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Medieval Festival kicks off LI's fall events

BY PAT BURSON | pat.burson@newsday.com

September 5, 2008

Go back - way back - in time to the days when men in shining armor jousted with swords and battle axes, rescued damsels in distress and ate bloody hunks of meat with their bare hands.

The annual Medieval Festival returns to the great lawn at the 216-acre Sands Point Preserve, one of the North Shore's early 20th century estates.

WHAT YOU'LL SEE

The festival, held the first two weekends in September, begins each day with a procession of the royal court. Festivalgoers take in sights and sounds from a different time. They can watch archery demonstrations, listen to madrigal singers, see a traditional maypole dance, and see a medieval-style puppet show. Other activities include a fashion show featuring ornate costumes of lords and ladies and games for kids and adults. Each day ends with a "storming of Castelgould" to free the captured queen and a meeting of the royal court to decide the kidnappers' fate.

Medieval Festival
When: Sept. 6-7 and Sept. 13-14, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sands Point Preserve
127 Middle Neck Rd., Sands Point
516-571-7900
nassaucountyny.gov/parks

Cost: $10 adults, $5 ages 4-12

Other festivals this fall

19th Annual Long Island Apple Festival
When: Sept. 28, 11 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Sherwood-Jayne House
55 Old Post Rd., East Setauket
631-692-4664 or 631-751-3730
splia.org

Cost: $6 adults, $4 seniors and ages 2-12

Tour the Sherwood-Jayne House, an 18th century farmhouse with its original apple orchard, which plays host to this annual event. Activities include old-fashioned games like apple on a string, apple relay races and tug-of-war, plus pony rides, music, hayrides, Colonial storytelling, craft demonstrations and vendors selling Colonial-themed arts and crafts. There also will be an open-hearth cooking demonstration and local cooks can try their luck in an apple-pie baking contest.