4th of July Part I: Medieval Times

For my 4th of July weekend, I went down to southern California to visit friends and family.

While I was there five of us went to Medieval Times: http://www.medievaltimes.com/

I have to say, they know how to put on a show.

The pre-show showed a delightful sense of humor; at a 'knighting' ceremony a child was knighted, leading the chancellor to remark that it must be summer, because the (k)nights are getting shorter. Our server at dinner gave us "Campbell's Cream of Dragon Soup" and "Fresh Roast Buzzard."

The show itself, however, favored the dramatic. There was a plot, which included a tournament in celebration of a peace treaty. Mostly, however, there was nicely done stunt fighting, including lancework on horseback, swordwork on horseback, melee combat on the ground with a mix of sword, case of sword, axe, mace, flail, and hand-to-hand. Dramatic fog was slightly overused, but overall I was impressed by the quality of the fighting - no swinging from wildly out of range here! Lances were splintered and sparks struck from swords.

One little bit that made quite an impression on me was a falconer. I've always known birds of prey could dive at very high speed, but that's the fastest I've ever seen a big bird go in level flight!

There are six knights, each of which has a section of the audience to cheer for them. We got the Yellow Knight, Don Eduardo del Rey of Navarre. He did manage to defeat one opponent in single combat before getting taken out himself.

A great time was had by all. If you're ever near one of the franchise locations, I highly recommend it. SCA members, please check your detailed period knowledge at the door.