P-history-msg – 2/15/11
Pennsic history.
NOTE: See also the files: BPThingie-art, Enchnted-Grd-msg, Pennsic-ideas-msg, P-stories-msg, P-storage-msg, SCA-hist1-msg, SCA-stories1-msg, P-tale-MWIFO-art.
NOTICE -
This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.
This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.
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Thank you,
Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
************************************************************************
From: PB06098 at uafsysb.uark.EDU (Paul Byers)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Fighting Hamsters
Date: 12 Mar 1993 05:06:46 -0500
The Calontir song of fighting hamsters is written for me. (large grin and swelling of breast!)
Back at pensic 12, or was it 13? anyway, In those days I fought with a
duct-taped hamster on my helm. (plastic, sword and shield, brown.) That was the year I introed the Calon shield wall. I was the center scutum, anchoring the whole line. All my secondaries were females. All through the different assaults they would hit my hamster with their pommals. hamster would squeak, they would giggle, I would yell/whine 'girls! Please!' and the foe was sore confused.
Later in the war a great sword blew the poor hamster off my helm. We recovered
him and got him drunk. After that for a few years most of the calon army
wore hamsters on or in their helms. I still have my original hamster somewhere.
Enough. If you want to hear more E-mail me while I'm at a real editor.
Pavel (still in combat with the dual demons NDIS and ODI!)
Calontir
From: hwt at bcarh11a.BNR.CA (Henry Troup)
Subject: Re: Blasphemy Alert : Move Pennsic ?
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd., Ottawa, Canada
Date: Wed, 26 May 1993 12:21:47 GMT
|>doconnor at sedona.intel.com writes:
|>#> The real issue, from my distant perspective in Arizona, is when is
|>#> Pennsic going to get a site large enough that there's no longer a
|>#> need for such limiting limitations on tent/encampement size ?
(I resist the temptation to refer to Dennis as "The O'Connor Don",
really I do!)
(It's a title of the chief of Clan O'Connor, not an insult.)
I'm not sure that such a site exists -- or can be created. Most camping
events of 10,000 people are things like Boy Scout Jamborees. Very
often, they are held in state parks and the like. There's a large state
park near Cooper's Lake. It is a "dry site" - no alcohol allowed. I
don't know who makes it so, but I am given to understand that this is a
common rule.
The things we'd be up against are rules -- dry site, no fires allowed,
no clothing optional swimming hole -- in nearly any government facility.
And, can you imagine the reaction of any commercial camp site - "We only
have 1000 spaces, and you want 15,000 people to attend! No way, Jose!".
Cooper's Lake was 100 spaces for regular camping, according to the AAA
campbook.
The third alternative is the unimproved farmland one - possible, but not
as comfortable as Cooper's Lake.
I think that Pennsic works as well as it does because it has grown on
that site from around 500 to its current size.
Did you know that Pennsic supports the state liquor store in Newcastle?
If it wasn't for August sales of wine and liquor, the store would have
been closed. The supermarket nearest Cooper's Lake stocks whole legs of
lamb in August - and no other time of year.
The total support from Butler County is really good - it flows both
ways. There's a 16 year relationship to build on. The kids who pack
groceries in the supermarkets have seen SCA people every August for a
lifetime - incredible! There's established trust inwith the community
there. 10,000 strangely dressed people would get a lot of communities
really nervous, after all.
Henry Troup - H.Troup at BNR.CA (Canada) - BNR owns but does not share my opinions
This is a virus-free signature
From: gray at ibis.cs.umass.edu (Lyle FitzWilliam)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Serengeti hints....
Date: 12 Aug 1993 02:58:21 GMT
Organization: Bergental, East Kingdom
(John T Dillon) writes:
>Keep lots of water around and drink copious quantities.
>
>If you feel a headache coming on, go shopping, wander the barn, or head
>into the wooded areas where it will be cooler.
And repeat the previous step: Drink water.
>Every year I camped where I had parked the previous year. Last year I parked
>beyond the second hill... Hmmmm....
I love it!
Runestone Hill, as I have heard, use to be the main battlefield.
When I was at Pennsic XIII, I camped on the Old Archery Field, on the far side
of the lake. There were three or four tents there.
In the Woods Battle that year (you all know, the one with the causeway...), at
Resurrection Point there was a little table set up, where they checked you in,
putting a mark in the column of the side that you fought for, to get an idea
of the numbers killed in both sides. Fighters could re-enter the woods at
several different points, one of which was on the edge of the Old Archery
Field.
At Pennsic XIV, one of the competing forces marshalled at the top of the
Runestone Hill before marching down to enter the Woods. Another year, the
attacking force (one force had already entered the woods) mustered on the Old
Archery Field itself.
Of course, now, all three areas are used for camping.
Lyle FitzWilliam, who loves to reminisce every now and then...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lyle H. Gray Internet (personal): gray at cs.umass.edu
Quodata Corporation Phone: (203) 728-6777, FAX: (203) 247-0249
From: sherman at trln.lib.unc.edu (dennis r. sherman)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Serengeti hints....
Date: 12 Aug 1993 13:21:50 GMT
Organization: Triangle Research Libraries Network
(Lyle FitzWilliam) writes:
>Runestone Hill, as I have heard, use to be the main battlefield.
Actually, if you want to go back a bit further, what you call the Old
Archery Field used to be the main battlefield. If I can find them and
find room while packing, I'll take pictures to the Rialto party.
(I'll be late, as Atlantian Court is Thursday night too, and I'm not
missing it!)
--
Robyyan Torr d'Elandris Kapellenberg, Windmaster's Hill Atlantia
Dennis R. Sherman Triangle Research Libraries Network
dennis_sherman at unc.edu Univ. of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: chanson at marcie.wellesley.edu
Subject: Pennsics past (was: Serengeti hints)
Organization: WELLESLEY COLLEGE
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 20:34:03 GMT
Lyle FitzWilliam adds more Survival/Serengeti advice, then goes on:
>Runestone Hill, as I have heard, use to be the main battlefield.
>When I was at Pennsic XIII, I camped on the Old Archery Field, on the far side
>of the lake. There were three or four tents there.
>In the Woods Battle that year (you all know, the one with the causeway...), at
>Resurrection Point there was a little table set up, where they checked you in,
>[...]
>At Pennsic XIV, one of the competing forces marshalled at the top of the
>Runestone Hill before marching down to enter the Woods. Another year, the
>attacking force (one force had already entered the woods) mustered on the Old
>Archery Field itself.
>Of course, now, all three areas are used for camping.
You call that "reminiscing"? Why, young man, *I* was at Pennsic VI, the
first Pennsic at Cooper's Lake. Everyone camped on the one hillside
- dunno what you call it now, from the highest point next to Great Eastern
Highway, down to the woods. We camped around the edges, leaving enough
empty space in the middle for courts, mustering of troops, and the
champions' battles.
'Course in those days, we had *Champion's* Battles: five one-on-one
bouts, each between two champions in a different weapons form; none of
these small armies you kids have nowadays. (Champions' battles nowadays
are bigger than the field battles of the first few Pennsics, but I wasn't
at them!) Heck, one war point was decided by single combat between King
Fernando and King Finnevar - these young pup kings don't do *that* anymore
these days. (Finnevar won.)
And the field battle was in the upper field that's the Tuchux' camp
these days I hear - and it wasn't even worth a war point! And how
do you think the Old Archery Field got its name, anyway, eh?
Now, if you want some *real* reminiscing, who out there has some
good Pennsic IV stories? (Not many, 'cause they've probably already
left for Coopers' Lake.)
Kale/Caleb
(The facts above are true. Only the tone of voice has been altered
for dramatic effect.)
From: gray at ibis.cs.umass.edu (Lyle Gray)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Pennsics past
Date: 12 Aug 1993 17:14:22 GMT
Organization: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
chanson at marcie.wellesley.edu writes:
]You call that "reminiscing"? Why, young man, *I* was at Pennsic VI ...
