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Posted: 10/18/00

Medieval Festival Set at A&M International

 

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A trip back to Ye Olde Times will be offered on the Texas A&M International University campus on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 1-7 p.m. as the first-ever "Medieval Festival" makes its debut.

And while there'll be no free-flowing mead, organizers assure there will be a fair amount of dancing maidens and wandering minstrels.

The event is co-sponsored by the University's Sigma Tau Delta English Honors Society and by the Student Government Association and is free of charge and open to the public.

Organizer Gema Paredes, member of Sigma Tau Delta and a senior English major at the University, said students thought the Festival would be an ideal way to showcase the culture and literature of the Middle Ages.

"We really used our plans for a celebration of the 600th anniversary of the death of the English poet Chaucer as a jumping off point to develop our plans for a more comprehensive observation. We plan on having a fun, fair-like atmosphere which should celebrate the arts of Medieval England," Paredes explained.

Paredes and her group are working with local high school English, social studies, drama, art, music and dance departments and other

performance groups to offer a variety of performances including dancing, music and drama.

"We've been working closely with these groups to offer the presentation of scenes from a one-act play on Chaucer's "The Wife of Bath," and performances by madrigal singers, among other offerings," she explained.

In addition, the event will feature a costume contest, a Middle English Reading Contest, an art contest with a medieval theme, snack booths, puppet shows, games and special demonstrations and displays. Paredes said the group welcomes performers to participate.

"We'd be happy to work with anyone who'd like to offer a special performance that has a medieval linkage such as juggling or magic shows, and would encourage them to contact us to arrange this," Paredes said.

As a preamble to the Medieval Fair, Sigma Tau Delta will host a special memorial reading of Chaucer's General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 1:30 p.m. in the Killam Library Breezeway.

"This will be a great opportunity for people to preview the richness of Chaucer's most original and important poetic writing, and we would encourage anyone curious about the Medieval Festival to attend," Paredes encouraged.

Faculty sponsors for the Sigma Tau Delta are Dr. Robert Haynes, associate professor English and Nicki Cone, visiting instructor of English.

For additional information please contact Paredes at 724.4456 or by email at gemaparedes@hotmail.com or Cone at 326.2647 or by email at ncone@tamiu.edu.

University office hour are from 8 a.m - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

 


Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu