Vikings invade Pickaway County

ASHVILLE, Ohio - Hordes of Vikings have descended on Pickaway County.

But unlike the bands of howling marauders who terrorized northern Europe in the 10th century, these Vikings are a peaceful lot intent on providing a little education and a lot of entertainment.

The Ashville Viking Festival, which continues tomorrow, is celebrating its 10th year with more historical re-enactors, jousting knights on horseback, music and vendors than ever. Held on the grounds of Ashville Elementary School, in the shadow of the water tower promoting the "World's Oldest Traffic Light," the festival features a half-size replica Viking ship and a lot of people wearing costumes from various historical eras.

"The comment we often get is, 'It's so quiet, so calm,'" said Ed Vallette, one of the festival founders.

Although the local high school's mascot is a Viking, the school district isn't involved. Instead, the festival began when some local businesses asked Vallette's group of Viking re-enactors to put on a spring festival to complement the village's Fourth of July party.

"They originally wanted to do it in a vacant parking lot and we said, 'We can do it, but it's going to be a lot bigger than that parking lot,'" Vallette said. Indeed, it has grown larger almost every year, more than doubling the village's 4,000 population when the weather is good.

As he spoke, a man in a pirate hat and leather vest strolled past, a reminder that the Viking Festival takes an ecumenical approach to the time periods it salutes.

"It's my first time at the Viking Festival," said the pirate, Phil Caldwell, of Pataskala.

"We try go to a lot of Renaissance festivals," said his wife, Marisa, who stood close by. "It's one of our passions.."

Nearby, the sail of the festival's shield-festooned, 40-foot-long Viking boat, The Norseman, fluttered in a gentle breeze as young boys scampered up ladders for photographs.

The ship's captain, Dave Segermark, has sailed the boat, "in most of the waters in the Northeast," although his Philadephia-based Leif Ericson Viking Ship Organization brought the vessel to Ohio on a trailer.

Next to the ship, in the fenced off "Combat Arena," two young men in chain mail, leather gloves and modern fencing masks hacked away at each other with wooden swords.

After their duel they might have headed over to the "Gypsy Wench Massage" tent.

"I performed with the belly dancers for five years," said Abernathy Hall. "I've been massaging for the last three. And we love it."

Her colleague, Becky Haar, smiled. "We're complete festival nerds," she said.

Around the corner from the gypsy duo, the Saxon Market featured tents from such vendors as Sons of Norway, The Goblin Trader and Lost Vikings Hoard.

But whether festival participants are dressed as Vikings or as English knights fresh from jousting in "King Herald's Battlefield," they can't drain a flagon of mead with their feast.

"That's something that everyone brings up," Vallette said. "That's the one issue with the park - no alcohol."