All right, I'm a "young man". No argument. But I also happen to be one of
three people who's been active for the longest period of time in my barony
(one of the two others is the Baroness...)
]first Pennsic at Cooper's Lake. Everyone camped on the one hillside
]- dunno what you call it now, from the highest point next to Great Eastern
]Highway, down to the woods.
It's called "Runestone Hill" or "Runestone Field", depending on whom you ask.
]Heck, one war point was decided by single combat between King
]Fernando and King Finnevar - these young pup kings don't do *that* anymore
]these days. (Finnevar won.)
Now, _that_ would be interesting to see.
]And the field battle was in the upper field that's the Tuchux' camp
]these days I hear - and it wasn't even worth a war point! And how
]do you think the Old Archery Field got its name, anyway, eh?
Well, I hadn't heard the first part, but I _did_ know how the Old Archery
Field got its name (even though a yunker, I still know _some_ things... ;-) )
]Now, if you want some *real* reminiscing, who out there has some
]good Pennsic IV stories? (Not many, 'cause they've probably already
]left for Coopers' Lake.)
I picked up a few from Sir Emric last weekend, including an additional piece
to the story about Angus dubh MacTarbh (ah, close enough spelling, I guess)
and his famous fall into the mud while wearing a pig-faced bascinet. Seems
that Angus had actually tried to fall _backwards_, but there was a sapling
behind him that bent backwards, and then threw him onto his face.
>Kale/Caleb
Lyle FitzWilliam (who's perfectly content to be called a "young man")
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lyle H. Gray Internet (personal): gray at cs.umass.edu
Quodata Corporation Phone: (203) 728-6777, FAX: (203) 247-0249
--(My opinions are my own, and do not represent my employer's opinions)--
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: sclark at epas.utoronto.ca (Susan Clark)
Subject: Re: Pennsics past
Organization: University of Toronto - EPAS
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 18:55:31 GMT
Greetings!
If you want to see a whole slew of these early Pennsic stories,
stop by the Eoforwic camp (if it actually exists this year--our
location is so bad that people are baling like crazy) and ask for Duke
Finvarr himself. Ask him to tell you about his umbrella and Pennsic IV.
Also, if you can lay your hands on a copy, the book from Pennsic XX
had a whole history of Pennsic in it....
Regards
Nicolaa/Susan
sclark at epas.utoronto.ca
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: chanson at marcie.wellesley.edu
Subject: Re: Pennsics past
Organization: WELLESLEY COLLEGE
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1993 02:50:51 GMT
Lyle FitzWilliam writes:
>chanson at marcie.wellesley.edu writes: [that's me]
>]first Pennsic at Cooper's Lake. Everyone camped on the one hillside
>]- dunno what you call it now, from the highest point next to Great Eastern
>]Highway, down to the woods.
>It's called "Runestone Hill" or "Runestone Field", depending on whom you ask.
No, no, not the Runestone Field hill, the other one, on the other side
of the big ditch/pond/rough terrain. (I may have confused you by citing
the wrong road name. We didn't have road names in the old days. We
didn't have roads!) Runestone Field was all mundane territory, as was
everything except our side of the one hill (even the other face - north
or west-facing? - of our hill was mundane campers and RV's).
>]Heck, one war point was decided by single combat between King
>]Fernando and King Finnevar - these young pup kings don't do *that* anymore
>]these days. (Finnevar won.)
>Now, _that_ would be interesting to see.
Frankly, I think it would be a good thing in many ways. Among other
things, of all the war points it would be over fastest. Among the drawbacks,
it would be impossible now for all interested parties to watch it.
>I picked up a few from Sir Emric last weekend, including an additional piece
>to the story about Angus dubh MacTarbh (ah, close enough spelling, I guess)
>and his famous fall into the mud while wearing a pig-faced bascinet. Seems
>that Angus had actually tried to fall _backwards_, but there was a sapling
>behind him that bent backwards, and then threw him onto his face.
Certainly a close enough spelling. I seem to recall that that particular
fall happened at Pennsic V. (Just because there was mud doesn't mean it
had to be Pennsic Pour. We had plenty of mud in the old days. Then later
we got stew, and taxes.) (That's a literary allusion, for them young folks
what don't read the classics.) But I could be wrong, and it's a good story
either war.
>Lyle FitzWilliam (who's perfectly content to be called a "young man")
Kale/Caleb (who means no offense, and is glad Lyle takes none)
From: nusbache at epas.utoronto.ca (Aryk Nusbacher)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Pennsic population
Date: 15 Sep 1993 13:31:02 -0400
Organization: EPAS Computing Facility, University of Toronto
PA142548 at utkvm1.utk.edu (T. Archer) writes:
>But I am not comfortable with excluding the founders of Pensic, which we seem
>to have taken over, by adding additional rules to the event. I'll certainly
>not call anyone's honor into question, but I am not comfortable with it.
Chew on this. Pennsic was founded as an SCA event and held at sites
around Ohio and western Pennylvania. The site moved almost every
year. Dagan found the Cooper's Lake campground -- I don't know how,
nor do I especially care. For several years, Pennsic coexisted with
other campers, mostly equipped with sailboats, not bunny-fur.
Eventually Pennsic War took over the site.
The Tuchucks have also been renting Cooper's Lake (though not, I don't
believe, the whole site) for years for having Tuchuk events. They
still do, so far as I know.
Perhaps a Tuchuck buddy told Dagan about Cooper's, leading him to make
inquiries which led to renting the site. Big deal. If a WWI
re-enactor had told him, would we be morally bound to allow
Lee-Enfield rifles? Of course not. Perhaps the Tuchucks started to
rent space from the Cooper's before Pennsic VI. So what -- so did a
lot of people.
Get a grip on the facts before you start to agonise about fine points
of moral obligation.
Aryk Nusbacher
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: "Michael Squires" <mikes at cs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Pennsic history (was Re: Pennsic population
Keywords: Pennsic
Organization: Computer Science, Indiana University
Date: Fri, 17 Sep 1993 11:23:01 -0500
Susan Clark <sclark at epas.utoronto.ca> wrote:
> The Tuchux did not invent Pennsic. There were at least fofour
>or five Pennsics held at other sites before Cooper's Lake became its
>permanent home. And I have this odd feeling that the story about the 'chux
>"discovering" Cooper's Lake is somewhat of an urban legend. (I've heard
>at least one other story.....) though they may have indeed been using
>Cooper's Lake for their own events before the SCA.
Pennsics I through V were held elsewhere. My understanding is that the
problems with Pennsics IV and V were such that a new site was needed, and
Cooper's Lake Campground was familiar to the SCA through the Barony-Marche
of the Debatable Lands. The BMDL held some events at Cooper's Lake
Campground before Pennsic VI, although Duke Sir Dagan of the Middle was
involved somethow in setting up Pennsic VI. Cooper's Lake was chosen
jointly by the East and the Middle, although apparently the original
agreement has been lost (about four years ago the only agreement still
on record was the agreement between the Exchequers of the East and the
Middle).
The story I was told about the creation of the Tuchux says that Wolf the
Mighty started the Tuchux after some contact with the BMDL as a way of
having fun with some of the best students in his martial arts school.
--
Mike Squires (mikes at cs.indiana.edu) 812 855 3974 (w) 812 333 6564 (h)
mikes at cs.indiana.edu 546 N Park Ridge Rd., Bloomington, IN 47408
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: mikes at nickel.ucs.indiana.edu (michael squires)
Subject: Re: Childrens rules at Pennsic
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Fri, 29 Jul 1994 16:36:13 GMT
DSBurns at mke.ab.com (Dennis Burns ) writes:
>1) A s to the BSA/GSA I run a youth group at my local church, I have taken the
>children camping why can't an adult who has taken responsibility for a
>youth not genetically linked to them to pennsic?
