that were the height of fashion during the Renaissance era.

“Velvet was everything,” Hartsfield said. “A velvet blouse or tunic that drops down toward the knees at mid-thigh would be useful. Women would also typically wear caps that would confine their hair within the cap rather than have the hair flowing.”

He also recommends trying a couple of strange trends during medieval times for those women who want to go the extra mile with their costumes.

“Many upper-class women would blacken their teeth, so that it would look like they had been eating too much sugar, which was a symbol of status,” he said. “Women like Queen Elizabeth would also be seen with a face painted almost completely white.”

Those interested in embodying that Shakespearean fashion flair with puffy sleeves, caps with feathers, velvet and silk fabrics, and blackened teeth will have plenty of places to show off their costume creations. The “Annual Snowdown Costume Ball” will be held Feb. 3 at the Main Mall, and the “Snowdown Tournament and Renaissance Fair” will be held at the Durango Transit Center. “Invention Convention” will be held on Feb. 4 at The Powerhouse, where participants are asked to dress in their “finest brocade, stockings, tight-fitting doublets and long billowing dresses.”

The biggest fashion show will be the “Shakespearean Fashion Shall and Shall Nots,” held Wednesday at the La Plata County Fairgrounds.

“This is the 25th annual Snowdown fashion do’s and don’ts, which in the Shakespeare theme we’re calling ‘Shall and Shall Not,’ which I think is pretty funny,” said event coordinator Anne Dickson. “It started a long time ago at the VFW, and then outgrew itself. Now it’s at the fairgrounds.”

Dickson said those who attend the event, which Manna soup kitchen is helping to put on, can expect a huge, enthusiastic crowd dressed to impress – or disappoint – with their homespun Shakespearean attire.

“It will be a fashion show luncheon with about 600-plus people,” Dickson said. “It has been historically the first large event of Snowdown. It’s just a really fun, goofy, high-spirited fashion show, or maybe even a variety show. There’s a lot of good humor and a lot of serious imagination. People who participate put in hours and hours of work. We did not have it the last two years because of COVID, but we’re excited to be back!”

Snowdown 2023 will see the continuation of trivia games and scavenger hunts, singing and dancing contests, sporting and drinking events, chili cook-offs, and canine and human fashion shows. But it also promises to have plenty of activities that will take participants back to a time when dental hygiene meant cleaning teeth with a rough linen soaked in cinnamon oil, afternoon entertainment was blindfolding two men who would then whack at each other with wooden sticks, and beer was a perfectly acceptable breakfast beverage for British people of all ages.

As Geoffrey Chaucer (not Shakespeare) once wrote, “All good things must come to an end,” and this year’s Snowdown will sadly come to an end on Feb. 5 with the “Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction” event at La Plata County Fairgrounds, which includes all-you-can-eat pancakes, ham, eggs, coffee and juice.

Beer, however, will not be served.

Snowdown’s complete schedule with a detailed list of events can be found on its website, snowdown.org..

molsen@durangoherald.com