PORT GAMBLE — The knight’s face sweats behind his visor, and he rolls his shoulders under his armor, preparing to attack. The crowd cheers in the background, and his opponent suddenly lunges at him, taking a swipe with a heavy sword. The crowd erupts again, their shouts reaching across the hot, grassy slopes of Port Gamble.

Though it sounds like a dramatic scene out of a movie or book, this played out in reality repeatedly last weekend during the Society for Creative Anachronism’s 25th Medieval Faire, much to the delight of about 5,000 visitors and 1,100 SCA members.

“We had 47 fighters in the fully armored tournament,” said Carol Schnetter, also known in the SCA as Baroness Brighid Ross. The faire is held every year in the Barony of Dragon’s Laire, within the Kingdom of An Tir. “We probably had about 45 fencers, and on Sunday we had our archery tournament, with about 25 archers. It was great, we had lots of people turn out for it.”

Sea-Tac resident Jeff Smith and his two daughters, Port Townsend residents Jamie and Holly Smith, were attending for the first time, though they already looked the part in their medieval garb.

“We’re just kind of enjoying everything,” he said.

The event featured many of its regular attractions, including the tournaments, Middle Ages vendors’ booths and equestrian demonstrations. The horses were new at the faire last year and back by popular demand, Schnetter said. Although there were only two horses and riders, she said they still drew a large crowd.

“We presented the horses with an edible wreath at the end,” Schnetter said. “They loved it, they wound up having a tug-o’-war with it.”

This year’s gathering also added an arts and science pavilion, showcasing how science and crafts were utilized in the Middle Ages. It’s been a dream for the SCA members to have the display, and it was well received by fair-goers.

“(The pavilion) is the thing I’m most thrilled with this year,” Schnetter said. “We’ve wanted to do it for years, and we were finally able to do it.”

The faire was an anniversary of sorts for Gig Harbor residents Kate and Jim Eagan, also know as Kiska Habibi and Eoghain an O’Niall. The June gathering was Kate Eagan’s first SCA event 22 years ago, and she and Jim Eagan had been dating at the time. Over the course of the summer, they attended more and more events, and eventually joined the group together.

“The SCA is probably the most fun a grownup can have,” Kate Eagan said.

“You can be any character that may have existed during the time period,” Jim Eagan added.

The faire also welcomed newcomers and residents who are considering joining the SCA. Poulsbo resident Callista Griffin has made the trip to the historic mill town the last three years for the faire.

“It’s very fun,” she said. “I like the booths, but my son likes the swordplay and he likes the jousting.”

For additional photos, go to www.northkitsapherald.com/pages/MedievalFaire07/