Up until about Pennsic XIV or thereabouts Pennsic ran on the same rules as other
events; a minor needed only a minor's waiver which indicated who had been
delegated parental responsiblity. As a result of a number of serious incidents
where minors came to harm or were in real danger of serious harm, plus the
size of the camp (which caused PA local and state authorities to become
interested) the Coopers/Wilvers decided that in order to limit their personal
liability they had to require that a legal guardian/parent be present when
a minor was admitted to camp.
They resisted this for some years, but eventually their exposure to liability
became so great that they had to change the rules.
--
Michael L. Squires, Ph.D Manager of Instructional Computing, Freshman Office,
Chemistry Department, IU Bloomington, IN 47405 812-855-0852 (o) 81-333-6564 (h)
mikes at indiana.edu, mikes at ucs.indiana.edu, or mikes at nickel.ucs.indiana.edu
From: mms6824 at tntech.edu
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Childrens rules at Pennsic
Date: 31 Jul 94 16:16:37 -0600
Organization: Tennessee Tech University
> Edmund also writes, responding to Patri's point about scout camps and
> the like, "Remember, Pennsic is held in the COMMONWEALTH OF
> PENNSYVANIA. The laws are different there." There are also, in
> Pennsylvania, scout camps, martial arts studios with minor customers,
> judo tournments, summer camps, and lots of others things which
> Edward's arguments prove cannot exist.
>
> One of the things I have observed on the Rialto (and elsewhere) is
> the willingness of a lot of people, especially those with no
> particular knowledge of law, to accept without question legal
> explanations for why it is necessary to do certain things--even when
> there is lots of evidence to the contrary. This particular set of
> arguments was hashed out on the Rialto a couple of years ago. Nobody
> then came up with any evidence that there were special legal problems
> in Pennsylvania making it impractical to allow minors at Pennsic
> without their parents, and I have seen no such evidence since. If
> Edward has some to present, I will of course be interested to see it.
>
> David/Cariadoc abu Patri
Your Grace,
As a former resident, and certrified School Teacher in the State of
Pennsylvania, I can come up with several laws that relate here. In the first
case, before I could go into the public schools to teach in the state of PA, I
had to have a backround check done through the State Police, if I had been a
resident of the state for at least the past year, if not the check had to have
been done through the FBI. This was done to determine if I had any past child
related offences. And while not the Law for all groups sponsoring child/teen
activities, many other groups are requireing this same procedure for their
employees/volunteers to protect themselves.
A parent dropping off an underage teenager at Pennsic, could be charged
with neglect. We are not a group such as the Boy Scouts or other types of
Child/teen oriented groups that have the "Responsible Adult Suppervision" of
Children and Teens. THIS is the difference between the examples that you are
citing and the SCA. And I don't believe that the person incharge of Childrens
activiities is willing to be put in this position, or should be required to
bein this position. We require the PARENT or LEGAL GUARDIAN to be the
Responsible Adult Supervisor of their own children.
As someone who has been involved with the running of Pennsic on several
occasions. I can remember many times where in the wee hours of the morning, a
"parent" has Security looking all of the War for their missing child that they
haven't seen all day. OR how about the group of older teenagers, who managed
to get ahold of a rather large amount of alcohol and went out into the woods
for a party? As I remember that incident ended up with a 15 year old
alternating between being passed out and pucking his guts out in Chiurgeon's
Point, d*mn near having alcohol poisoning. Or the young teenage girl who was
being inappropriately touched by a person in the Merchant area?
You and you lady have raised a fine young man. And I know of many good
and responsible young people in the SCA, not to mention their parents. Your
parenting style suits you. However, there is a large difference between
allowing a child/teen to find their limits and neglect, admittedily at times it
may be in the eyes of the beholder. The touchstone I try to use is: Is the
child/teen being harmed? Is the parent available to the child/teen? You and
your lady are, many are not.
Your's in service - Marian of Clann Kyle
From: pat at lloyd.com (Pattie McGregor)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Childrens rules at Pennsic
Date: 30 Jul 1994 11:28:07 -0700
Organization: House Northmark, Mountains' Gate, Cynagua, The West
Summary: Teens are particularly vulnerable at Pennsic
Keywords: children, curfew, pennsic, fairness
Greetings from Siobhan, who will not be able to make it to
Pennsic this year (alas!) and especially greetings to Patri..
I am the mother of a 15-year veteran of Pennsic who happens to be 14.5 years
old, and so I do understand your reasonable concerns.
I am thrilled that my daughter is still interested in activities in the
SCA (waiver problems notwithstanding), and that there are more things
which she can do there these days.
I do also know that teens have proven to be extremely vulnerable to
some dangers that are magnified at Pennsic than some others have been,
and I do reluctantly agree that we have to make some restrictions.
The medical and legal reasons are very clear to me: in the past we have
had teens dropped off by parents (or who heard about Pennsic and took
off in a carload and arrived, without a clue) at the gate, expecting to be
picked up in 4-6 days. I am glad I was not an autocrat, landowner, or
paramedic who had to sort out the restrictions to treat one of those children
in an emergency.
But there are some other things which happen which make it clear to me
that we must attempt to protect our teens.
Granted, most of the stories I have heard involved young women: and since my
child is female, I am particularly moved by those. Ihave heard only a few
about young men, tho, and they are equally scary. Most, alas, involve
drugs, sex, alcohol, and medical problems.
As an aside, it occurs to me that if you are attending your father's bardic,
or dancing where Elizabeth is playing for the music, you are, indeed, near
your parents. And no one has dropped you off to fend for yourself without
anyone to watch over you. It's _those_ folk who worry me.
Let's consider a couple of cases:
* The 15-year old daughter of a local seneschal and her friend
are wandering the camp during an evening meeting where her father
is in attendance. They look more like 18 year old's in the
garb they are wearing. A group of older teens/college kids invite
them to a party: while there, they drink a great deal of beer
and vodka-spiked punch. The 15-year old passes out: wakes up
in a supply tent, her clothing in disarray, her underwear no
where to be seen. Her companion, a 14-year old who is there
without her parents (but permission papers have been given to the
other child's father/seneschal), is taken against her will up
into the woods by a group of much older men: her screaming
is heard by the watch at the horde camp, who arrive and
disperse the group, escorting the girl back to her camp.
(paraphrase of a true incident)
* A 17-year old boy who has slipped into the camp by lying on
his troll form goes out partying with his buds: he drinks a
great deal and discovers that he has a severe allergy to
alcohol. His friends think he's merely drunk and dump him in
his tent to sleep it off. A chirurgeon hears the noises he is
making and gets him to the paramedics; they treat the emergency
but can't contact his parents, nor do they know his insurance
information. (a rumor)
* The 16-year old daughter of a reigning prince meets a very
nice fighter during the war. She tells her mom that she is
going to walk the camp with him. 8 hours later, after mom has
raised the watch to try and find her, she stumbles into the
back side of the incampment with a story that she has been
'date raped.' She doesn't want to see the man again to press
charges; he claims she initiated the sexual incident and he
didn't know she was only 16. (paraphrase)
* the watch finds a young boy, about 15-ish, lying in the grass by a
privy in a stupor. He is in severe insulin reaction. He does not
have any ID on him. He does not have a waiver on file with the
troll. He is wearing a tie-dyed tunic and a pair of blue-jeans.
No on knows who he is. He is taken to the hospital, where after
4 days the sheriff finally finds a match with a missing child
flyer. He's from Florida, and came up to "the party" because he
read something on a bulletin board about how neat it was.
(blend of two incidents)
* Visiting a friend who has two teenagers, a girl and a boy, you
ask how they are doing at the War. "I don't know," says the father,
I haven't seen them in days. I'm not even sure [she] slept in
the camp last night." ("she" is 13.)
