And they’re already making plans for next year, when they celebrate the event’s 10th anniversary.

“It’d be great to get a big sponsor to really shore things up,” said Martin Henry, chairman of the Celebrate Spanaway Committee. “We’d be able to do some more advertising – and that’s what really makes it for you.”

Gobs of advance publicity might have helped, but it was always going to be tough to attract a big crowd on the same weekend as the McChord Air Expo, featuring the Thunderbirds.

After eight years as a street fair at South 161st Street and Park Avenue, the festival moved this year to Spanaway Elementary School at South 166th Street and Pacific Avenue.

The old location made its typical turnout of 5,000 to 6,000 people over two days seem bigger, packing folks together in a tighter space.

On Sunday, there was lots of elbow room on the school playground, even after you accounted for the three dozen or so vendors, a half-dozen classic cars, a kids play place, some food stands and a stage for musical acts.

That meant there was plenty of space for the people of Amtgard, who brought their padded lances, swords and shields up from the Duchy of Shrouding Mist – aka Sprinker Recreation Center, their weekly meeting place – to demonstrate their Medieval-inspired faux combat and role-playing.

It’s kind of like the stuff of the online computer game World of Warcraft, or Dungeons and Dragons, only in real life.

“We like to come out to fairs like this and do demonstrations, to bring people into the game,” said Ken “Monkey” Willeford, 26, of Parkland, who’s been taking part for eight years.

“We know there are other people out there who would like to give it a try.”

Players wear period costumes of their own design and wield weapons made of soft material that doesn’t hurt when it’s whacked across, say, another player’s shoulder.

As fairgoers looked on, two teams battled each other with thwacks and thrusts across an imaginary gangplank between two imaginary ships. In the heat, and with the costumes, they worked up a pretty good sweat.

“I lost 50 pounds in a year,” said Linda Wilson, 31, who also goes by her game name, “Lady Squire Aphaydren.”

The game functions on the honor system. When you’re hit in the arm, you’ve got to admit it, and continue playing one-armed. Hit in the leg, and you’ve got to take a knee. Interest in Medieval history and an imagination are required.

“And you’ve got to be able to have fun,” Wilson said. “You’ve got to be able to say after somebody gets you, ‘that was a good fight, let’s go back and do it again – and I got your number, buddy.’”

Perhaps the Amtgarders will return next year for the 10th Spanaway Community Fair.

The fair began in 1999 as a response to the area’s drug and crime problem and as a way to rebuild some civic pride and spirit in one of Pierce County’s oldest communities, said Jean Sensel, one of the first organizers.

It’s done that, she said.

But attendance wasn’t helped last year when the county cracked down on unauthorized signs placed in public rights of way. County crews removed dozens of the fair’s signs from locations all around Spanaway, Sensel said.

Informal surveys of fairgoers found that most stopped by after seeing one of the signs – “they were our most important piece of advertising,” she said.

Sensel said she and others are asking the Pierce County Council to grant some kind of a exception for community festivals.

In the meantime, Henry is keeping his fingers crossed that he and other organizers can land a generous sponsor who will help promote next year’s event.

In that case, he figures he wouldn’t have to mess around with small signs by the side of the road.

“We need to get the billboard coming up Parkland hill,” he said.

One thing is certain: With no air expo next year at McChord, at least he won’t have to compete with the Thunderbirds.

Michael Gilbert: 253-597-8921