Medieval Fair bringing Middle Ages to Norman this weekend
Knights do battle at the 2009 Medieval Fair in Norman at Reaves Park. (Photo by Jaconna Aguirre/The Oklahoman Archives)
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Middle Ages arriving in Norman earlier than usual
The Middle Ages are coming to Norman a little early this spring.
The community’s 34th annual Medieval Fair is set for today through Sunday, bringing bold knights, fair ladies and musical minstrels to Reaves Park. The festival usually takes place the first weekend of April, but has been moved up a week just for this year because Easter falls on April 4, said event coordinator Linda Linn.
“There’s no way we could have it on Easter weekend,” Linn said. “This is one of the most unique family events in the state, and it is definitely a family event. Children love it, and 90-year-old children love it.”
The festival features an array of entertaining and educational activities devised to transport fair-goers back to the Middle Ages. Knights on horseback will battle in jousting tournaments, presented by Arthurian Order of Avalon at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day. Human chess games, based on King Arthur and his Knights of Round Table, will play out at 1 and 5 p.m. daily.
This year’s fair will include two genuinely medieval — and legally binding — weddings, at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
“These are real weddings. These are just people who think it would be fun, and they love the fair,” Linn said. “It will be an authentic medieval ceremony. The minister will be dressed as an archbishop, and the bride will be brought to the wedding on horseback. … And there will be knights who proceed with her.”
Starting at 10 a.m. today, the Medieval Fair also will offer continuous live entertainment on six stages. Among the entertainers are Middle Eastern music duo Arabesque, combat dramatists Redland Rogues, traditional music trios Tullamore and Emerald Flame, glass harmonica-playing duo Glasnots, Brother Donald the Storyteller, traditional/Celtic music band Queen’s Gambit, choral music makers The Norman Singers and sea shanty band The Bilge Pumps.
The lineup includes several new performers, including Wolgemut, an internationally known “medieval rock band”; Scottish Rogues, a high-energy Scottish band; Owain Phyfe, a renowned singer/musician who plays 16th century songs; Daniel Duke of Danger, a comedic juggler and tight-rope walker; Brendana’s Dream, a traditional music group; and Bob the Incredible Juggler.
Fair-goers can watch demonstrations of medieval blacksmithing, brass rubbing, chainmail making and falconry. St. Gregory’s University will offer exhibits on labyrinths, monasteries and medieval-style woodblock prints, while the University of Central Oklahoma Medieval Society has crafted a Viking ship for the festival.
Other attractions will include camel rides, a hand-cranked medieval swing carousel and a kingly carousel driven by exotic animals. Costume contests will be conducted at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The event also will feature 240 arts and crafts booths selling a variety of goods, including pottery, medieval costumes, chainmail, candles, jewelry, stained and blown glass, leatherwork, musical instruments and more.
“One misconception about the fair is that people think everything that’s sold there has something to do with the Middle Ages, and that’s not true. Everything has to be handcrafted or art, but it doesn’t always have to do with the Middle Ages,” Linn said. “I describe the Medieval Fair really as an arts and crafts fair and a living history fair.”
While fare such as turkey legs and homemade fruit tarts are suited to the Middle Ages vibe, the fair will offer a variety of festival foods, such as burritos, Indian tacos and funnel cakes.
The Medieval Fair is the third-largest event in the state, and an estimated 350,000 people will visit the fair over the weekend, said Jen Tregarthen, public relations manager for the Norman Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Linn explained, “There’s a real intrigue with the Middle Ages, if you just look at movies that are out now and even commercials on TV and the number of them that are based on something from the Middle Ages.”
Going on
34th annual Medieval Fair
When: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today-Sunday.
Where: Reaves Park, on Jenkins Avenue, just north of state Highway 9 East, Norman.
Admission: Free.
Parking: At Lloyd Noble Center on Jenkins Avenue, one block south of Reaves Park. Cost is $5 per car.
Information: (800) 767-7260 or www.medievalfair.org.
-BAM
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