All of these incidents could have _extremely_ nasty outcomes. Most of the
stories you hear at pennsic are of the "close shave" variety; some are
ugly and filled with real danger, both physical and emotional. Some
of the lady peers have decided to form households where they take young
women under their watch to give them a known circle: to help protect them
by including them. I've made sure the chivalry know that "that young girl, who
looks 18 but is really only 14.5," is Aldric's and mine, so that if they
see her in iffy situations they will be more minded to help. I confess, I'm
using "peer" pressure and social advantage to make sure my child is
better armed against problems. I've looked fighters straight in
the eye when they make a sexual comment about her and reminded them that
she is not of age, and that I know they will help me make sure that no one
takes advantage of her. I am trying to make the 'enchanted ground' of our
events safer not only for my child but for others -- it's hard work.
Most of the kids at Pennsic, of almost all ages, are going to be OK. Some
are not. Unfortunately, and particularly because Pennsylvania has such
strict laws about such things (and they do: I am told by an ex-pennsylavania
boyscout leader that special permission forms for Pennsylvania are used
by the Boy Scouts there), the Coopers, and the SCA, must take unusual and
distateful steps to protect those children who will _not_ be OK.
I have been disappointed by this, too. The first year it was implemented
it turned my plans upside down; I had looked forward to bringing
a teen to help with the kids: pay her/his way and food-board in return for
a reliable person to watch littles while went to peerage meetings,
attended the Royalty, and so on. Not possible now unless I can find a
college student, and most of them have things they want to be doing on their
own. So this is a hardship for parents, as well. But since we now can't
trust in the safety of Pennsic as we once did, we need to make rules to
try and protect ourselves and our children.
Now, let me mount my soapbox for a moment. Flame alert coming.
If we could trust each other, in the spirit of the SCA that we all brag about
so often, we wouldn't have to have these rules. I am astounded when I hear
about belted fighters (pardon me if I don't call them knights) preying on
underage girls, getting them drunk and persuading them to have sex, and then
laughing about it in the morning. Where's the chivalry in that?
Having a Duke tell me that he thinks they should stamp "jailbait" on the
forehead of any girl under 18 outrages me: don't these men even ask age
and name before they take a woman out in the woods? Before they get
her drunk?
I've heard recently the African saying "It takes a whole village to raise
a child." Where is our vaunted SCA village? Where are the older teens
taking watch of the younger ones? Where are the adults who will notice when
an unknown youngster is around the campfire and seems to be drinking (when
s/he is likely underage) and will take some time to counsel and protect?
End soapbox.
I think your concerns, Patri, are valid; your venom is not. You're not
proving to me that you have a reasonable ability to argue your side
of the point without being insulting. As the mom of a teenager, I know
I have to listen extra hard when my child, because of her strong feelings
on a topic, resorts to venom, but those here listening who have not
that experience will only see another whiny teen. You can help your cause
better if you argue more dispassionately.
regards,
siobhan
===========================================================================
Siobhan Medhbh O'Roarke / Pat McGregor
Sharing her time between Crosston & 3331 Kimberly Road
Mountain's Gate/Golden Rivers Cameron Park, CA 95682
pat at cygnus.com (916) 677-6607
siobhan at lloyd.com
From: Raven <JSINGLE at MUSIC.LIB.MATC.EDU>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Childrens rules at Pennsic
Date: 31 JUL 94 10:41:32 EST
Organization: Milwaukee Area Technical College
pat at lloyd.com (Pattie McGregor) writes:
>I do also know that teens have proven to be extremely vulnerable to
>some dangers that are magnified at Pennsic than some others have been,
>and I do reluctantly agree that we have to make some restrictions.
>
>The medical and legal reasons are very clear to me: in the past we have
>had teens dropped off by parents (or who heard about Pennsic and took
>off in a carload and arrived, without a clue) at the gate, expecting to be
>picked up in 4-6 days. I am glad I was not an autocrat, landowner, or
>paramedic who had to sort out the restrictions to treat one of those children
>in an emergency.
>
>But there are some other things which happen which make it clear to me
>that we must attempt to protect our teens.
[multiple ghastly horror stories omitted]
A few years ago, the Moritu Dark Horde, led by Todric Koenig, provided
the security for a Pennsic War. Todric Khan later recounted to me some
very similar incidents of that War, not only involving underage drinking
and apparent molestation, but also involving children much younger than
12 wandering lost and hungry and frightened in the night, in more than
one case children under 5 left unsupervised near fires and weapons (and
one such who was disarmed just as about to hit another child with a real
sword) -- and the security personnel were roundly abused for intervening
in these cases... by parents/guardians who, in some cases, had been
sleeping in their tents, assumed other adults would look after their
children, and were only annoyed at being woken up to be informed of the
contrary. After the stress of dealing with these situations and gripes
for the week of the War, the Moritu decided not to repeat the offer of
security -- at least, not under the social conditions now prevalent.
There was some discussion of that War on the Rialto, some messages
complaining about the intrusive security people, and I tried to post
Todric Khan's response. I don't know if it was seen here, though,
because my post attempt was made through Fidonet, and I never saw it
acknowledged. Perhaps Master Ioseph of Locksley remembers it, since
he was active in that discussion? If not, I have to assume the post
never made it from Fidonet to the Rialto....
"Raven" (JSingle at Music.Lib.MATC.Edu) Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA
From: mjc+ at cs.cmu.edu (Monica Cellio)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Not (just) a Cooper rule (was: Pennsic children's rules)
Date: 2 Aug 94 13:47:28 GMT
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, School of Computer Science
My memory of the origin of this rule was different from what most people
here seemed to be saying, so I called the secretary of the Pennsic Council
(who also has regular contact with the Coopers) and asked. The rule was
developed *jointly* by the Coopers and the staff of either Pennsic XVI or
XVII. This is not a case of the Coopers instituting a rule themselves;
both they and "the SCA" (as represented by that year's autocrat) wanted it.
Apparently, no autocrat since then has tried to change it.
Ellisif
From: mjc+ at cs.cmu.edu (Monica Cellio)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: We're having *what* for dinner? (Was: Kosher Locusts)
Date: 4 Aug 94 04:53:04 GMT
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, School of Computer Science
> One problem, Aleksandr -- isn't it still against East Kingdom law (and
>Pennsic rules) to slaughter animals?
East Kingdom law is silent on the subject. However, after an unfortunate
incident involving an injured pig running loose through camp, the Coopers
instituted a rule against slaughtering on site.
Ellisif
From: folo at prairienet.org (F.L. Watkins)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Pennsic: Odd Thoughts & Questions
Date: 23 Aug 1994 23:42:20 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Pennsic IV was, if rumor was correct, taking place in a disaster
area. The streets of Cleveland (which was nearby) was flooding.
Like this year, it had been raining a lot before; unlike this year,
it was raining continuously throughout the weekend (in those days,
Pennsic was a single weekend, believe it or don't). I guess I'd
give this year a 5 or a 6. IMHO only of course.
What security was saying about the fire was that it was a natural
gas well fire. It was certainly contained; throughout the time
we were watching it up at the top of the Runestone hill, it did
not move much. For people who didn't see it: you missed something.
The sky looked as though the sun was coming up, and the flames
were dancing above the tree tops of the hill in the distance. I
had just got back from taking my wife to the Emergency Room and
couldn't sleep. A friend & I saw the smoke first and assumed it was
a nasty cloud at first. Then Jeff noted the fire. It was so tall
that I assumed that it had to be closer--much closer--than it
was and wondered who set the bonfire in the MidRealm Royal
Encampment (and then speculated that it was Rolac, who did build
a huge bonfire at Pennsic IV and who was on site...). I was veryu
surprised when the Independent didn't mention it; I understand the\
Chronicle did, but getting copies was like pulling teeth...
We left Pennsic earlier than we had in years...maybe ever. It
felt a little funky and likened the whole thing to refugees
fleeing from a war zone. It was, however, nice, to check into
a hotel in Columbus (traditional halfway home) in the daylight.
