News from Høstfest in the Minot Daily News: “On Friday, a quartet of ‘shield maidens,’ better known as models for a Fargo modeling agency, appeared at Høstfest during a live steel combat demonstration by The Viking Age Club…” probably drawn by Lars and his colleagues.

Andrea Johnson writes, “The [elementary school] boys were goggle-eyed as [Gary] Anderson and Lars Walker gave a thoroughly realistic demonstration of live combat, involving the clashing of swords, the splintering of a wooden shield, and men falling to the ground so hard they lost their helmets. The weapons they were using were real, but the men are well-trained in combat.”

Aren’t those maidens cute? No doubt Lars will tell us about this year’s festival next week, but you can see him and Gary now in this video from three years back. Not a glorious moment for Lars, but every teaching moment can’t be glorious, I guess.