LA PINE —

American Legion Post 45, a log structure along a dirt road, was transformed Saturday. For a day, the veterans hall became a medieval village, complete with knights battling in the front yard and countesses making jewelry inside.

The participants belong to a group of historical re-enactors who call themselves the Shire of Corvaria, a local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism, which includes 20 kingdoms and more than 30,000 members across the globe.

Saturday was the shire’s All Fools event, a spring celebration with a focus on historic arts and sciences. About two dozen members, dressed in clothing from the Middle Ages and Renaissance, took part in the event. Some stayed inside the legion hall to sew, make necklaces and play games of chance. Others worked on their swordsmanship against the Knights Roadshow, a group of knights from other parts of the shire’s kingdom, which stretches from Southern Oregon into Canada.

Matthew Veatch came from Cottage Grove to serve as Knight Sverre Tjorkillson. He and six other knights helped train the shire’s fighters.

The fighting pairs would pause their battles to talk about the mechanics of sword fights.

“It’s not just about bashing somebody’s face in with a sword,” Veatch said. “It’s more about how well can you fight. How is your chivalry? How do you act on the field and off the field?”

Inside the American Legion Post, Salem resident Althea Rizzo shared her expertise about life during the years 400 to 800 after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Rizzo is known as Viscountess Suvia filia Heriberti from a chapter in Salem. In her daily life, she is the geological hazards program coordinator in the Oregon Office of Emergency Management. She completed her doctorate in design and human environment from Oregon State University with a dissertation on the Society for Creative Anachronism.

Many SCA members focus on the Middle Ages, but other eras of history before the 17th century can be celebrated as well, Rizzo said.

“Basically, we are a bunch of history nerds that like to really study and dig into how people lived and how they created the things they lived with,” Rizzo said. “We have a lot of people with a lot of different interests.”

While the members honor historical traditions, the Central Oregon shire strays a bit from the norm because it recognizes two princes in their kingdom instead of a prince and princess.

The pairing has nothing to do with relationships, but rather how the local shire interprets how their royalty is selected. To become a prince, a person must win in a trial by combat during a coronation. And during the combat, that person must name who inspired them — usually a female figure — and that person will become the princess.

Redmond resident Andrew Edwards, or Prince Ziitos Turk, oversees the local shire. During combat to become prince, Edwards named his friend James Kelley, of Coos Bay, also known as Seamus O’Ceallaigh, as his inspiration. When Edwards won and became a prince, so did Kelley.

Edwards said he has known Kelley for six years and was impressed with how involved and dedicated he became in the SCA.

“You can’t control who truly inspires you,” Edwards said.

Christine Riddle, of Bend, a member of the Shire of Corvaria, said the local shire is one of the smaller ones in the kingdom. Despite its size, the group has fun year-round at various gatherings. The shire is gearing up for camping trips this summer and a big harvest festival in the fall.

“What it comes down to is we are big geeks, and we like to have fun together,” Riddle said.

— Reporter: 541-617-7820, kspurr@bendbulletin.com