I’m leaving for Pennsic tomorrow! I should be there by supper time. I’ll put up my tent and unpack, then take a nice long walk to get my bearings and experience gratitude for being there.
I’m planning on taking lots of classes, seeing commedia in the evenings, singing around the campfire, and trying not to shop more than I can afford.
Who else is on their way to War?
I must ask, in total frankness, what the heck are you talking about?
Shibb, yer dumb. Anyone who’s anyone knows what Pennsic is. It’s the big SCA thingy Fisher is going to. Duh. Oh wait, it’s SCA, so it should be “M’lord Shibb, yer dumb.” Pardon the lapse.
Sorry. I guess I assumed that only people who knew what I was talking about would choose the thread, which was not a reasonable assumption considering the average Doper’s huge desire to learn new things.
Pennsic is an annual two-week camping event for members of the Society for Creative Anacronism, who enjoy pretending they’re living in the Middle Ages/ Renaissance.
It draws about 12,000 people, who transform a very large field into a medieval city, complete with tented residential neighborhoods, an enormous shopping district, a yummy food court, a small university, and battlefields where people in armor fight each other pretty much from morning 'till evening every day.
At night, there is occasionally home-brewed alcohol, stories, and singing around the fires.
There are a fair number of members here on the board, and I’ll bet quite a few are on their way there this week.
Sounds interesting. Why the name Pennsic? Where is it held? Same place every year? Are RennFests for more the temporal tourists like me, and Pennsic for the hardcore? How different is it? Is the food better? I’m sure I can learn most of these things by digging through the linked site but I have to get back to work soon. And I came into this thread because you’re such a darling, FischerQueen, more than to learn anything. Most of my learning is accidentally done.
It’s held in Pennsylvania, hence the name, which is a bad pun on the Punic Wars.
RennFests are more entertainment- there are performers, and there’s the audience, which pays to be entertained. At SCA events like Pennsic, everyone who comes is a participant, and there is no audience.
It’s very different. Instead of people coming to be entertained, they’re living their lives and making their own fun. There are some ‘shows,’ but they’re not at all professional, just enthusiastic amateurs who find their fun in performing, like the Italian-style commedias I mentioned, which are improvisational and fairly dirty. There’s plenty of exciting battleground action (if you can follow it- it’s really there because people enjoy fighting, and it’s confusing to watch), and plenty of shopping, but there’s also plenty of hanging around camp with a book or a chessboard.
Alas, one of the unfortunate side effects of SCA for me has been that I no longer have any fun at Rennaissance festivals. Kind of like returning from Europe and visiting Epcot- a cheesier, glossier, higher-priced version of real life.
Not especiallyin the food court, but most people cook at their own camps, which can range from ‘kind of icky’ to ‘I’m having orgasms my mouth.’ The food stands are decent, but they’re mainly for those nights when you’re too lazy to cook.
Will you pick me up a copy of the latest Lady Tudor Glitz ? Please?
I’ll pay you back. < puppy eyes >
I am going but just for this coming saturday, ssunday and driving back home on monday [am still in mid job hunt and I don;t like being away too long, I might miss an opportunity=]
The middle sunday is when our household celebrates everybodies birthdays, anniversaries and special events=). I am making a cassoulet d’isigny, taillevant’s mustard soup, a huge salat, fresh baked bread and tostee for dessert…<burp>
I have been going to Pennsic since 1978…only missed a couple of years=)
Then mrAru is going for the entire last week of war=)
Have fun and don’t get lost! (Or auctioned off. 
)
I’ll just sit here and be jealous in An Tir. Pennic is much too far for us.
I’ve heard that getting myself auctioned off to the Tuchux would be a good way to guarantee myself a truly unforgettable War…
Pennsic is always inconveniently scheduled for us. It’s the last half of August…and school is starting. There’s no way my principal would be nice about me missing the first two weeks of school for travel/attendance at an event. We’ll just have to settle for Gulf Wars in the Spring.
FB
Say hi to Adam and Chris in Tourdion for me.
Stefan liRous alwasy flies in, he is in our household - we keep a tent and other camp gear for him in the household storage locker=) all he does is fly in with clothing=)
Well, goody good for all y’all what’s going this year. I would have really liked to, but all those months of unemployment have put a crimp in my plans. Maybe next year.
Have fun; be sure to get some chocolate milk at the Coopers’ store.
Various of my friends are heading out from Northshield over the next few days; it’s a 13-18 hour drive, depending on how psychotic you are. I’m skipping this one due to monetary concerns.
I hate you all, because you get to go and I don’t. I’ll just sit out here in Los Angeles and stew in this 100 degree weather we’ve been having. You SUCK!
Not really, I’m just incredibly jealous. Promise to have lots of fun for me, 'kay? And try not to get lost or stolen!
One of my co-workers took vacation this week so he could do that.
If anybody wants to know more about Pennsic…
Here’s the “official” site: www.pennsicwar.org.
And an unofficial, but fun site: www.pennsic.net.
And if you go here and look at the ninth picture down, you can see me in the middle of the picture, resting my fat ass after fighting in the woods in chainmail.
=) not bad, but I think I might have a better picture of Flieg somewhere around here, if my computer didnt eat it.