SheSue Experience

The Society for Creative Anachronism is an organization whose goal is to research and recreate the middle ages. Spanning the years between 600 AD and 1600 AD, members of the organization develop characters based on this research. Finally they develop crafts, skills and lifestyles of this time period.

All this was brought together on the grounds of McMenamin’s Grand Lodge in Forest Grove, just outside Portland, Oregon. For three days, you could step back in time to a medieval village somewhere in Europe. There was music, craft and skill demonstrations, and entertainment.

There were a lot of tents set up all around the grounds. Some were vendor booths selling a variety of wares including medieval clothing, jewelry, weapons, plants, candles, toys, pottery, soap, etc.

Some of the tents were set up with demonstrations including blacksmithing, spinning, dutch oven cooking and embroidery. There was an area where there was fencing demonstrations, a maypole set up for a simple maypole dance and a main stage where we saw Tobias the Adequate and the Sherwood Renaissance singers. Finally, you could pay to have someone put in blocks for a variety of traditional crimes.

I have heard of much more spectacular Renaissance Faires with jousting and actual sword fights, but this was a nice warm up. The rain managed to stay away for a good part of the day and the food at the Grand Lodge was fabulous.