“We serve the greater student population,” Outreach and Inclusion coordinator at UAB and applied engineering junior Katy Winkler said. “Our big motto is ‘free events for students.’ So, I'm hoping students feel inspired to have the magical side of themselves, just relax, take a day off. I know it's a lot of stress here at college, so (this is) just a fun way to decompress with some friends.”

After SCC and the UAB partnered up on this, the UAB reached out to the Renaissance Sword Society for some demonstrations and contacted the MSU Painting Club for face painting. 

The SCC’s booth involved tarot reading and Renaissance trivia. SCC’s mission is to bring community and advocacy for LGBT students in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. They meet biweekly on Wednesdays in room 50 of the Morrill Hall of Agriculture. During last semester’s meetings, the club used to play Renaissance lo-fi music, sparking the idea for the Renaissance fair. 

“We'd love more people to hear about our club,” president of SCC and fisheries and wildlife senior Gabriel Kris said. “Also, tarot reading is fun. Just having a fun little activity to do on a Sunday, learn some stuff about Renaissance, and just meet some people who are into the same type of stuff that you are.”

Drawing their foam swords for the event, the students of MSU’s Renaissance Sword Society showed off in sword demonstrations. At normal club days, which happen every Thursday from 8-10 p.m. in the Upper Gym of IM Circle, members get to spar with foam and train with the possibility of eventually graduating to steel swords. 

“Today we were demonstrating with foams (swords) exclusively, and letting people work with them a little bit, but not actually spar,” President of Renaissance Sword Society and history senior Jakob Stibal said. “We had a lot of students watching and feeling the trainer weapons, sort of working with them to understand how to use them. But not actually hitting each other with them. Anybody who was sparring today was somebody in the club.” 

In hopes of involving more clubs and not having to turn to a vendor, the UAB enlisted the help of MSU’s Painting Club for face painting. For their first time face painting at an event, Painting Club did stencil and freehand designs with supplies provided to them by the UAB. MSU Painting Club meets biweekly on Monday nights from 7:30-9 p.m. in Erikson Hall. They mostly do paintings on canvases, but do other things like eggs, pumpkins and ornaments around the holidays. 

“We got a lot of engagement from people interested in going to our club meetings,” Painting Club Treasurer and human biology senior, Nicole DeLuca, said. “I think it's a good way to get our club more involved in some of these on-campus events. It's good to see a lot of people wanting to do face paint because I feel like some people think it's not something that college kids would want to do, but it definitely is, so letting people be a little creative out here. I just hope that everybody had a really nice time here. It's been great for us to do this and get this outreach.”

Students were offered a creative outlet through the crafts and demonstrations at the event, but also in their fashion choices. Biochemistry and molecular biology sophomore, Alexa Annika Calderon, stated that she didn’t have “Renaissance clothes” but wanted to dress up anyway. She wore a cream midi dress with a floral and lace print on it and boots. 

“I love UAB events and I follow their Instagram, so I saw it posted,” Calderon said. “I've always wanted to go to a Renaissance fair event. I just never had the time to, and I have a little bit more time to now, and I just thought this was, like, a good walk-in for that. I'm hoping to go to one in October in my area.”

No stranger to Renaissance fairs, mechanical engineering freshman Gloria Brezenski stated that she been to at least four fairs. 

“I love Renaissance fairs,” Brezenski said. “It's just, like, the whimsical vibe. And, not everyone dresses historically accurately, but that's part of the fun, to be honest. I did plan this outfit. I read somewhere that for a Renaissance outfit, you have something that's belt-ish, but isn't a modern belt. So I have to scarf for that. And then I have these shoes, which are like vaguely old-style cavalry-ish. ”