Taking aim with medieval artillery at the Guthrie Renaissance Festival

For 400 years during the Middle Ages, the counterweight trebuchet was a fearsome weapon, able to launch very heavy things at, or over, fixed fortifications.

GUTHRIE, Okla. (KFOR) – So much of visualizing history is filling in what used to be with an educated imagination.

Ahead of the 2024 Guthrie Rennaissance Fair organizer John Pagonis was imagining his own medieval village with plenty of death and violence for everyone.

"It keeps growing," he says enthusiastically. "There's going to be fighting everywhere!"

One participant, Mary Jones, 'sailed' his own pirate ship to Cottonwood Flats, at least on wheels.

"This is my ship from the lost dimension," he laughs. "I grew up a 'lost boy' and I figure every lost boy grows up to be a pirate eventually."

Other early fair arrivals included a lady named Raven who claims she's descended from Romani Gypsies.

She made camp with authentic equipment.

"A vardo is the name for a gypsy wagon," she explains.

But there is one attraction on the flats that also needs an early set-up.

It's been a couple of years since Pagonis bought a full size trebuchet.

"We bought it from Missouri," he states, "from a church."

He rebuilt the trebuchet, then spent a lot of time making sure it worked before bringing it out to demonstrate for the public.

John recalls, "The first time we fired it, it fired backwards. The second time we fired it, it went straight into the air."

For 400 years during the Middle Ages, the counterweight trebuchet was a fearsome weapon, able to launch very heavy things at, or over, fixed fortifications.

It always takes this crew a few test shots to get it right, launching a 35 pound playground ball very high and to within a few feet of where it's supposed to go.

"It took us about 20 tries," he says. "Wind is an issue. The ground is an issue. There are a lot of things involved."

Their assault on a fake fort always draws a crowd at the festival.

"We're going to try to hit the castle," he smiles.

Hitting the target always draws a hearty huzzah.

"Oh yeah man. People go crazy."

For more information on the Guthrie Renaissance Festival, visit guthrierenfair.com.