Second Viking Market at the Mills

IOLA – The Viking Market is returning for its second year to celebrate Viking culture and history. The event is scheduled to take place May 17 at the historic Iola Mills, 300 North Main Street from 11 a.m. to about 5 p.m., longer if there are still people roaming about.
“I wanted to have something where people could come and learn about actual Viking stuff, about actual history and experience it,” said Eric Bestul, owner of Lessons from the Art and an organizer for the event.
The Viking Market will be led by the Wisconsin River Ravens, a Vikings reenactment group, a group that Bestul has been a member of for about two years along with his 13-year-old son, Anders.
Bestul said he has been a long-time history enthusiast, especially with Viking history.
“I just find the whole Viking era to be really fascinating because of how it is kind of unprecedented at the time,” he said. “With travel and trade and stuff like that.”

Bestul, who describes himself as a “history nerd,” said he began building Viking-era instruments and creating and releasing Viking music a few years ago under the name, Skog Troll.
Being that there are no recordings of Viking-era music, Bestul said historians have to use artwork and writings to figure out what instruments may have looked like, while also figuring out what the instrument may have sounded like.
The few Viking instruments that have survived are small and can fit into one hand, Bestul said, and the bulk of the instruments have not survived the centuries.
Members of the Wisconsin River Ravens went to one of his shows and asked him if he wanted to join the group, which was when Bestul and his son joined up.
During the reenactments, like the Midwest Viking Festival in Green Bay, Bestul said he plays music, which is also what he will be doing May 17.
Bestul will be on site with his Skog Troll set up, and will be available to answer any questions that people may have about Viking-era music and instruments.
Outside of the music, there will also many more activities that can be found at the Viking Market including many venders who will be selling handcrafted Viking related items.
There will be blacksmithing and combat demonstrations by the Wisconsin River Ravens that people can come and observe.
“We just want people to come out and hang out and learn some stuff and have some fun,” he said. “Part of the reenactment thing is we all kind of have specialties that we can bring to the group.”
The event will take place at the Iola Mills and will be outside. Bestul said they have a back-up space should the weather not cooperate, something he will announce closer to the day if the forecast says rain.
There is no charge to come to the event, but there will be food and gelato for sale at the Iola Mills.
If you would like more information about the event, or if you are interested in reenactment at the event or are a vender that is interested in setting up you can contact Bestul through email at ericbestul@gmail.com.