Yrs, Folo
--
Damin de Folo - F.L.Watkins - folo at prairienet.org
Baron Wurm Wald (MidRealm) - Commander Baldwin's (NWTA)
From: folo at prairienet.org (F.L. Watkins)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Pennsic 'Golfcart'?
Date: 23 Aug 1994 13:46:18 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Youngsters, youngsters, youngsters: at least at this Pennsic,
I didn't have to hump all my belongings out on my back, wading
through mud up over my ankles a half a mile (it may have only
been a quarter, but it felt like four or five). I was able,
after being winched (with an I) out of the parking lot, to
drive up to my booth, load and drive out. I didn't have to throw
away my boots afterwards either.
For a name, how about Pennsic Puddle Lite?
Yrs, Folo (who still has mudstains on some of the stuff he took
to Pennsic IV...)
--
Damin de Folo - F.L.Watkins - folo at prairienet.org
Baron Wurm Wald (MidRealm) - Commander Baldwin's (NWTA)
From: mchance at crl.com (Michael A. Chance)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Pennsic, wars in general
Date: 1 Sep 1994 15:57:51 -0700
Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access
His Grace, Duke Vissevald Selkirksson writes:
>willey at lard (Richard E. Willey) writes:
>>I'm not sure whether Calontir has ever fought with the east (I believe they
>>have in the past). However, Calontir hasn't fielded nearly as large forces in
>>the past two years as it traditionally has. I hope this isn't a long term
>>trend, but Calontir wasn't as significant a force this year as it has been.
>Calontir has fought with the East once. I think it was around Pennsic XIV or
>so.
That was, I believe, Pennsic XV. Asgeirr and Miriam were on the
throne, and Calontir and Atlantia switched their traditional
alliances. I still have a fond memory of the opening ceremony, held
on the road at the top of the Runefield, with Asgeirr, standing behind
the Eastern King (Ronald Wilmot?). Very quitely, as the speeches
droned on, Asgeirr started bouncing up and down. Pretty soon, nearly
all of the Calontiri in the crowd were doing it, too. The Eastern
King, confused by the sight of lots of folks bouncing up and down in
near unison, looked behind him to see what was going on. Asgeirr
immediately stopped as soon as the Eastern King started turning, and
then flashed one of his patented "Yes, Your Majesty?" grins, as if he
both knew some secret joke and had no idea what the Eastern Crown
might have been looking for.
And yes, the Calontir force was considerably smaller than usual this
year. For a variety of reason, most of the Chivalry and Huscarls, and
a good portion of the Fyrd, stayed home this year, resulting in a force
of about 40-50, not counting auxiliaries. Most reports that I've
heard still account them as a major force for the Midrealm in all of
the battles. Lots of us are imagining what might have happened if the
rest of the army had made it out.
Mikjal Annarbjorn
--
Michael A. Chance St. Louis, Missouri, USA "At play in the fields
Work: mc307a at sw1stc.sbc.com of St. Vidicon"
Play: mchance at crl.com
mchance at nyx.cs.du.edu
From: mabr at sweden.hp.com (Morgan "the Dreamer" Broman)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Pennsic, wars in general
Date: 2 Sep 1994 07:56:41 GMT
Organization: HP/SCA/SKA/FSTS/AMTS/SLRP/ETC Sweden
Calontir fought with the East at Pennsic XV, Ronald was King of
the East. It was my first Pennsic war and I was impressed by the way the
Calontirians took the lower bridge back, clinching a victory for us.
Ciao
Morgan//
....veni, vidi, vici...;)
HP : Morgan Broman mabr at sweden.hp.com
From: David Schroeder <ds4p+ at andrew.cmu.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: pennsic veggies
Date: Tue, 29 Nov 1994 07:12:47 -0500
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Hi folks...
> <ALBAN at delphi.COM> wrote:
> >Ranvaig said, in regard to large purple carrots being grown by
> >near-Pennsic farmers:
> >>I have often wondered why no one merchants food.
One of my favorite memories of early Coopers Lake Pennsics
was giving the Coopers a dollar for a dozen ears of fresh
sweet corn for the pot for supper from the field of corn
that grew about where the food concessions are today.
One seldom gets corn that fresh these days...
My best -- Bertram
From: salley at niktow.canisius.edu (David Salley)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Identification Friend/Foe
Date: 12 Jan 95 03:44:37 GMT
Organization: Canisius College, Buffalo NY. 14208
> Greetings from Lothar,
> At Pennsic it would be Period and make sense for every fighter to
> put the badge of his kingdom or mercenary unit on his tabard or shield and
> for large fighting units to have a banner or standard which they would carry
> with them into battle.
Banners are forbidden in the wood's battles. One year Rhydderich Hael captured
the tabard of the Midrealm Prince, tied a short sword to a spear with a squires
belt and draped the tabard over it with the intention of waving a red flag in
front of a bull to get more action. The banner was mistaken for a war banner
by midrealm scouts and the middle army wasted a lot of time trying to recover
it. The powers-that-be have since declared that "false banners" are a
dis-honorable act and banned all standards except the War Point Banner from
the woods ;-(
- Dagonell
SCA Persona : Lord Dagonell Collingwood of Emerald Lake, CSC, CK, CTr
Habitat : East Kingdom, AEthelmearc Principality, RHYDDERICH HAEL Barony
Internet : salley at niktow.cs.canisius.edu (Reply does NOT work!! :-( )
USnail-net : David P. Salley, 136 Shepard Street, Buffalo, New York 14212-2029
From: steffan at world.std.COM (Steven H Mesnick)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Breafast poll
Date: 12 Mar 1995 00:57:45 -0500
Organization: The Internet
For me, the One True Breakfast at Pennsic is Sated Tyger Gruel.
For the uninitiated, *real* gruel is non-disgusting. Gruel in literature
is disgusting because it's always described as *watery*, i.e. *bad* gruel.
Gruel is simply (yesterday's) beef stew mixed with (today's) oatmeal....
The Sated Tyger was the fabled first Inn at Pennsic, the first public
food-service establishment at the War. The proprietor was Johan von
Traubenberg, the Chief Cook was Old Marian of Edwinstowe, and Elspeth
Keyfe of Neddingham was a counter-wench and cook. Marian and Elspeth
now run the Battlefield Bakery.
Steffan ap Cennydd
From: us002743 at pop3.interramp.com (Thomas A. Kozak)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Pennsic Departure Time
Date: Sun, 04 Jun 1995 07:12:35 GMT
Organization: UBS Casual NCC-REVOKED
"woody(webersol at epix.net)" <webersol at grape.epix.net> wrote:
>As for other campers, the majority of coopers campground is unused
>except for pennsic .
Perhaps, while at War, you've noticed the large number of trailers and
boats parked near the parking lot. Some of these are stored there
regularly; many more are actually sitting on site from September to
July. The Coopers haul all of them out there before Pennsic and drag
them back afterwards. Granted, that doesn't make the campground any
more "used" in the areas away from the trailer plots, but most of the
business of Cooper's Lake comes from trailer camping, not individual
tenters. I've been there on a few non-SCA occasions; I've even been
there early enough for War to watch them move the trailers. By and
large, the campground is used and enjoyed by everyone there all year
long.
>Improvments? where? we still have the same things there as were available
>10 years ago. i.e. cold showers, bad water, mud
>If some-one wants to rent a space for continued camping,What's the problem?
>That's why the coopers are in buisness.
>Woody Ebersold webersol at epix.net
The shower situation is always easy to complain about, isn't it? When
Pennsic began at Cooper's Lake (PW VI), there were only showers
available in the Bath House, and (I believe) only two wells for
campground use. Around 500 gentles attended VI, and they had a total
of 6 showers. That's 1 stall per 83 people. By Pennsic XX, the
Cooper's had built the Solar Showers, the Runestone Bathhouse, and
had sunk at least two more wells for the campground. (None of these
items are really needed for their normal business, as most of the
trailers have their own showers on board and the tent campers were
usually few enough that the Bath House could handle the load.) Thus,
at Pennsic XX, there were around 8000 gentles in attendance and a
total of 32 stalls. That's one stall per 250 people. Not an ideal
margin, but a lot better than the one per 1330 ratio we'd have if the
Cooper's had made no improvements which would be used only at Pennsic.
