NEARLY 5,000 miles from the Old Market Square a small American town has had a Nottingham makeover.
Sherwood, in Oregon, has been paying tribute to its Notts namesake for the last 60 years with an annual Robin Hood Festival.
The three-day medieval extravaganza took place over the weekend at the town's Snyder Park and included a knighting ceremony led by their very own resident Maid Marian and entertainment from renaissance singers.
Adding a touch of authenticity to the proceedings were Nottingham residents and archery enthusiasts Shani and Michael Coward, and Sharon and Bernie Dicks.
The two couples flew stateside to take part in the 59th annual UK v US archery tournament, which coincides with the festival. Mrs Dicks, who along with her husband is a member of members of the Rolls-Royce Bowman of Sherwood (Hucknall) Archery Club, said: "It is the first time we have been to Oregon and ho we do Nottinghamshire proud."
Before the tournament, the two couples presented the Sherwood Mayor, Bill Middleton, with a number of presents during the Saturday morning knighting ceremony, including a token of traditional Nottingham lace.
Tournament organisers say that the first Sherwood Oregon archery tournament took place in 1956, with Oregon winning the first challenge.
Susan Stankovic, County Treasurer for the Notts County Archery Society of England, said: "The winning country gets to host the Rose Bowl each year and it used to cross over between Nottinghamshire in the UK and Sherwood Oregon in the early years but to the best of my knowledge Sherwood in Oregon have held the trophy since 1992.
"However, we always enjoy this historic contest between the two countries and will have to wait and see if the score we have posted is good enough this year."
The Robin Hood festival in Oregon attracts around 20,000 people every year and is one of the oldest festivals in the state.
As well as the archery tournament on the Saturday, the festival enjoyed live music across the weekend as well as a number of craft stalls, food vendors and a community parade. Other activities included sword fighting, a flower and plant show and a castle building competition.
Entertainment came in the form of the Portland Recorder Orchestra, who performed a number of medieval melodies into the night, as well as the Sherwood Renaissance Singers, who performed both Friday and Saturday.
The Robin Hood festival is held annually by the Sherwood Robin Hood Festival Association.
It was first organised in 1954 to honour its namesake with the English town and has now been taking place for 60 years.
The organisation holds regular events including its Summer Parade and its Winter Festival in December.
