Dragon Festival lands in Martinsville
The Virginia Museum of Natural History’s (VMNH) second Dragon Festival was a roaring success. The event, which drew hundreds of visitors to the museum on Saturday, featured a wide variety of dragon-themed and medieval-style attractions, including fire breathing, blacksmithing demonstrations, stilt walkers, medieval combat demonstrations, the Vikings of the Valley and more.
Stilt walkers from Miss Kitty’s Society for Wayward Cosmonauts of Roanoke proved a popular duo at Dragon Festival.
Stilt walkers from Miss Kitty’s Society for Wayward Cosmonauts of Roanoke tower over a young man at Dragon Festival.
A young man tests his medieval combat skills against a member of the Stormhaven chapter of Dagorhir (pronounced “Dagger Here”). According to Stormhaven member Jason “Clovis” O’Mahony (in background at left), Dagorhir is full-contact medieval combat sport practiced nationwide. Participants wear real armor, but the weapons are padded, so that anyone can participate without injury. The Stormhaven chapter that participated at Dragon Festival has members in Martinsville, Roanoke, and as far as Harrisonburg.
A young shield-maiden vanquishes her foe at Saturday’s Dragon Festival.
Children weren’t the only ones to get a taste of medieval combat at Saturday’s Dragon Festival.
Children weren’t the only ones to get a taste of medieval combat at Saturday’s Dragon Festival.
Blacksmith Carter Hundley makes an ornamental metal leaf at the Virginia Museum of Natural History’s Dragon Festival.
Hundreds attended Dragon Festival at the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Saturday.
Following her performance on Saturday, fire breather/dancer Meli Markham of Raleigh, N.C. advised one young man not to try any of her stunts at home, and we can all hope he took that message to heart.
Fire breather/dancer Meli Markham of Raleigh, N.C. performed at Dragon Festival at the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Saturday.
Fire breather/dancer Meli Markham of Raleigh, N.C. performed at Dragon Festival at the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Saturday.
Fire breather/dancer Meli Markham of Raleigh, N.C. performed at Dragon Festival at the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Saturday.
Fire breather/dancer Meli Markham of Raleigh, N.C. heats things up at Dragon Festival at the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Saturday.
Fire breather/dancer Meli Markham of Raleigh, N.C. performed at Dragon Festival at the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Saturday.
Dragon Festival was the brainchild of Dr. DorothyBelle Poli (left), whose researches the historical basis of dragon myths with colleague Dr. Lisa Stoneman (right).
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The Virginia Museum of Natural History’s (VMNH) second Dragon Festival was a roaring success.
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