Medieval Knights brings Entertainment, Unity, and Profit for Ceres High Schools

By: Alex Berryhill
            On September 23rd the two high schools of Ceres, a small town in the Stanislaus County of California, worked together to fundraise for their local high schools by planning a Medieval Knights show, which included jousting, acting, and a dinner.
            The event was hosted by the city’s local Diamond Bar Arena, owned by Shane and Kim Parson, cosponsored by the City of Ceres and the Ceres Chamber of Commerce, and used as a fundraiser for Ceres High School and Central Valley High School, both found in Ceres. Ceres High School used the fundraiser for their class of 2011, while CVHS used the fundraiser for their scholarship foundation.
            The “medieval” night took place on a warm summer evening and began with a dinner of turkey leg, chicken, beans, bread, and salad served by a volunteer adorned in 11th century clothing. Attendees of Medieval Knights had the choice of either sitting at a purchased table with a personal server, at one of the many spare guest tables after stopping by the buffet line, or skipping the dinner completely and instead purchasing a “show only” ticket so they may come later on to watch the jousting from the bleachers set up around the arena.
            Around seven the show began with the commentator’s humorous and jolly introduction, and the introduction of three knights, who entered the arena majestically on their ornamented horses. The knights then began the contest to be the “best knight in the land.”
            As the knights competed in games, made bawdy comments and jokes to each other, and contended in a frighteningly realistic sword fight, the crowd would cheer on for their favorite knight. Surprises throughout the show kept the crowd on their toes and constantly amused. “The knights kept the audience involved. I thought it was great, fun, and entertaining for all ages,” said Alyssa Long, a student from Central Valley High School who attended the show.
            Among the acting, lovely horseman ship, and a bountiful dinner, the city of Ceres also enjoyed a feeling of unity, as families from both of the two local high schools either worked together as volunteers or laughed together as guests. Nicole Chapman, one of the coordinators for the event commented that, “ When we first started planning we wanted to do a combined effort to show the unity of the two high schools and bring the city together.” As a witness of the many smiles that night, attendee Lynne Trio added that, “The night seemed to be an overall great event.”
            The fundraiser also proved to be successful in making a profit for the high schools. Chapman stated that Medieval Knights brought in more than fifteen thousand dollars, sold fifty two tables, and had over six hundred fifty people attend, although they had previously only expected about five hundred.
            Erik Ingwerson, Ceres School Board Member and one of the volunteers of the fundraiser stated that, “Medieval Knights in Ceres was the finest and most entertaining event that I have ever participated in. It was truly a fun event.”
            The two high schools plan on continuing the even next year, and although a date has not yet been set, Chapman says that people may start purchasing tables today. If your own local high schools would like to coordinate a Medieval Knights fundraiser, contact Imperialknights.com for more information.