A year after a Grimes County judge ruled the Texas Renaissance Festival must be sold, the estate of its late founder, George Coulam, is still in control with its lawyers appealing the order to sell, a move a festival representative said won’t stop the 2026 season from kicking off in October.
The appeal was filed March 12 in the First Court of Appeals. The court on Monday granted a motion from attorneys representing the potential buyers to extend the time to respond to the appeal. It must be filed by June 12, according to court documents.
The civil case over the sale started in August 2023. Coulam, 87, died by suicide on May 21 of last year, two weeks after Judge Gary W. Chaney of the 506th state District Court issued his ruling after several days of testimony. Chaney ordered Coulam to pay more $23 million in damages and attorney’s fees to cover money lost by the buyer during the dispute.
The original lawsuit, filed by RW Lands Inc., says Texas Stargate, Inc., Royal Campground, Inc., and Texas RF, Inc. agreed to purchase the Renaissance property, assets and nearby property for $60 million.
The suit claims Coulam and his company did not provide the required documents for the sale, and the plaintiffs learned on April 7, 2023, that Coulam would not close the sale on April 8, 2023, as planned.
Attorneys representing Coulam’s estate and his companies related to the festival did not respond to requests for comment.
“The Estate of Mr. Coulam and the existing operators of the festival have decided to appeal the judgment of the Court. Because the festival must continue, for the benefit of all and the community, the parties are working to ensure that happens, while continuing the fight at the Court of Appeals,” said attorney Anthony Laporte, who represents Meril Rivard, the owner of the companies purchasing the festival property.
Laporte said Rivard wants the sale to move forward.
“Mr. Rivard and his group are committed to ultimately acquiring the Festival and working with it, the vendors, the community, and the valued patrons to ensure the long-term success of Ren Fest,” Laporte said. “It appears, however, additional victories will need to be obtained to ensure that outcome.”
See here, here, and here for some background. The RenFest is never boring, that’s for sure. I never did get around to watching that HBO documentary on it, I need to make the time to do that.
the documentary was every bit as crazy as you would expect.