Nearly 500 people attended the second Lexington Renaissance Fair at Masterson Station, where sword fights, elves, mermaids, and costumed crowds filled the grounds.The event drew first-time visitors and seasoned Renaissance fair enthusiasts alike, with 130 vendors offering handmade goods from local artisans.Jazmine Juanes, a first-time attendee, said the variety of costumes and entertainment made the experience stand out."It's just a fun experience. Like you get to see different people dressed up as different things, from anywhere from like Shrek to like I don't know, a knight."Juanes said the fair offered more than just costumes."And you just walk around, and they have like two sides, and they have shows and stuff going on too, little circuses, yeah, mermaids. There was a mermaid. There was a circus. They had all kinds of stuff in there."Zach Gregory, food and alcohol director of the Renaissance Fair, said the growth of the event has been rewarding."It's been awesome, the expansion, seeing everybody in costume having a big time, all the smiling faces out here, and all the work that's gone into it paying off has been phenomenal."Gregory said attendees do not need to invest heavily in a costume to enjoy the fair."You don't have to get dressed up. You don't have to spend tons of money on a costume. It's about community. It's about having fun. It's about embracing something weird and different and exciting."Vendor offerings ranged from jewelry and clothing to handcrafted home goods. First-time attendee Morgan Morales said the selection impressed her."Jewelry, lots of jewelry and clothing, corsets. They were really nice. I love the corsets and the rugs. I love the rugs they had displayed for the, uh, displays."Attendee Makenna Denham highlighted the opportunity to support small businesses at the fair."There's so many vendors here. There's so many local artisans, so that you can support small businesses and get handmade pieces that are made with love and tender care."Denham said the costumes also served as a way to connect with others."Have amazing conversations with so many people. We get to make our own costumes and share them, which is a great conversation starter with others. And that's something I enjoy the most out of this is that I get to have so many wonderful conversations with people and make new friends."Juanes noted that some of the most creative costumes were made with simple materials."In there she had, like, cut them out of cardboard and painted them. They were, and she even put, like, a little bedazzle on them. They were pretty, very pretty."The faire will be back in town next summer. ...read more read less