BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — At the recent Martin County Tourism meeting, Cati Christian pitched an unexpected and intriguing idea—medieval reenactments. Christian, a member of the Appalachian Drakaríðendr, part of the Empire of Medieval Pursuits (EMP) based in Boyd County, proposed bringing the immersive historical experience to the county.
“We have a membership of 10,000 that runs from Florida to Maine and out to the Midwest,” Christian said of the EMP.
The EMP specializes in medieval reenactments, from full-armored combat to arts, crafts and sciences.
“We have events going on now that have the reenactment of battles for different eras of medieval times,” said Christian, a resident of Calf Creek who works at CLT Equestrian Farms.
Events typically draw anywhere from 200 to 500 guests and feature more than just combat. They also offer vendors who sell handmade, period-accurate items.
“We like to keep things period correct. A lot of us dress in medieval garb. … We just have a good time,” said Christian. “We like to teach about the history of the medieval times. It’s kind of like a Renaissance fair but on a smaller scale.”
Christian’s local chapter, the Appalachian Drakaríðendr, is one of several in the region, with others based in Ashland and Paintsville. They are gearing up for a medieval festival this weekend at the Boyd County Fairgrounds. The festival promises EMP fight tournaments, horse show rail classes and mounted games, dog show, cornhole, cowboy church, medieval-themed live music, armored combat tournament, food and drink trucks, and a reason to dress in medieval garb.
“It’s basically Viking-themed. We’re out of the 1100 B.C. Viking era, which actually converted into Christianity,” explained Christian. “So our group is very Christian-centered. The whole Empire really is Christian-centered right at the moment.”
One of the standout elements of the EMP is its DIY approach to costumes.
“We make our own costumes out of plastic barrels,” Christian shared. “Instead of junking up the community with all the plastic barrels and stuff, we take them and reuse them and make full-body armor.”
She pointed out that the medieval reenactments are not just for entertainment—they could be a unique way to attract tourism to Martin County.
“I just wanted to introduce the idea to you and maybe work with you guys on setting this up in Martin County to bring tourism into Martin County.”
Pulling off such an event would require space—lots of it. Christian noted that a large, flat area would be needed for parking horse trailers and vehicles, along with enough room for camping.
“We have a lot of equipment and stuff to set up,” she added. “If we have a place to put people to camp, that would be awesome too. A lot of people come from out-of-state and, as I said, it’s period-correct—so they’ll do tent camping. If there is something available that we could put them up in, that would be great, too. At this point, we all just usually camp in tents.”
Christian is eyeing the summer of 2025 for the event. In the meantime, she is planning a meet-and-greet in the spring at the request of the Tourism Commission to keep the momentum going.
The Tourism Commission invited Christian to attend the Oct. 21 meeting for more discussion.