(Yes, the Runestone Bath House is used all year, but the Solars were
built just for us.)
(The best bet for a hot shower, of course, is to build one. Come by
Darkyard this year and see how it's done...)
Bad water? Yeah, it's well water, but given the amazing number of
news reports about filth in municipal water systems, having nothing
but some extra mineral content in you drinking water should be a
welcome change.
As for the mud: One of the major ongoing improvement projects has
been the paving of the major roads. "Ten years ago," the only paved
roads were directly adjacent to the barn. Now, they extend from
halfway down Runestone Hill to the Troll, with the hill up the other
side (on the Great Eastern Hwy) included. Mud is nasty, depressing,
and downright foul-smelling (especially on the Serengeti, which was
fertilized with manure for decades), but it's also decidedly dangerous
on the hills around the lake. Now that those roads are paved, it's no
longer an issue. As for the rest of the War...Hell, it's camping,
right? You're OUTDOORS. Rain, mud, snow, hail, and freak windstorms
are to be expected. It's part of the ambiance, or somesuch. Get over
it.
Other improvements to the site in the last ten years include the
laundry, the larger and much better stocked Camp Store, six additional
pay phones (plus the little trailer near Troll), water lines into the
Serengeti, and the Parking Shuttle. None of this stuff would have
been necessary to the campground if we didn't show up every August
with more and more people. Sure, the normal campers use the
improvements too, and I'd likely be wrong if I thought our money
didn't make it easy to upgrade the site, but in the end I doubt that
most of these improvements would have come about if we weren't there.
Of course, I could be wrong.
Really, Cooper's Lake has not been bad to us. (And those shower lines
are excellent places to meet people, write a novel, or sing 2000-odd
verses of "Old Time Religion.") In the end, it's still a campground,
not a hotel, and there are only so many things you can do to a
campground.
Be seeing you.
Thomas A. Kozak Lord Abiron Blacavar von Metz, House Darkyard
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: animals/pets
From: una at bregeuf.stonemarche.org (Honour Horne-Jaruk)
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 95 08:56:32 EDT
connect at aol.com (CONNECT) writes:
> Any camping event I go to, I make sure I can bring my beagle. I was very
> disappointed to read in the pennsic handbook you can't bring dogs, so I
> guess I'll never go to Pennsic. Is this a new rule?
>
> Yours In Service,
> Rosalyn MacGregor of Glen Orchy
>
> * Patricia Snyder-Rayl * (313) 973-8825
> * CONNECT Magazine * (800) GET-CONNECT
Respected friend:
Not particularly... My miniature Siamese cross, Swartalf, being
attacked by somebody's Rotweiler cross was one of the many incidents which
led to the ban. (She wupped 'im good.) That was Pennsic 9 or 10. I think the
final straw was the folks who brought a `pet goat', which some of the
employees petted and fed, who later got slaughtered on-site. (On purpose;
presumably for dinner.)
However, I'm told there are several excellent boarding kennels near
the Pennsic site. I know several people who bring and board their dogs, and
whoever's doing the day's supply run to town stops and plays with them.
(there's a nearby stable, too.) So "don't go" isn't the only option...
Yours in service to the Society-
(Friend) Honour Horne-Jaruk R.S.F.
Alizaunde, Demoiselle de Bregeuf C.O.L. SCA
Una Wicca (That Pict)
From: jvincent at eagle.wesleyan.edu (The Ulair)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: FULL SCALE SEIGE WEAPONS!!!!!!
Date: 29 Aug 95 11:25:50 EST
Organization: Wesleyan University
(This is a tad off the subject, but I'll say it anyway.)
I remember the full-scale trebuchet built at Pennsic 18 by a medieval
studies student (even got to watch him fire it to see if the rate of fire
mentioned by some sources was feasible). It would be nice to see more items
like that about.
-Eirik
From: ddfr at best.com (David Friedman)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Founding of Markland?
Date: 8 Sep 1995 08:17:05 GMT
Organization: Best Internet Communications
> We have often had cross-pollination between the two groups, in fact in
> the Pennsic annual, when photos are printed of previous years, we've
> seen Markland members pictured in single-digit Pennsic years. ...
>
> Aeldra DeGodervya
There were Marklanders at Pennsic 1.
David/Cariadoc
--
ddfr at best.com
From: baronfum at aol.com (Baron Fum)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Loser Gets Pitt (was "Bigest interkingdom war/event")
Date: 3 Dec 1995 22:42:26 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Swami corrects me- Pennsic V was also in Ohio, along with IV. The rest
were definitely in Pennsylvania. Pennsic as a name came very early
because of the play on the first and second Punic wars (many wars having
been caused by puns, and others having been caused by pens).
Ritter Baron Karl Aerdigwidder von Zauberberg, C.P.
Baron Andelcrag, Middle Kingdom
Saepe errabimus sed semper honore!
Morte ex morte
From: foxd at silver.ucs.indiana.edu (daniel fox)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Getting to Pennsic (was Re: Loser Gets Pitt, etc)
Date: 4 Dec 1995 06:40:02 GMT
Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington
Most of my memories of Pennsic IV were of the inside of a leaky tent, and
seeing how long I could wait before I HAD to run to the porta-johns....
However, the one that stands out was as I sloshed up the hill, trying not to
fall into the hip deep ruts left by the tractors (which spent most of the
weekend pulling each other out of the mud as I recall) and carrying my
suitcases one in each hand.
I passed a friend dressed in Japanese garb, and a big straw hat.
As I gained on him, I said:
"Don't just stand there, Daishi, plant rice!"
It was much easier hurrying with an irate Japanese guy on my tail.....
Audelindis de Rheims
From: baronfum at aol.com (Baron Fum)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Getting to Pennsic (was Re: Loser Gets Pitt, etc)
Date: 4 Dec 1995 13:29:57 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
I think my most comical memory of Pennsic IV was when Dagan du Derragonne
and I, fighting as a two man polearm buddy team, came across Duke Angus
and a friend. I went forward and attacked to get them to follow and fell
back so they would come into Dagan's range. Angus ended up face down with
his pig-faced bascinet stuck in the mud and had to be pulled out. He
somehow seemed to fit in that place, face down in the mud.
I also remember pulling out, following the tractor and wagon with my
legs ankle deep in mud, looking at the huge pile of refuse that was left
behind by our little group of refugees and thinking, "Now THIS is REAL
war!"
At the end Algorik of Valkarth had the only good fire because he had
it set at a corner of his tent fly (which would now be definately against
fire code) and was charging everyone a handfull of grass or rushed as a
toll to stand around it. The mat that he had built up out of his "tax"
kept his fire pit from flooding out.
Ritter Baron Karl Aerdigwidder von Zauberberg, C.P.
Baron Andelcrag, Middle Kingdom
Saepe errabimus sed semper honore!
Morte ex morte
From: schuldy at abel.harvard.edu (Mark Schuldenfrei)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Loser Gets Pitt (was "Bigest interkingdom war/event")
Date: 11 Dec 1995 19:28:34 GMT
Organization: My own little corner.
I, Tibor, had written:
I think that Duke Finnvarr has made it to all of them. Something in my
memory says he's fought in all of them, too. I've copied him on this note,
in case I'm wrong.
Garick Chamberlin <Garick at vonkopke.demon.co.uk> answered:
that's what he told me a couple of months ago. I seem to recall that one
other person has also fought in all of them and that one person has been
to all, but was unable to fight in one.
Correct.
