By Sam Donnelly For the Bashaw Star
On July 16 and 17 at the Bashaw rodeo grounds LegendWorks Events will be hosting the first Bashaw Medieval Faire and Artisan Market.
This medieval-themed event will showcase professional jousters and magicians as well as an artisan market.
LegendWorks events producer Gail Stamp said the jousting will be done by the Society of Tilt and Lance Cavalry International (STALC Intl.), a professional jousting group that does everything from friendly and competitive jousting tournaments to rehearsed pieces for dramatic performances.
According to Radar Goddard, founder and head jouster at STACL, the performance on the 16 and 17 will be a friendly tournament.
“Many of our riders compete internationally, and the armour is therefore up to standard for historic international competition,” said Goddard.
When asked why people should go watch jousting, Goddard said that jousting is competitive and requires a lot of skill.
The tournament will be a friendly competition, but with full contact lances.
“We often joke that the reasons people come to the joust are to see someone get killed and to pet the horses,” said Goddard.
While there is no word yet on who will be jousting at the Bashaw Medieval Faire, she did say that it will be exciting.
In addition to the jousting performance, there will also be over 40 merchants selling their wares.
While everything has to stay within the medieval theme, there will be a variety of items to purchase, from mead to costumes and other medieval-themed artisan-made items.
More information on applying to be an artisanal merchant at one of their events can be found on their website.
Bashaw’s first medieval faire came about after other such faires went under in central Alberta.
According to Stamp, even with the difficulties others have had, there was still a lot of enthusiasm for a medieval-themed event in Alberta.
First starting in Calgary in 2021, the medieval faire had a great first outing, according to Stamp.
This year, they are expanding by hosting a faire in Bashaw as well as Calgary.
For those concerned about COVID-19, Stamp said that LegendWorks Events will follow all public health guidelines. The open spaces afforded to them by the nature of the event and the size of the rodeo grounds will also make it easy for people to keep their distance if needed, he said.
LegendWorks Events will also be holding other artisans’ markets throughout the year. The Crystal Cauldron Artisan Market taking place in Calgary in both late March and November will showcase artisanal Wiccan and Pagan products. The market will also feature performances by storytellers and magicians.
Tickets can be purchased on LegendWorks’ website or at the gate. Discounts are available for kids and seniors. Medieval clothing is invited and encouraged at the faire.