Most patriotic riding in Canada

 

It’s an entire weekend, June 8-10, filled with continuous shows and entertainment, artisans and merchants – all in true Medieval style!  

And this year a giant 12 foot, smoke breathing dragon will be on the loose in the Medieval Fairgrounds, adjacent to Upper Canada Village, on Sunday, June 9 and Monday, June 10.  

Always a crowd favourite, this year’s festival line-up is guaranteed to amuse and entertain visitors of all ages with its ever-popular shows of Jousting Knights on horseback, camels, falconers, belly dancers, swordsmen, Vikings, comedy acts, artisans, vendors and more! 

All performances, including the jousts, are included in the price of admission.  Details on performance times are at www.MedievalFestival.ca.

Renowned for their exciting shows of horsemanship, bravery and chivalry, the Knights of Valour have been entertaining audiences for over a decade. 

The Knights will perform two action-packed shows per day at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. (one heavy armour joust and one light) in a style worthy of Kings!  

Stick around after the shows as the friendly Knights will meet with the public to talk about the history and chivalry of Knights. Their magnificent horses will be on view throughout the festival and you can even ride one of the mighty steeds for a small fee!

New this year is the Darc Viking Artisan Encampment where the medieval history buff, will learn more about the history and material culture of Northern Europe during the Viking Age. 

Marvel at colourful glass beads being made right before your eyes using an historic clay furnace; see blacksmithing, wood carving and weaving on a Norse warp weighted loom … all at a Viking encampment! 

These demonstrations will be ongoing each day of the festival, authentically presented by members of DARC, (Dark Ages Re-creation Company), who will engage visitors with their museum experience, academic credentials and artistic ability. 

A core group of DARC members were the only Canadian group selected to take part in “Norstead”, the special historic event that marked the 1000 year anniversary of the Norse landing at L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland.

The festival offers continuous entertainment in addition to the Jousting Tournaments and colourful medieval performers will present a variety of interactive shows each day.

Visitors are invited to meet King Henry II and Queen Eleanor as they bestow knighting to boys and girls who have been deemed worthy of this honour.

Chivalric Productions, which specializes in Medieval Hunting, will put on various demonstrations and visitors will be given the opportunity to meet a falcon, owl, hawk and a wolfhound. Medieval Weapons and hunting artifacts will also be on display.

Viking, Kievan Rus and Medieval Europe Encampment will featured swordfighting and combat demonstrations and interactive ancient games along with the opportunity to try on some armour.  

The nearby Dark Ages Recreation Company’s Viking Encampment will feature historic glass beadmaking, wood carving, blacksmithing and the warp-weighed loom.

Ottawa School of Medieval Armed Combat will demonstrate spontaneous light armour fight demonstrations and the South Tower Armouring Guild will feature ongoing armour and sword demonstrations.

At the Weapons of War demonstrations, visitors will see a life-size trebuchet, ballista and catapult in action, and the  14th Century English Archers will perform daily demonstrations.

Demonstrations will also be ongoing at a variety of locations, including archery, maille, candle making and more and a tour of the medieval marketplace’s “Vendor’s Lane”  is sure to provide the opportunity to purchase a souvenir or two.

Follow the aromas and savour the flavours of Medieval fare  to discover a variety of food and snack booths, including the Bow & Arrow Eatery and the Medieval “Chip Shoppe”.

A kid-friendly ballista and battering ram will be found along the games alley, together with the miniature trebuchets, Frog Jump, Jacob’s Ladder, Jail and Stockade and a number of Medieval performers will be wandering the grounds with impromptu acts and musical entertainment.

 New this year on Sunday only, visitors will be able to watch for the giant dragon that has found its way onto the festival grounds.

To speed your entry into Upper Canada Village advance ticket purchase is recommended. They can be purchased online at www.UpperCanadaVillage.com.  

Admission for the day includes access to Upper Canada Village, the Discovery Centre and the Medieval Festival!! (Adult $20; Youth/Senior $17; Children 5 years and under are free).

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Media Release

On April 13th, Mayor Steven Byvelds announced that the Township of South Dundas has submitted an offer to purchase the former St. Cecilia’s School in Iroquois to provide the new location of the St. Lawrence Medical Clinic in Iroquois.  

The St. Lawrence Medical Clinic has noted that it is their aim to provide modern facilities for growth and their current property does not meet this goal. 

The intent is to provide renovated, accessible space to the clinic, on a long-term lease basis, in the former St. Cecilia’s School, subject to acceptance of the offer by the Diocese. 

Byvelds welcomed the long term commitment of the St. Lawrence Medical Clinic to the Village of Iroquois and the Township of South Dundas. 

“The St. Lawrence Medical Clinic has been and continues to be an essential part of this community,” he said. 

“I am pleased to announce this expanded partnership with the St. Lawrence Medical Clinic which will put in place a community owned medical facility that will aid in attracting new physicians, provide greater efficiency and accommodate growth for the next twenty years. ”

[…]

Fiona Carr, program coordinator for the Ontario Early Years Centre in Iroquois and Morrisburg hosted her second annual Egg Hunt at the Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Ingleside on April 5th.

The event was free and open to all young children. 

Carr decided to run the event again this year after a request from a parent in one of her preschool groups. “We did this last year and it was really cute.”

The event took place during school hours to allow easier ‘egg hunting’ for the younger children. While the colourful plastic ‘eggs’ were empty, every child received “a yummy pack of fruit gummies after the fun of searching for ‘eggs’,” said Carr.

 This year’s Egg Hunt provided entertainment for 24 children as opposed to last year’s 40. Carr felt that the cold weather may have frightened a few families away this year, thus explaining the drop in the number of participants. 

The 13 families in attendance  for this year’s preschooler Egg Hunt came from all over Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.

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