Private mail fron Finnvarr made it clearer. Yes, he has not only attended
every Pennsic, and fought in every Pennsic, but more than that:
"I have fought in every Pennsic War. In fact, as far as I can recall (all
those blows to the head, y'know), I've fought in every point battle that I
was qualified to compete in. I've never fought in the unbelted champions'
battle, and seldom if ever have I been chosen individual champion when we had
individual contests for points [digression deleted -- Tibor]
Those exceptions aside, I have fought in every woods battle, bridge battle,
town battle, field battle, etc."
Long Live Finnvarr, and may he fight a thousand more! (If he wants to :-)
On other folks, he mentioned were Merowald has attended all Pennsics, but
didn't fight three years ago. And Foscadh O'Dubha had been to and fought at
all Pennsic Wars.
Tibor
--
Mark Schuldenfrei (schuldy at math.harvard.edu)
From: hhoffman at castaway.cc.uwf.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Loser Gets Pitt (was "Bigest interkingdom war/event")
Date: 11 Dec 1995 23:57:20 -0500
Organization: The Internet
>Other than Duke Meriald de Sylvastan, has any one else made it to ALL the
>Pensic wars?
>
>Satyrsong
O.K. I talked to Signy Dimmraedella and asked her. (When in doubt, go
straight to the source.) According to her, she and 3 other people, who all
originated from Northwoods, in the Middle Kingdom, are the only 4 people who
have been to every Pennsic. The other 3 are Merowald de Sylveaston,
Finnvarr de Taahe, and Foscadh O Doubhda. (Please excuse any mistakes in
spelling these names.)
Ananda
Arenal, Meridies
hhoffman at castaway.cc.uwf.edu
From: mjc at telerama.lm.com (Monica Cellio)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: info on Horde and Pennsic I
Date: 29 Aug 1996 15:38:28 -0400
Organization: Telerama Public Access Internet, Pittsburgh, PA USA
I had asked for more information on the story of the Horde being given
Pennsic land as a protectorate. Here is a reply I received from
Ts'vee'a bas Tseepora Levi, the person who compiled the history of
Pennsic that came out for Pennsic XX.
From: Gail A Lefkowitz <galst5+ at pitt.edu>
Subject: Pennsic History - Pennsic I and the Horde
In response to your request for information about claims by the Horde over
Cooper's Lake, here is what information I could find. Feel free to post
this to the Rialto if you like.
I have heard the story for years, but could not locate a source regarding
the Horde being given guardianship of the Pennsic Lands at
Pennsic I. Though I checked Finnvarr's Tales of the Midrealm Kings,
Orlando Ambrosius's History of the Middle Kingdom, Cariadoc's Miscellany,
and all the correspondence I received from Andrew of Seldom Rest, Merowald
de Sylveastan, Arastorm the Golden, and a variety of gentles who lived
through those times, I could not find citations of this story to Pennsic
I. After some research, it might be possible that this happened not at
Pennsic I, but at Pennsic II.
In Tales of the Midrealm Kings, Volume 1, by Finnvarr de Taahe (copyright
1982), page 43, is this tale of the Horde at Pennsic II:
"...no one yet knew how many Horde warriors trained within its borders
would fight for the East. The kings and queens held a long court in the
torrid sun that afternoon (while sheltered under a pavilion themselves, of
course) where Angus was knighted and Sean Rubuaru was made Master of Arms
by the Eastern King, but that vital question remained unanswered. It was
that evening, after the feast that Yang the Nauseating came before the
thrones and that Finnvarr rose to invest him as his royal viceroy of the
area west of the Debatable Lands, charged with their defense. Immediately
Andrew popped up and likewise warranted Yang to defend that area known as
Newt's Camp for the Middle. Yang was surprised but gleefully and with
mock solemnity announced that the Horde, charged with such heavy
responsibility for keeping the peace, had little choice but to attack
whoever broke it first, even if it meant fighting both sides at once..."
It might be useful to point out here that "Newt's Camp" was the site of
Pennsic I, a private campground outside Waterford, PA (near Erie, PA).
According to Finnvarr's account, the East appointed Yang to be
guardian of the lands "West of the Debatable Lands" which would be the
Shire of Afongara (West Virginia panhandle) or some part of Ohio, while
the Middle appointed Yang the guardian of Newt's Camp, which would be in
the Shire of Stormsport. Pennsic II was not held at Newt's Camp, but
at a public park called St. Clair's Beach in Pittsburgh's South Hills.
That park no longer exists, which could add some funny schtick to any
discussion of it being under any SCA group's guardianship.
To learn more about this story, it would probably be most helpful to go to
Dukes Cariadoc, Finnvarr, and Andrew. And Yang, if he would answer
correspondence... :)
Thanks again for sending me the posts that have stories about Pennsic. I
collect them, and hope someday to write another History of the Pennsic
War.
Ts'vee'a
Gail Lefkowitz Whether you think you can or you can't
galst5+ at pitt.edu You're right.
From: ddfr at best.com (David Friedman)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Etymology of Pennsic
Date: 27 Sep 1996 05:45:53 GMT
In article <52erg4$en at lombardi.wctc.net>, Sara Friedemann
<RandomSF at wctc.net> wrote:
> Since our first exposure to the SCA I have been
> trying to find the etymology of Pennsic.
From "Pennsylvania" in analogy to "Punic."
David/Cariadoc
--
ddfr at best.com
From: wwwaft at access5.digex.net (Dexter Guptill)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Looking for Book - Murder At The War?
Date: 29 Oct 1996 13:48:35 -0500
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA
Kim Pollard <kim at inna.net> wrote:
>I don't have it in front of me), and I think the spine is orange? I
>picked this one up at Pennsic this year after hearing about it so often.
>It's not bad. Moves well and covers SCA traditions pretty well, and
>though it IS supposed to be set in Pennsic, it's a weekend event and the
>names of people and places have been changed to protect the innocent
><grin>.
Actually, the book gives a fair picture of the Pennsic before the one
where I bought my first copy. Used to be field and bridge battles on
Saturday, with woods on Sunday. Then you packed up Sunday afternoon or
Monday morning. It's fairly typical of a Pennsic around '85-'87.
*** Dexter C. Guptill, Computer Services, American Federation of Teachers
*** Member, Hampden's Reg't of Foote (ECW), 49th VA Vol Inf, CSA (N-SSA)
*** AKA Ld. Erich von Kleinfeld, Stierbach, Atlantia (SCA)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: orilee ireland-delfs <orilee_j_ireland-delfs at wb.xerox.com>
Subject: AEthelmearc & Pennsic
Organization: Xerox
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 1996 14:07:36 GMT
Because I realize that this is concern for many of you (my connection to the
Rialto runs a few days behind....) I wanted to let you know what has been
settled re: Pennsic now that AEthelmearc will be a Kingdom.
Duchess Lisa Delorosa, Middle Kingdom Seneschal, Baroness Rhainnon the
Curious, East Kingdom Seneschal, and I sat down at Pennsic 25 to work out our
"working" agreement for Pennsic.
Essentially, the bottom line is: AEthelmearc doesn't want it! We recognize
that it is a 25 year tradition between the East and the Middle and there is no
reason for AEthelmearc's change in status to interfere with that. The only
trick is that the only person who can pull sanction on the event, and the
person who will have to deal with any modern legal problems that come out of
Pennsic, is the AEthelmearc Seneschal.
So, AEthelmearc has agreed to not mess with Pennsic (attempt to change the
date or location), and the East and Middle have promised to keep the
AEthelmearc Seneschal "in the loop". In return, AEthelmearc gets some money
to compensate us for the wear and tear on our officers and people.
If you want to see the full text of the agreement, it is on the AEthelmearc
Web Page
(http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/usr/mjc/www/aeth/aethelmearc.html)
Where and how AEthelmearc as a Kingdom "plays" at Pennsic will depend upon the
usual process the Kings of the East and Middle go through for allies and such.
