Maid Marian Coronation Ceremony in April promises medieval entertainment

SHERWOOD, Ore. — To help kick off the festival season, the Madrigal Feast, as it was once called, will go by a new name: The Maid Marian Coronation Ceremony. The event is on April 18 at the Elks Lodge, starting at 4 p.m. with doors opening at 3:30 p.m. 

According to event organizer Kathy Bushman, the change in name and format was to keep the event affordable for the Maid Marian Court families and all Sherwood families. 

“With the rising cost of food and catering, we did not want to continue to charge more money for this, so we have now scaled it back to a reception versus a feast,” Bushman said. “The board of the festival association felt strongly that we wanted to continue to make this affordable for families.” 

The celebration will feature a wassail ceremony, the Sherwood Renaissance Singers, and family-friendly authentic medieval entertainment. Be on the lookout for a historical sword fighting demonstration by N.W. Armizare, a group from the Portland area dedicated to the study of historical martial arts. 

Bushman said that in addition to all the entertainment, the current-year Maid Marian Court girls will be introduced and the new Maid Marian will be crowned. The Junior Maid Marian Court consists of girls in grades one through four. The Senior Court is open to upcoming high school students in grades eight through 11. One of the Senior Court girls will be selected to be Maid Marian. 

Maid Marian will receive a $500 scholarship for a college or vocational school upon graduation from high school. 

Kristine Mulkey, the Maid Marian Court chaperone, said, “Maid Marian Court is a group of girls in elementary and high school who have a love for their community and serving others. They have to apply and interview to get selected every year.” 

Mulkey added, “They are the ambassadors, the face of the Robin Hood Festival every year. Maid Marian is selected out of the high school girls to be the leader and has important tasks, such as knighting community members and shooting the first arrow to begin the archery tournament with Nottingham.” 

The court, according to Mulkey, is involved in many activities from April through December, including reading to toddlers at the library, judging the castle contest, sword fighting, and etiquette lessons. 

“In 2020, the concept of the Madrigal Feast was introduced to the Festival Board by Kristine Mulkey, Maid Marian chaperone, and Jan Hashimoto Chambers, a fellow festival board member,” Sandy Wallace, festival association secretary, said. “Their idea was to do a more elaborate Madrigal Feast to honor the girls and to crown Maid Marian.” 

The event has been held in three different locations in Sherwood, including the Sherwood Elks and the Sherwood Center for the Arts. 

The coronation event on April 18 is one of three events hosted by the Sherwood Robin Hood Festival Association. The association also runs the big summer festival in the third weekend in July, and the Holiday Tree Lighting the first week in December. 

The coronation is a big event in Sherwood. 

“Maid Marian is representing the town and the Robin Hood Festival,” Bushman said. “She reigns for a year.” 

Wallace added, “Speaking of sponsorship, the Robin Hood Festival is brought to you by Langer’s Entertainment Center, our title sponsor. Langer’s and numerous additional sponsors make it possible for us to stage our annual events, including the Robin Hood Festival, the Maid Marian Coronation Celebration, and the Holiday Festival.”

Tickets are $10 for the Maid Marian Coronation Ceremony and will be on sale online only until April 12, or until they are sold out. Souvenir mugs will be available for $15. 

Tickets can be obtained by visiting the festival website at www.robinhoodfestival.org.