Laird gets medieval (15 photos)

Four-year-old squire Josh Tobey grew up to be real-life knight in shining armour.

On Friday, the Laird fairgrounds hosted Knights of Valour —a travelling medieval-themed entertainment, dinner, and jousting event.

The group tours around North America putting on shows that include magic tricks, dancing, busking, gladiator style fighting, and a form of ‘brutal’ German-style jousting called ‘Realgestech’.

Tobey’s been with them since he was four-years-old and his dad signed on as a Knight-in-training and armour maker.

“I actually only ever had one lesson — I just watched it growing up,” he said.

Tobey start off as a helper who ran errands, tacked horses, and helped other Knights put their armour on.

“When I was little I was actually so short that I could walk underneath the horses’ stomachs with the girth so (the knights) didn’t have to reach under.”

“That’s not  the safe way of doing it,” chimed in fellow-Knight Jaclyn Ziemniak.

“Who cares, I wasn’t a safe kid. I’m still not,” said Tobey.

Tobey’s dad taught him the art of armour-blacksmithing and Tobey now actually makes his own armour and a lot of the armour for the rest of the knights.

Tobey said that every time he rides now, it’s in honour of his ‘second dad’, blacksmith and knight James Merrilees.

In 2012, Merrilees passed away after getting into a head-on collision with a truck on a highway.

Tobey has fond memories of Merrilees letting him drink the necks of his beers when Tobey’s parents weren’t looking and teaching him how to use a bullwhip — something Tobey is now fairly proficient at.

“I can take a cigarette out of someone’s mouth. (I’ll) just slowly chop it down then you’ll just feel it cross your lips.”

Tobey has a large tattoo on his left arm in memory of Merrilees and rides with his colors over his horse — blue and gold, with a grew stripe and three gold stars.

“I was just so close to this guy, every time I joust now its definitely in honor of him,” he said.

At Friday's event Tobey actually beat four other knights and won the jousting competition.

SooToday will be posting video of the actual jousting soon, stay tuned.