Middle Ages come alive in Eagan
An armored-combat tournament staged by members of the Barony of Nordskogen has been a crowd favorite at the Medieval Fair in past years. Photo by Yiqian Wang
by Andrew Miller
Thisweek Newspapers
When members of the Society for Creative Anachronism don armor, take up swords and engage in mock combat, just about the only thing that seems inauthentic is the absence of bloodshed.
The historical re-creation group is teaming up with Caponi Art Park to host the Medieval Fair on Sunday, Sept. 25.
The family-friendly living-history event, now in its fourth year in Eagan, will see the park transformed into a medieval village with authentic pavilions, period clothing and demonstrations, and, of course, swordfights aplenty.
The Barony of Nordskogen, the local SCA chapter staging the event, will be leading the activities, which include fiber arts, calligraphy, cooking and more throughout the afternoon.
A siege engine (a type of crude catapult) and glass bead making and wool-dyeing demos have been added this year, and past festival favorites such as period games, music and dance, and a weaponry demo are back.
Similiar in appearance to the Renaissance Festival held annually in Shakopee, the Medieval Fair places an emphasis on education, according to SCA member Liz Pearson.
“We always hope that people have fun, with the bonus of learning something new,” she said. “We hope that our enthusiasm for history will rub off on others.”
IN BRIEF: The Medieval Fair runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25 at Caponi Art Park, 1220 Diffley Road, Eagan. Admission is free; a $4 per person donation is suggested. The event will be held rain or shine. For more information about the Medieval Fair, visit Caponi Art Park’s website at www.caponiartpark.org. More about the Barony of Nordskogen is at www.nordskogen.northshield.org.
Andrew Miller is at andrew.miller@ecm-inc.com.
