PORT ANGELES — King Arthur’s court comes to the Clallam County Fairgrounds on Saturday, with knights in shining armor and fair maidens aplenty as part of the Maypole XXIII Medieval Festival & Tournament.

The 23rd annual event, hosted by the Society for Creative Anachronism, will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to about 6 p.m. at the fairgrounds at 1608 W. 16th St.

Admission to the festival is free, although donations will be accepted to help pay for renting the fairgrounds.

This year, the festival will be replete with medieval-era activities, wares for sale and displays, said Kevin Watson, 43, of Sequim, the Shire of Druim Doineann marshal.

These include re-creations of medieval combat; strolling lords, ladies and bards; thrown weapons; archery competitions; and arts and sciences demonstrations.

“It is a great show,” Watson said.

The Society for Creative Anachronism is a nonprofit international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating the arts and skills of pre-17th-century Europe spanning back to the fall of Rome, organizers said.

The society consists of 20 kingdoms, with more than 30,000 members residing in countries around the world.

Kingdom of An Tir

Clallam and Jefferson counties — referred to as the Shire of Druim Doineann — are part of the kingdom of An Tir, which spans Oregon, Washington, a portion of Idaho and southwest Canada.

During the event, costumed members of the Society for Creative Anachronism will gather at the fairgrounds and set up camp.

“This year, we moved the camping actually on to the event site, so people will have their period tents set up,” Watson said.

“Come and learn about history,” he said.

“People will be available to answer questions and will be doing live demos.”

There also will be a blacksmith “making swords,” Watson said.

“He will have his forge all set up.”

Maypole dance

The event will culminate with a dance around a maypole — a tall wooden pole erected during European folk festivals in the spring to commemorate the return of warm weather, Watson said.

“At the end, we do the maypole dance,” he said.

“We put the pole up and it’s got the streamers. We play music and [the dancers] weave in and out of each other.”

The medieval-era music is performed live by participating musicians, Watson said.

Druim Doineann

Druim Doineann — pronounced droom doyn-yan — consists of about 25 active members, Watson said.

The members include re-enactors specializing in Norse, Norman and Gaelic personas and traditions, he said.

“The reason I do it is to try to get a feel on how they lived in a very simpler but more complicated time,” Watson said.

“They didn’t need TVs, so in that way, it was simpler, [but] they spent all their time making their own clothes” and other chores necessary to survive, he continued.

Many re-enactors get into the group initially for the tournament-style combat, Watson said.

“I think most people get into it for the fighting,” he said.

“Then they start picking up . . . the arts and sciences” behind the weaponry and attire.

“You go to that first event and see the fighters and the rapier people and people shooting arrows, and it’s ‘Ooh, I want to do this,’ ” Watson said.

“Then you start your fighting and you realize there is a lot more to it than that, and that is when you start picking up your persona and doing history research for what part you want to play.”

That includes picking historically accurate garb, weaponry and fighting styles for the character desired, Watson said.

“A lot of it is affordability and time,” he continued. “It ranges from people that will get full suits of steel armor to the budget end when they transform pickle barrels into armor. It all serves the same purpose.”

For more information, visit www.druim-doineann.org.

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Reporter Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.