Stars, Hide Your Fires | Episode 2

In the series finale, we try to help one of our sources find answers — and we’re met with a microcosm of the issues at play here. Then it becomes even clearer how hard it’s been for anyone to find answers. What will it take for this place to change? Can it? ~~~ Crime Waves: Renaissance, TX is a collaboration of Faceplant and QCODE, in association with No Smiling. ~~~ Follow us On Instagram @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmediapodcasts | @StickFigureProductions | @NoSmilingMedia On X @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmedia | @StickFigurePro | @NoSmilingMedia ~~~ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After finding several people with behind-the-scenes knowledge of the ren fair, we uncover a toxic environment that’s led to alleged mistreatment and abuses, lawsuits, and a place that has transformed into a dangerous, profit-driven spectacle. ~~~ Crime Waves: Renaissance, TX is a collaboration of Faceplant and QCODE, in association with No Smiling. ~~~ Follow us On Instagram @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmediapodcasts | @StickFigureProductions | @NoSmilingMedia On x @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmedia | @StickFigurePro | @NoSmilingMedia ~~~ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2019, one patron’s life was turned upside down in the ren fair campgrounds. What ensued was a legal case that — while not criminal in nature itself — helps us better understand just how “ren fair Disneyland” keeps becoming a crime scene. ~~~ Crime Waves: Renaissance, TX is a collaboration of Faceplant and QCODE, in association with No Smiling. ~~~ Follow us On Instagram @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmediapodcasts | @StickFigureProductions | @NoSmilingMedia On Twitter @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmedia | @StickFigurePro | @NoSmilingMedia ~~~ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As we return from the gonzo ren fair trip with our heads still spinning, we dig deeper into the king’s past — now from afar. The image we get from our investigations is very different from the picture of an almighty ruler that he portrays publicly. ~~~ Crime Waves: Renaissance, TX is a collaboration of Faceplant and QCODE, in association with No Smiling. ~~~ Follow us On Instagram @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmediapodcasts | @StickFigureProductions | @NoSmilingMedia On X @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmedia | @StickFigurePro | @NoSmilingMedia ~~~ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After the festival ends, we explore Todd Mission and Grimes County. And that’s when things really get weird. ~~~ Crime Waves: Renaissance, TX is a collaboration of Faceplant and QCODE, in association with No Smiling. ~~~ Follow us On Instagram @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmediapodcasts | @StickFigureProductions | @NoSmilingMedia On Twitter @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmedia | @StickFigurePro | @NoSmilingMedia ~~~ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An attempt to find the king of the fair — who is also the mayor of the town — exposes an intricate web of festival and municipal politics. Sean slowly begins to see a community that is tightly woven by secrecy and fear, where speaking out against its ruler comes with unseen risks. ~~~ Crime Waves: Renaissance, TX is a collaboration of Faceplant and QCODE, in association with No Smiling. ~~~ Follow us On Instagram @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmediapodcasts | @StickFigureProductions | @NoSmilingMedia On Twitter @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmedia | @StickFigurePro | @NoSmilingMedia ~~~ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thousands see the fair as a place for fantasy and freedom. But a closer look at the crimes of power that’ve occurred here reveals a more sinister story: One of pain and suffering, as the victims hope for answers while the fair appears unmoved. Warning: This episode contains traumatic events and discusses aggression against women and trans people. Listener discretion is advised. ~~~ Crime Waves: Renaissance, TX is a collaboration of Faceplant and QCODE, in association with No Smiling. ~~~ Follow us On Instagram @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmediapodcasts | @StickFigureProductions | @NoSmilingMedia On Twitter @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmedia | @StickFigurePro | @NoSmilingMedia ~~~ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Expectations are quickly overthrown the moment Sean steps through the gates of the ren fair. As day gives way to night, it becomes clear that — in this place dedicated to one man’s quest for freedom — trouble can find you easily. But what kind of trouble, exactly? Please note that this episode contains depictions of violence that some people may find disturbing. Listener discretion is advised. ~~~ Crime Waves: Renaissance, TX is a collaboration of Faceplant and QCODE, in association with No Smiling. ~~~ Follow us On Instagram @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmediapodcasts | @StickFigureProductions | @NoSmilingMedia On Twitter @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmedia | @StickFigurePro | @NoSmilingMedia ~~~ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Texas Renaissance Festival may host half a million patrons indulging in whimsy and fantasy each year, but it also has a seedy underbelly. After journalist and Peabody Award winner Sean Cannon hears about the kingdom’s dark side from a colleague, he’s plunged into a gonzo journey to understand how these things could happen at a place that its eccentric owner likens to Disneyland. Please note that this episode contains depictions of violence that some people may find disturbing. Listener discretion is advised. ~~~ Crime Waves: Renaissance, TX is a collaboration of Faceplant and QCODE, in association with No Smiling. ~~~ Follow us On Instagram @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmediapodcasts | @StickFigureProductions | @NoSmilingMedia On Twitter @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmedia | @StickFigurePro | @NoSmilingMedia ~~~ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 2 of Crime Waves tells the story of The Texas Renaissance Festival, the largest — and rowdiest — ren fair in the nation. A place where reality and fantasy are blurred. You may think it’s all tights and turkey legs, but what if we told you that the festival has a dark side, too? Over the years, this ren fair has been the scene of murders, assaults, and other assorted crimes. We went to the fair to investigate this place where people live out their carnal fantasies and figure out just exactly how that could become so dangerous. But we didn't expect to find danger for us. ~~~ Crime Waves: Renaissance, TX is a collaboration of Faceplant and QCODE, in association with No Smiling. ~~~ Follow us On Instagram @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmediapodcasts | @StickFigureProductions | @NoSmilingMedia On Twitter @QCODEMedia | @faceplantmedia | @StickFigurePro | @NoSmilingMedia ~~~ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices