Medieval Faire makes debut on weekend
JOUSTING, FALCONERY AMONG ATTRACTIONS FOR TWO-DAY EVENT
Hear ye, hear ye! Organizers of the inaugural Windy Castle Medieval Faire wish to invite all fair maidens and valiant knights to a two-day family friendly festival this weekend. It will be a step back in time complete with jousting, a “unicorn,” and a feast fit for a King or Queen at Coyote Flats Pioneer Village in Picture Butte.
The idea was born with Michelle Couper, who attended the popular Brooks Medieval Faire last year. A friend helped convince her to plan a medieval faire closer to home. Others soon jumped on board and the Windy Castle Medieval Guild was created.
Event organizer Juanita DeVos is one of those supporters. As the former production manager for the Ottawa Fringe Festival, DeVos is no stranger to organizing large events. What started as a relatively small idea to provide a local fun-filled activity for all ages has quickly snowballed.
“This has been an eye opener,” said DeVos. “The Lethbridge Medieval Club and the Society for Creative Anachronism and so many people have come out of the woodworks since we started this project. There is so much talent here.
“We wanted something to be a part of this community,” she continued. “We’re not Brooks. We’ll never be Brooks ... But what we are building is coming from this area and it’s turning into something quite amazing.”
One key element was to find a suitable location.
“We initially went to the city,” said DeVos. “We wanted to have jousting. We wanted to have a unicorn. We wanted to have horses. And none of the city properties would be able to accommodate that.”
The organizers placed an ad on Kijiji looking for a farmer’s field, but were surprised by the support of the Coyote Flats Pioneer Village, who opened their doors to hold the event.
Support for the event is growing day by day, said DeVos, and there’s already been a large number of tickets sold.
“It’s surprising. You don’t really notice until you do something like this and then you see it,” she said. “In the coming years I think people will see how much this brings tourism-wise and support-wise for the community. And it’s going to grow by leaps and bounds.” She feels the draw to attend is two-fold. “For some it’s going to be the medieval jousting and fighting and experiencing that, but most of our responses have been ‘oh my gosh, I can bring my kids?’ We’ve had so much feedback that there’s so much going on but not a lot of it is geared to kids.”
At the Faire they have planned a huge kids zone with crafts, bouncy castles, and multiple activities to entertain all ages. There will be jousting, battles, archery, falconry demonstrations, a giant maze, puzzles, a costume contest, petting zoo, carriage rides into the coulees, a games tent by Kapow Comics, vendors, artisans and more.
“People who like to play games, people who like to come in costumes, people who want to come with their kids and make crafts, people who want to watch jousting, people who want to test out the medieval beers that Theoretically Brewing is bringing ... we’ve got something for a wide variety of people and that’s our goal because the number one rule for our first year — have more fun,” said DeVos.
The event runs Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. One day Faire passes for adults are $15, and youth (ages 11-17) are $5. Weekend passes for adults are $25, and youth (ages 11-17) are $10. Children ages 10 and under are free.
With the purchase of a Faire pass, visitors can also access free shuttle transportation. The Windy Castle Magic Bus will run every half an hour during the duration of the Faire’s daytime activities from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Magic Bus can be boarded at the Lethbridge Public Library, the Picture Butte Library or on the Faire grounds.
On Saturday night from 6-10 p.m., there will be a seven-course medieval feast catered by L.A. Chefs with a live jousting show by Joust & Tilt, for a separate ticket price of $75.
Organizers are also still looking for any volunteers to commit to at least four hours for a variety of tasks. Volunteers receive a free weekend pass for the event. To sign up, visit the website
www.windycastle.com, send a message on the “Windy Castle Medieval Faire” Facebook page, or phone Juanita DeVos at 403-795-5622.
Tickets for the event can be purchased online or in person at Kapow Comics, Ups and Downs Clothing in Picture Butte, or at the gate.
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