After months of planning, an annual Norman festival of 41 years returned to town this week with a preview dinner .

Cast members of the Medieval Fair, a local historical event, gathered for the Medieval Feast in the University of Oklahoma’s Couch Restaurants March 29. The dinner, complete with dancing and Medieval food, served as a final rehearsal before the March 31 to April 2 fair.

For cast members, who interacted with diners while in costume and character, the evening and the upcoming weekend are the result of months of preparation and practice.

Rebecca Reeves, an early childhood education senior, said the cast has rehearsed every other week since August 2016, developing relationships and characters. Reeves said her fair character has a Scottish accent that took her three months to learn.

Those just joining the cast face a steep learning curve because of the cultural immersion the fair requires, said Bailey Chaples, a biology and pre-med junior.

“You learn all of the different details about what life in the year 1360 would have been like, which is when the fair takes place…we try so hard to work it all into what you experience at fair,” Chaples said.

While the fair is a major production for all cast members, the final result is worth the work, Reeves said.

“It’s just an amazing experience…you don’t have to be who you are in real life for those few hours that you are at fair — you can be anyone you want to be,” Reeves said.