• State News
  • National News
  • Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Subscribe For $2.50/month
Print Editions
Henry County Enterprise
  • News
    • Neighborhood News
    • Business
    • Community Calendar
    • State News
    • National News
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds
  • eEnterprise
  • Spiritual
    • The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
    • Transcendental Meditation
    • Parabola
    • Southern Baptist
  • My account
  • Login
  • FAQ
No Result
View All Result
Henry County Enterprise
No Result
View All Result
Henry County Enterprise
No Result
View All Result

Dragon Festival at VMNH celebrated lore

Enterprise by Enterprise
October 23, 2019
in Uncategorized
0
0
SHARES
5
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Meli Markham, from Raleigh, N.C., drew a crowd in front of the museum as she twirled a flaming baton and appeared to swallow the fire during the Dragon Festival at the Virginia Museum of Natural History.

By Kim Barto Meeks

More than 2,700 people turned out for a day of fossils and fantasy on Saturday, Oct. 19 at the third annual Dragon Festival hosted by the Virginia Museum of Natural History.

The Renaissance Faire-style event celebrated dragon lore with fire performances, sword-fighting, blacksmithing demonstrations, Vikings, live music performed by pirates, and talks on science and folklore. It was the festival’s largest crowd yet.

Wesley Morgan, age 3, wore a dragon costume to the festival Oct. 19 at the Virginia Museum of Natural History.

“It’s nice to see it grow every year,” said Dr. Dorothy Bell “D.B.” Poli, a biology professor at Roanoke College, research associate at VMNH, and director of the Dragon Research Collaborative, which spearheads the festival in collaboration with the museum.

So, why is a biologist involved in research about a mythical creature?

Audience members were entranced by a fire performance by Meli Markham during the Dragon Festival Oct. 19.

The Dragon Research Collaborative looks at how fossils may have influenced the development of dragon myths. The project came about six years ago when Poli’s colleague Dr. Lisa Stoneman, a folklorist, “asked about a joke I made about certain plant fossils looking like dragons,” Poli said.

The plant was Lepidodendron, which existed 300 million years ago and could grow as tall as 100 feet. The closest equivalent species today would be running cedar or club moss, Poli said. In fossil form, the patterns left behind by the leaves look like scales from a reptile — or a dragon. Imprints from the branches and trunks can look like claws.

Charlotte McWilliams, left, challenges her older sister, Cailyn, to a duel at the Dragon Festival at the Virginia Museum of Natural History. The Renaissance Faire-style event featured “swordfighting” with foam pool noodles and other activities for kids.

“We looked at where dragon stories originated and where the fossils exist, and they overlap all over the world,” Poli said. The fossils are found with coal seams, and so “wherever there’s coal, there seem to be dragon stories.”

Kingston Morris, age 3, battles other children with pool noodles at the Dragon Festival at the Virginia Museum of Natural History.

The collaborative pulls together researchers from a variety of disciplines, including plant biology, history, literature, computer science, business, environmental science, and more. The Dragon Festival is a way to showcase their work, Poli said, as well as to capture people’s imagination.

Vendors at the Dragon Festival sold themed costumes, art, jewelry, and more at the Renaissance Faire-style event.

On Saturday, the parking lot outside the museum was full of tents and vendors selling dragon-inspired crafts, jewelry, and metalworks. Fitting the medieval theme, the beer garden featured mead, a traditional wine made with honey. Children made crafts, posed for photos, and played dress up with knight and princess costumes and foam swords.

Greg Hackenberg inspects an iron stand for his mead horn sold by blacksmith Matthew C. Hundley of Nicholas Creek Forge. Hackenberg was dressed in character as Captain Hackenslash as part of his band Pirates of the Piedmont, which performed several times throughout the Dragon Festival.

Wesley Morgan, age 3, was one of many children attending the festival in a dragon costume. His family and friends came from Lynchburg on Saturday, said his mother, Elizabeth Brown. “We came last year and had a lot of fun,” Brown said. “We loved it. This year it seemed like they had more to do.”

Fire performer Meli Markham, from Raleigh, N.C., drew a crowd in front of the museum as she twirled a flaming baton and blew a mouthful of liquid onto the fire that made it explode in the air. After one of her performances, kids from the audience surrounded her to ask how she does it. Markham explained that the liquid in her mouth is very diluted lamp oil.

A hanging dragon sculpture greeted visitors at the entrance to the Virginia Museum of Natural History during the third annual Dragon Festival on Oct. 19.

Michelle Witherow attended with her son, Kingston; her boyfriend, Charles McWilliams, and his two daughters: Cailyn and Charlotte. Witherow said the event was a good time for all of them.

“It’s hard to find something fun for kids of all ages,” she said. “Kingston is 3, Charlotte is 6, and Cailyn is 11, and they all had a blast.”

Cailyn McWilliams said her favorite part was “going to the museum. We got to see all the dinosaurs. We got to do crafts, and there was a game in there called Feed the Dragon.”

Her sister, Charlotte, piped up, “I liked looking at the snakes.”

Photos by the Dragon Research Collaborative): The Dragon Research Collaborative which spearheaded the Dragon Festival held at the Virginia Museum of Natural History, looks at the influence of plant fossils on dragon lore. The prehistoric Lepidodendron plant left behind fossils that look like reptile scales, pictured here.

Kingston was not interested in being interviewed — he was too busy sword-fighting the other kids with a foam pool noodle — but his mother said he enjoyed seeing the pirate band, Pirates of the Piedmont, perform throughout the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sign up to our Newsletters.

Enter your email address to receive weekly notifications straight to your inbox.

Please confirm your subscription!
Some fields are missing or incorrect!
Lists
Previous Post

DRP Performance Relocating to Henry County

Next Post

Absentee Ballot Deadlines Announced

Next Post

Absentee Ballot Deadlines Announced

Sign up to our Newsletters.

Enter your email address to receive weekly notifications straight to your inbox.

Please confirm your subscription!
Some fields are missing or incorrect!
Lists
  • State News
  • National News
  • Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Call us: 304-647-5724

  • Login
Forgot Password?
Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.
body::-webkit-scrollbar { width: 7px; } body::-webkit-scrollbar-track { border-radius: 10px; background: #f0f0f0; } body::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb { border-radius: 50px; background: #dfdbdb }
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Neighborhood News
    • Business
    • Community Calendar
    • State News
    • National News
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds
  • eEnterprise
  • Spiritual
    • The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
    • Transcendental Meditation
    • Parabola
    • Southern Baptist
  • My account
  • Login
  • FAQ