Moorhead, Minn., July 7, 2011 – The Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County announces the 2011 Midwest Viking Festival. Formerly Viking Village, The Midwest Viking Festival is an outdoor, two-day event offering demonstrations, performances, merchants and other activities intended to educate the public about society and culture in Viking Age Scandinavia and beyond.
This year’s event takes place on Saturday, July 16, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday, July 17, noon – 4 p.m. at the Hjemkomst Center. Admission to the event is $10 for adults, $5 for children and $25 for families. The festival has expanded in scope and reach by inviting Viking demonstrators from throughout the region. Here is the schedule of events:
Saturday, July 16
11 a.m. Viking battle demonstration
1 p.m. Miha Kozina – Viking sword tactics
2 p.m. Anne Kaese, “Art of the Book of Kells” (indoors)
2 p.m. Viking battle demonstration
3 p.m. Miha Kozina, “Asatru in Iceland” (indoors)
4 p.m. Suzanne Emmanuel – “Icelandic Folk Songs” (indoors)
5 p.m. Miha Kozina – Viking sword tactics
Sunday, July 17
12:30 p.m. Kari Tauring “Staff Singing”
1:30 p.m. Viking battle demonstration
2 p.m. Verlyn Anderson “The Vikings: Lords of the Sea” (indoors)
3:30 p.m. Viking battle demonstration
In addition, members of the Red River Watercolor Society will be doing watercolor demonstrations in the Hjemkomst Center ship gallery from 10 a.m. – noon on Saturday, July 16 and 2 – 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 17.
Ongoing Activities/Features include (both days): Viking pottery, Bead-making, Viking cooking, Calligraphy, Chainmail making, Wood turning and carving, Blacksmithing, Fiber production, dyeing, and weaving, Wire weaving, Leatherwork, Viking tent replica displays, Plants of the Viking Age, Silversmithing, and Viking merchants.
Viking Quest, hands-on activities for children, include (both days): Board Games, Coin striking, Chainmail, Pottery, Rune Writing, Scriptorium (in Hopperstad Stave church), and Felting.
The festival is sponsored in part by the Northern Plains Fiber Artists, Darksword Armory, Dakota Monument, Bemidji Woolen Mills, Creative Arts Studio of Fargo, Vikingland Kiwanis, and FM Icelandic Klub. The HCSCC is a fiscal year 2011 recipient of a Minnesota Festival Support grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is funded, in part, by the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.
Please note: Both eastbound and westbound traffic will be closed on 1st Avenue in Fargo during the event. Access to the Hjemkomst Center is via 3rd street west of Moorhead Center Mall to 1st Avenue.
For more information on the event, call 218-299-5511 or visit www.hcscconline.org or check us out of Facebook at www.facebook.com/hcscc. The Hjemkomst Center is located at 202 First Avenue North in Moorhead.
