IOLA – Tucked among the historic buildings at Iola Mills, the Viking Market returned last Saturday as a laid-back gathering of reenactors, artisans and history enthusiasts.
Now in the beginning of its third year, the Viking Market is held annually in Iola each spring and fall.
“There’s a lot of Viking festivals throughout the summer and fall, so we try to make this one really early and really late in the year, so that it’s not conflicting with other ones,” said organizer and reenactor Eric Bestul of Iola, who helped start the event.
Bestul said the idea grew out of his own interest in historical reenactment.
“Ever since I got into the whole reenactment thing, I’ve been hearing about the Viking markets in Denmark and Norway and Sweden,” he said. “I was like, that’d be kind of fun to do something like that here, where you have some reenactment stuff, but also it’s not as strict as some of the festivals where you have to have certain garb and things that you have to do. It’s just a little bit more laid back so we can hang out and actually talk about stuff.”
The market features costumed participants, demonstrations and vendors, drawing a mix of reenactors and curious visitors. Participants said the atmosphere is friendly and community-focused, more like a neighborhood-size renaissance fair than a large commercial festival.
Beyond costumes and crafts, Bestul said the Viking Market also serves as a form of experimental archaeology.
“We’re trying to do things relatively in the way that they did them, to learn more about how they did things, how they lived,” he said.
Support from the Iola Historical Society helps make the events possible, he added, covering basics like gas money so reenactors can travel to Iola and offer combat demonstrations and educational displays.
The historic setting at Iola Mills is a major part of the event’s appeal, offering a scenic backdrop for displays and open space for reenactors to demonstrate sword fighting and perform music. The area also has a strong Norwegian heritage.
Bestul said he first connected with other reenactors through music. He began by building historical Nordic instruments, then performing them at events. He and several of the reenactors contribute to Skogtroll, a music project with recordings available on Bandcamp.
“I didn’t think I’d get into reenactment at all,” he said. “Then we just started doing it and hanging out, and now we’re here.”
He said he has become “super into building instruments from around that time and researching them, and learning how to play them, and learning how they sound.”
Visitors to the market heard those sounds throughout the day as he and others performed.
The participants at the Viking Market belong to a reenactment group known as the Wisconsin River Ravens. They plan to appear next at the Waupaca Area Public Library Renaissance Faire set for Aug. 8, where they will perform and demonstrate as the Wisconsin River Ravens, rather than under the Viking Market banner.
The group also participates in the Midwest Viking Festival in Green Bay, which they said is the biggest event of the season in Wisconsin. That festival, run by Professor Heidi Sherman, is scheduled for Oct. 2-3 at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus.
Wearing hand-sewn, handcrafted Viking-age attire, John Laedtke of Stevens Point joined Devon Ray and Anders Bestul of Iola in demonstrating sword fighting during last Saturday’s events. Swords clanged against shields while Luke Schwiesow of Waupaca strummed on his lyre.
“We’re the hidden gems of Iola,” Laedtke said.
The group members said they hope to continue sharing music and historical demonstrations at events across the state.
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