Medieval Faire at Ventfort Hall10:13AM / Wednesday, September 23, 2009
LENOX, Mass. - Medieval chivalry and armored tournaments are not dead, but alive and thriving. Ventfort Hall mansion and Gilded Age Museum will host a Medieval Faire at the historic Elizabethan-revival mansion in Lenox on Sunday, October 4th from 11:00am to 4:00pm.
Organized by the Western Massachusetts chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism, the series of events will include exciting displays of armored combat every hour on the hour, equestrian demonstrations, medieval arts, crafts and clothing, strolling troubadours and musicians, and lectures on feudalism and medieval society. Men in armor and women in period costumes will take part in the action.
Heading the program is Jeffrey Mann, since 1983 a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, one of the world’s largest medieval living history organizations. Mann’s specialty is the study of the evolution of armor through the Middle Age, how it is made and tournament combat. He has attained the rank of a knight and master armorer within the reenactment organization. For over 20 years, Mann, his squire and retainers have taken their interest and knowledge of medieval life to schools, nursing homes and scouting organizations, bringing the Middle Ages alive.
Mann states, “Our lively presentation helps sort fact from fiction and explain how many of our modern customs evolved from then till now.”
Admission is $20 for adults, $10 for children 5 to 17 years of age and $2 for children under 5. Admission includes the Faire and self-guided tours of the first floor of the mansion. Picnics on the Porch are also offered for a separate cost of $10. The Medieval Faire is a fundraising event benefiting the Ventfort Hall Association. For further information, call (413) 637-3206. Ventfort Hall is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.
An official project of Save America’s Treasures, Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum offers tours of the historic mansion as well as lectures, concerts, teas, theater and other programs. This elegant Elizabethan-revival Berkshire “cottage,” listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is open to the public year-round and is available for private rental. Built in 1893 for George and Sarah Morgan (sister of financier J.P. Morgan), Ventfort Hall has undergone substantial restoration, which continues. |
