Capes and ornate dresses decorated campus on a mid-spring’s afternoon Saturday.

The Medieval and Renaissance Performer’s Guild at Ohio State held its 36th annual Renaissance Faire on the South Oval and west lawn areas.

The Council for the Medieval and Renaissance Faire is a student-run organization at OSU. Its purpose is to organize and help present the Medieval and Renaissance Faire at OSU and the Madrigal Feast, according to the website.

The council works hand-in-hand with the Medieval and Renaissance Performers’ Guild for both events.

Stephanie Chounet, a fourth-year in middle childhood education, is Guild Master. She explained funding for Faire.

“Council (The Council for the Medieval and Renaissance Faire) funds Faire,” she said. “We apply for programming funds … The money has to be paid up front, however, and then the university reimburses us.”

The council also holds fundraisers and is sometimes hired for outside performances, Chounet said.

One of those fundraisers is a Madrigal Feast held every year.

Madrigal takes participants back to the Medieval and Renaissance periods for a night of songs, dances and dinner, hosted by the lords and ladies of the castle. This year’s Madrigal Feast was held January 29 and 30 at Summit on 16th Church in Columbus.

There are five areas of interest at Faire, including performers, vendors, site, public relations and advertising. Many performers come directly from OSU, including the Medieval and Renaissance Performer’s Guild, the Society for Creative Anachronism, the Arts and Sciences Student Council and the Pagan Student Association.

“This is the 36th year for the Faire,” said Sarah Allen, a third-year in English. “It’s the longest-running guild in Ohio.” Allen has performed at the Faire all three years she has attended OSU.

Members of the guild make their own costumes, either by themselves or at workshops, Allen said. From simple boots, shirts and pants to bodices, underskirts, bloomers, tunics and many other items, all are made by hand.

At the Faire, there were hand combat demonstrations using padded weapons, live musical performances, and booths offering period clothing, swords, candles, incense, jewelry, masks, stuffed creatures and fairy wands.

The Faire’s finale was a lively human chessboard competition to select a monarch. This year’s reigning king is Kyle Amore, a second-year in outdoor youth education.

Once the chess combat was finished, Faire festivities ended with a song wishing health to the company. The refrain beckons all to next year’s Faire:

“So here’s a health to the company,
And one to my lass,
Let us drink and be merry all out of one glass,
Let us drink and be merry all grief to refrain,
For we may and might never all meet here again.”

For more information on the Guild, visit guild.org.ohio-state.edu/index2.htm.