Members of the group Skjaldborg Vikings re-enact battles using axes, spears and swords during the Fairfield Renaissance Faire on Sunday, April 27 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. (Andy Hallman/The Union)

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FAIRFIELD – The Jefferson County Fairgrounds was filled with the sound of swords clanking and banjos strumming this past weekend for the third installment of the Fairfield Renaissance Faire.

Organizer Katrina Vincent said she was thrilled with the turnout, which was triple last year’s. She said 950 attended the faire on Saturday and 675 attended it on Sunday for a total of 1,625.

“People loved that we tripled the entertainment with the music, the battles and the camels,” she said. “They really liked that we had a variety of food and drink, with seven total food and drink vendors. But mostly people just enjoyed the atmosphere.”

The Renaissance spanned from the 14 th to the 17 th centuries, marking a period of intellectual and cultural rebirth in Europe. Vendors at the Fairfield Renaissance Faire dressed in period costumes, and there were two living history encampments where people re-enacted unscripted battles between knights as well as blacksmithing, woodworking, leatherworking and braiding from that era.

One of the groups putting on the re-enactments was the Guardians of the Black Forest. Members of the group said they go to 15 Renaissance faires a year, including those in Amana and Des Moines, plus the one Vincent hosts on her acreage near Denmark, Iowa.

One of the co-owners of an encampment, who goes by Lt. Ae, gave visitors a quick history of beer and witches, and the surprising way they are related. Lt. Ae spoke about how the production of beer dates back to the ancient Sumerians, where it was done by women who made ale from the grain leftover from making bread. When they had ale for sale, they would attach their wheat to the end of a broomstick, and this allowed patrons to judge the freshness of their ale by the appearance of the wheat. These women also wore pointed hats when selling ale, to help them stand out in a large crowd. Lt. Ae said our modern conceptions of Halloween witches derive from the appearance and practices of these alewives.

Garrett Janzen, a resident of Ames who is a member of the Guardians of the Black Forest, participates in the encampment in several ways such as playing the guitar, playing an old Viking lyre instrument known as a tagelharpa, building a model trebuchet and repairing armor and leather.

“These are people I could spend all day with,” Janzen said about his friends in the club.

Vincent said she’s making plans to host another Renaissance faire in Fairfield next year. Eventually, though she’s not sure when, she’d like to expand the Fairfield Renaissance Faire to a two-weekend event.

Those who are eager for more opportunities for Renaissance faires can look forward to the one Vincent is hosting at her home outside Denmark, Iowa on Nov. 1-2.

“Our theme is, ‘Halloween isn’t over yet,’” Vincent said. “We’ll discount tickets for people who dress up, too.”

The address for the Denmark Iowa Renaissance Faire is 3265 Quarry Road in Wever, IA 52658.