The Shire of Emerald Gate

You will hear them before you see them — the ring of steel on steel carries across the grounds.

The Shire of Emerald Gate is our local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism, the worldwide fellowship devoted to bringing the Middle Ages to life. Their fighters take the field in real armor — chainmail, lamellar, helms and painted shields — for armored combat demonstrations that are as thunderous as they look, while the Shire’s encampment shares the period crafts and living history of a medieval world.

This is no costume play-acting: SCA heavy combat is a living martial tradition, fought with rattan weapons at full speed by armored men and women who train for it year-round. Stand at the rope and feel the ground shake.

Meet the Shire of Emerald Gate at the Medieval Fae Fest, November 13th–15th, 2026, in Marianna, Florida.

Photos courtesy of the Shire of Emerald Gate, Society for Creative Anachronism.