The annual event at the Alachua County Fairgrounds always attracts vendors and entertainers from around the nation, and this year was no different.
Amanda Delgado of Gainesville was one of many people who left the 32nd annual Hoggetowne Medieval Faire with bags filled with goodies and a mind full of memories that will last a lifetime.
As Delgado, 33, left the fair at the Alachua County Fairgrounds Saturday under slightly cloudy skies and some sunshine, she took a moment to talk about the items she bought and how much she enjoys attending the fair.
"We come every year," said Delgado, who was accompanied by her husband Jason Lewis, 37, and her brother, Benjamin Delgado, 22. "This year I bought leather straps and bracelets and I even bought a set of pewter dice."
Attending the fair is always fun, said Delgado, and her husband and brother agreed.
"I was in elementary school when I first started coming to the fair," Lewis said. "Back then I came for the fun and other things and now it’s interesting to me to see the blacksmiths, weaving and the craftsmanship."
Benjamin Delgado said he has also attended the faire since elementary school.
"I used to remind my parents that the Medieval Faire was coming," he said.
While an official attendance number wasn't available, the event's opening day drew a large crowd of thousands who reveled in mild weather with temperatures in the 70s.
The faire will continue Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Feb. 3-4 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Alachua County Fairgrounds at 3100 NW 39th Ave.
Tickets range from $4 to $18 on weekend days, and discounts are offered on Friday.
As usual, a myriad of vendors set up shop at the faire to entertain, provide food, drink, clothes and accessories and to generally take those in attendance back in time.
Children screamed as they sat in the "Barrel of Bedlam," which is a wooden barrel that seats up to six people and hangs from rope attached to wood poles. It sways around about like a mechanized rodeo bull.
The faire also features camel rides, axe, knife and star throws, and other things popular during the medieval period, which lasted from the fifth through 15th centuries, according to scholars. The faire always attracts vendors and entertainers from around the nation, and this year was no different.
Dorinda Hoke, 55, who lives in Kansas City, Missouri, when she isn’t traveling to festivals, draws personalized caricatures of people showing how they may have looked during the medieval period.
"I’ve been coming here every year for the past 22 years," Hoke said, sitting under her tent dressed in a purple dress from the era with a wreath-like accessory in her hair. "It’s just a great faire that is always well attended, super fun and always has a lot of good vendors, and it’s in Florida. Even if it rains, it’s still a good faire to attend."
A group of knife-juggling performers, also from the Midwest, agreed with Hoke that the faire is one of their favorites to attend. Known as "Barely Balanced Comedy," the performers use daredevil antics and acrobatic stunts to amuse all ages at renaissance events throughout the nation.
Their act was the first people encountered as they entered the faire Saturday around 1 p.m.
"So who’s here enjoying the show so far?" asked group member Margret Ebert, 37, of Polo, Illinois.
Her husband, Cameron Tomele, 33, said the group, which also includes James Freer, 34, of Ootsburg, Wisconsin, travels to renaissance festivals 10 months out of the year.
"This is our 11th year coming here and this is a great faire," Tomele said. "They always put on a superb event and the people are very interactive and enthusiastic. We love coming here and will be moving on to Phoenix for another faire after this one is done."