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Carmen Dominguez, Olga Barrios, Jacob Dominguez, 12 and Jailyn Dominguez, 17
Photo by Ian SwabyZach Blankenship helps Asher Fox, 2, and Ryker Fox, 7 to snap a geode in half with a turn of a wheel.
Photo by Ian SwabyRyker Fox, 7, holds the broken geode.
Photo by Ian SwabyRenee and Benny Webber and Lynne Amicay
Photo by Ian SwabyJonathan Blackquill and “Quentin Blackquill” perform in a stage show by The Blackquill Brothers.
Photo by Ian SwabyMaksim Knipp, 6, takes aim at a target.
Photo by Ian SwabyThe festival promised to take visitors back to a time of merriment and enchantment.
Photo by Ian SwabyCemantha Crain and Cas and Alyx Daugherty
Photo by Ian SwabyRyan Britt faces off against Jason Callis during a demonstration by Steel Ring Academy.
Photo by Ian SwabyNeal Voor overcomes his opponent Chris Fontana during a demonstration by Steel Ring Academy.
Photo by Ian SwabyItems and trinkets sit out on display at Kizmet - Gypsy Market.
Photo by Ian SwabyGabriella Ramos, 15 and Michael Kress
Photo by Ian SwabyVitaliy Volpert provided the Cirque de Sewer cat and rat circus show.
Photo by Ian SwabyRoscoe Long, 14, Owen Meredith, 15 and Ezra Weinstein, 14, face off against each other at the Sword Master's Challenge arena.
Photo by Ian SwabyTuck Brunketurner, 9, a member of the festival's travelling crew, watches as attendees engage in a battle through Sword Master's Challenge.
Photo by Ian SwabyMatt Maier, Diana Graulich and Sean Van
Photo by Ian SwabyPatrick and Lucy Ambs
Photo by Ian SwabyOengus MacOg plays the drums with Soapbox Soliloquy.
Photo by Ian SwabyAshley Ambrose of Kizmet - Gypsy Market dances to the music.
Photo by Ian SwabyMembers of The Jackdaws offer a performance.
Photo by Ian SwabyBrandi Geisbert and Marla Lawrenz
Photo by Ian SwabySir Michael (Michael Murphy) and Sir Lilith (Erin Eisenmann), bypass each other narrowly during the jousting.
Photo by Ian SwabySir Lilith (Erin Eisenmann) receives her jousting helmet from Sir Lucian.
Photo by Ian SwabySir Lilith (Erin Eisenmann) and Sir Michael (Michael Murphy) face off against one another in a sword fight on horseback.
Photo by Ian SwabySir Lilith (Erin Eisenmann) and Sir Michael (Michael Murphy) face off against one another in a sword fight.
Photo by Ian SwabySir Lilith (Erin Eisenmann) delivers a defeating blow to Sir Michael (Michael Murphy).
Photo by Ian SwabyGabby Sriota and Lily Sriota, 2, meet the horse of Sir Michael (Michael Murphy).
Photo by Ian SwabyJason Callis, founder of Steel Ring Academy in Bradenton, describes himself as a little boy who picked up a stick to pretend it was a sword, and never put the stick back down.
He thanked the SunCoast Renaissance Festival for the unique opportunity to showcase his unconventional passion to Sarasota's community.
Held weekends from Nov. 18 to Dec. 10 at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds and inspired by European history and myths, the festival features live entertainment, including jousting shows and swordplay, live music, vendor booths and food and drinks.
The festival is owned by Brevard Renaissance Fair, Inc., which produces The Brevard Renaissance Fair in Melbourne, Florida.
One experience participants were able to enjoy on Nov. 18 was watching the students of Steel Ring Academy competing against one another. It’s one that Sarasota’s Alyx Daughterty, a member of the school, has eagerly embraced.
“I'm mainly motivated because it's fun. I really like swinging swords at people,” Daugherty said.
The school’s business manager, Amanda Closser, said she hopes people will discover that the sport is accessible, including to women, who she said are underrepresented in the Historical European martial arts (HEMA) community.
“Swordfighting actually doesn't require a lot of strength; it's skill," she said. “The weapon is your equalizer. In the community, women actually tend to score higher in skill points.”
Attendees also had the chance to witness a theatrical jousting match by the traveling company Noble Cause Productions.
Erin Eisenmann, who played "Sir Lilith” in the jousting match, says the role demands the skills of an equestrian athlete, stunt performer and actor all at once, although not everything involved is acting.
“We can't pick who's going to win,” she said. “Sometimes we mess up things. It just shows that we're real and we're not perfect at this.”
Michael Murphy, who plays Sir Michael in the jousting matches and has been performing in stage combat for 18 years, said his skills in the art did not come easily.
“It’s just practice, practice, practice,” he said. “There’s no substitute. There's no cheat. There's no shortcut. It's doing it, and doing it a lot and doing it often.”
Attendees also enjoyed exploring the other features of the festival, including the selection of vendors.
“It’s always fun to see the booths, what people bring, and the art,” said Renee Webber, who returns to the festival each year.