This weekend an exciting new Pocono attraction will start off its inaugural season at the West End Fairgrounds in Gilbert.

The Pocono Mountains Renaissance Faire comes from the imagination of Carla Sheats of North Hampton and her band of fairies and pirates. The fairy celebration is set to begin at the fairgrounds Saturday and Sunday and again on May 14 and 15."It's a bit of a twist on Peter Pan," said Sheats. "Upon the departure of Captain Hook, the fairies feeling festive about his having left Neverland, plan a grand celebration. Unfortunately, Hook is not the only pirate scalawag on the high seas."Exciting confrontations between the pirates and the fairies are set to take place on three stages throughout the venue in what promises to be a great experience for all."We have vendors of crafts, jewelry, and other Renaissance Faire items," said Sheats. "And we have plenty of food, beer, wine and yes we have mead, for those who want an authentic taste."Besides the stage performances there will be plenty of additional entertainment throughout the fairgrounds, including two jousts per day, dancers, musicians and comedy.Some of the acts include Cu Dubh, a heavy metal bagpipe band, The Creepy Bard and Veldrina a belly dancer. The Greatest Pirate Story Never Told, which recently performed off-Broadway will also perform as well as Shakespeare Approves and 3 Pints Shy.Sheats says that the fairgrounds committee has encouraged her to make the faire an annual event."We are hoping to build on the story and come back every year," Sheats added.Discounted tickets are available online through the website. The faire will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day."This is a complete fantasy," Sheats adds. "And I encourage everyone to stick around until the end of the day when our troop of performers might just have a song or two left in them."