Texas Ren Fest

Judge has settled $60 million Texas Renaissance Festival lawsuit
A judge has made a ruling in the $60 million Texas Renaissance Festival lawsuit, which stemmed from the alleged backtracking of an agreed-upon sale of the festival.A Grimes County judge issued the ruling today in favor of the group seeking to buy the Renaissance faire from founder and owner George Coulam. Judge Gary W. Chaney of the 506th state District Court awarded the group more than $22.3 million in damages, $1 million in attorney fees and additional costs and fees for appeals. The Texas Renaissance Festival was the subject of a three-part HBO documentary, Ren Faire, which was released last summer. The documentary followed the 86-year-old George "King George" Coulam as he grappled with the Faire's succession plan and whether to hold on to it or let a younger generation take the reins, with Coulam ultimately deciding not to sell the Faire. The documentary made waves as it featured an unfiltered look at Coulam's many eccentricities, which many were none too thrilled about.
But in 2023, RW Lands, Inc., Texas Stargate, Inc., Royal Campground, Inc., and Texas RF, Inc. agreed to buy the Texas Renaissance Festival for $60 million from Coulam. The purchase included the faire's grounds, assets and the properties surrounding the grounds owned by the Texas Renaissance Festival. They accused Coulam and two of his companies of not adhering to the agreed deal and failing to deliver the closing documents, which were signed in April 2023.
The plaintiffs heard the news on April 7, 2023, that Coulam would not close the sale on the agreed-upon date of April.
"Indeed, the August 8, 2023, closing date came and went without (Coulam) complying with their closing obligations," the suit states."Defendants provided none of these documents. Instead, Defendants have gone silent and ignored their obligations under all three agreements," the plaintiffs expressed in their original petition.
Coulam refuted the accusations in a response submitted to the courts on Sept. 11, 2023, and asserted that the plaintiffs had failed to fulfill their end of the bargain.
The defendants have not made any public statements since the ruling, but the Festival organizers have posted a message on Facebook."Our commitment remains unchanged: to deliver a safe, vibrant, and memorable experience for the hundreds of thousands of guests who visit each year. Festival operations are moving forward as planned for the 2025 season," the statement read.
The Texas Renaissance Festival has entertained and welcomed guests to Todd Mission, about 45 minutes north of downtown Houston, since 1974. The festival is reportedly the biggest Renaissance faire in the United States, attracting more than half a million visitors annually.www.chron.com/cultur e/article/texas-rena issance-festival-law suit-sale-20317

Interesting. I didn't realize all that was going on. We don't have HBO. Has anyone seen the documentary? This article mentions Mr. Coulam is ecentric. Anyone know what, specifically?

Well good thing Ren fest isn't leaving. That would be tragic

Smokeybear : He could have memory problems. My brother, who has Parkinson's, is 76 years old. He called me the other morning at 5:00 a.m., looking for our parents' phone number. He couldn't remember talking to them in a while. (They've been gone for years.) I had to break the news to him ....

No wonder it keeps getting more expensive! It wasn't ever "cheap" but it's like stadium pricing now. I'm forced to go once a year so I just have to deal 😆

Blackhorse77 : I only went once but it was a blast! I just hate that it takes 2 hours round trip. The worst ..of course..is the trip back home, all the fun is over!

Catmae : That's sad. I always wonder, do people always break that kind of news to others with memory problems? I wonder if sometimes it's best to just to say something like, "Oh, they're on vacation until next week so they're not answering the phones," but then you're being chronically untruthful, which can have its own difficulties.

Andi7 :
Is going to be disappointed!

Joe : I didn't want to give him their phone number, which he would have tried to call and the current line owner would have picked up. That would have left him more confused. I've had to remind him several times that DH is gone. He asks about him a lot. His wife died the year after our mother (2018). I'm hoping he doesn't ask me about her. He does know he has memory problems, but always insists he doesn't have Parkinson's. We just be as gentle as we can, but honest. He'll forget about the conversation, most of the time before we even hang up.One day he may not even remember me ....

Joe : He has two daughters. The oldest is a doctor in the Houston Med Center (Internal Medicine). He always thinks she's still in school. She tells us to be as honest, but gentle with him as possible.

Catmae : That's awful. So sorry.

Smokeybear : That is unreal. As to RenFest, we went with my in-laws when we first moved to Atascocita. It was just after covid restrictions were lifted. My in-laws attended many years ago. They were disappointed when they attended with us. They said it wasn't nearly as good as years ago. Not sure if that was because of covid or if it was because of something else that was going on.