For Pennsic 27 (which will be our first as a Kingdom), that will be decided
by our second King and Queen.
In service to the stopping of rumors and speculation and to the dissemination
of information : )
Mistress Orianna Fridrikskona
Seneschal, AEthelmearc
Date: Sat, 02 Nov 1996 11:16:07 -0600
To: markh at risc.sps.mot.com (Mark S. Harris)
From: Chris and Elisabeth Zakes <moondrgn at flash.net>
Subject: Re: Looking for Book - Murder At The War?
>An earlier poster said the book had the war being just a weekend. Do
>you remember when Pennsic War was just a weekend and when it changed?
>I know that they've lengthened the official length at least once since
>I've been in the SCA.
>
>Stefan li Rous
My first Pennsic was #9. It was pretty much a weekend event back then, so
was #10, althought there were some people who arrived a day or two early,
and didn't leave until Monday. The next time we went was #16. IIRC, the
"official" start was opening court, sometime on Friday, but people had been
arriving since the previous weekend, so it was a de-facto week-long event by
then.
-Tivar
From: bronwynmgn at aol.com (Bronwynmgn)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Pennsic query
Date: 5 May 1997 02:20:16 GMT
t5nf at aol.com (T5NF) writes:
>I am wondering if it is possible to camp at Pennsic for the last few days
>without being a sca member or camping with a group that has participated
>in the land grab.
Yes, It is. Single campers (those not pre-registering with a group) may
arrive any time after August 3rd, according to the Pre-Pennsic booklet.
There are usually several areas of land set aside for single campers.
Those who are not SCA members pay a slightly higher fee than members do.
Be aware that things have changed a bit since Pennsic 18 (my first war
also). For one thing, we are running close to 10,000 people now. If I
remember correctly, there were only 5700+ at Pennsic 18. New camping
areas have been opened and new shower houses built. The enforcement of
rules regarding reasonable attempts at pre-17th century garb is much
stricter. You may not wear any accessories suggesting supernatural
origins in public areas (ie elf ears, fangs, etc). Nor may you wear
blatantly modern clothing except when just coming back onto or leaving the
Pennsic site. Eyeglasses and modern footwear, as well as modern bathing
suits at the swimming holes are acceptable. The schedule has changed a
good bit. Everyone must leave on Sunday, 8/17 - you can't stay over till
Monday anymore. Battles are tentatively scheduled to begin on 8/12 - no
more coming for Saturday and Sunday to catch the battles. Troll closes at
1am on 8/16 - you cannot come in as a new arrival if you arrive later than
that. And the fee schedule is changed - if you arrive before 8/8, the
nonmember price is $100. If you arrive on 8/8 or after, the price is $80.
Basically you are paying for one week or two weeks and will pay for two
weeks if you arrive on 8/7.
Those are the major changes. Feel free to post or email if you need more
info.
Bronwyn
From: stevem at faculty.unipissing.ca
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Pennsic Sociology Question
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 18:55:41 -0600
I have been to and fought in all the Pennsic Wars, and the earlier ones were
definitely more intense than most of the recent ones.
I don't think the "Grand Tourney" had much to do with the change. Most of us
on the Red side thought it was a bad joke, because no effort was made to even
up sides. It was just another war.
I think the change has come on rather gradually, simply because a large
proportion of those fighting have been at a lot of wars and know that there
will be another one next year. Also, I am sure the average age of the
fighters has gone up. I'm now about the age of 2.5 average fighters at PWI or
II.
However, PW is still pretty intense, compared to other wars I've been to --
Lilies War in Calontir and Double Wars in Nordmark, Drachenwald. Who wins at
Pennsic matters a lot more to those who fight and those who are in charge.
PW 23 -- The Bad One -- showed that the desire to win at any cost is just
under the surface lurking. After years of seeing improvementin courtesy and
comradely feeling, I was shocked by how bad it was (the number of my friends
who were injured was amazing).
But PW 23 shocked a lot of other people, and most have been on better
behavior since, probably because they realize that a couple of ugly Pennsics
in a row might kill the war fighting.
On another point, I note that war fighting at Pennsic 26 was considerably less
popular as a spectator activity than at any other war that wasn't raining cats
and dogs (like 8 or 10).
Finnvarr
From: vanishwood at aol.com (Vanishwood)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Pennsic Death Ruled Suicide
Date: 17 Aug 1998 20:12:36 GMT
Just an FYI, before the speculation mounts,
condolances to the family
Ethelwulf Kildare
from the pittsburgh tribune: http://www.triblive.com/news/rbrief17.html
Hanged body ruled suicide
The death of a man whose body was found hanging in a Butler County campground
that hosted a medieval festival over the weekend has been ruled a suicide,
authorities said Sunday. The body of Joseph Justin Tacconelli, 37, of
Williamstown, N.J., was found Saturday morning in a wooded area of the Cooper's
Lake Campground in Worth Township. The campground was the site of a festival
for the Society for Creative Anachronism. The SCA is an international
organization whose members strive to research and recreate the best aspects of
pre-17th century European history at weekend get-togethers.
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 19:03:50 -0700
From: "Wanda Pease" <wandapease at bigfoot.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Pennsic Pig Roast
Actually has a great deal more to do with the distaste of people who
were there being subjected to the screaming of the terrified pig as a
bunch of urban incompetents bungled the kill so it went on and on, and
then couldn't even clean up the incredible mess they had made. Been
there, heard that, NEVER want to go through it again. If someone
wants to have a professional do it so it would be kosher (if it
weren't a pig of course!), quick and painless, then undertake to use
everything except the squeal that didn't happen, you might get the
Coopers to relent.
I realize that the meat I eat did not "go gently into that dark
night", but I don't want to have to deal with it on my vacation.
Regina (was it Pennsic IX or X?)
- -----Original Message-----
From: Karen <tyrca at yahoo.com>
To: sca-cooks at Ansteorra.ORG <sca-cooks at Ansteorra.ORG>
Date: Wednesday, April 28, 1999 6:56 PM
Subject: SC - Pennsic Pig Roast
>Elaina reminded us:
>
>>>>>>>>>
>ya'll probably already know this, but you -will- have to have the pig
>killed and dressed off site. one of the oldest rules at pennsic is
"no
>slaughtering of live animals on site".
>
>elaina
><<<<<<<
>
>Yea, don't want to be labelled cultists, or Satan worshippers, or
>anything like that. Pig mutilators. Not a good thing.
>
>Tyrca
>===
>Lady Tyrca Ivarsdottir
>-"Honesty is Everything"
>-->-->-{( at )
>AoA, OPN, ASTA, oleander
>Barony of Elfsea (Life is Good in Elfsea!)
>(all sorts of places in and around Ft. Worth, TX)
>Kingdom of Ansteorra
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 05:43:12 -0600 (MDT)
From: Mary Morman <memorman at oldcolo.com>
Subject: RE: SC - Pigs for Pennsic.
as wanda has already described, there was an incident many years ago ( i
was there but don't remember the year, maybe pennsic nine or ten ) when
the horde brought in a pig, butchered it badly, disturbed their neighbors
for a long ways around, and then didn't even bother to bury the guts,
attracting swarms of flies and leaving an -awful- mess.
not that any of you would make such a muck of it, i'm just repeating the
long, longstanding pennsic rule - no slaughtering of live animals on
site.
elaina
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 03:06:43 -0500
From: LYN M PARKINSON <allilyn at juno.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Pennsic Pig Roast
>>Regina (was it Pennsic IX or X?)<<
Must have been IX, I did X as my first. They were describing it and
still shuddering.
Allison
allilyn at juno.com, Barony Marche of the Debatable Lands, Pittsburgh, PA
Kingdom of Aethelmearc
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 19:30:03 -0500
From: Heitman <fiondel at fastrans.net>
Subject: SC - Perpetrator correction--OOP
>as wanda has already described, there was an incident many years ago ( i
>was there but don't remember the year, maybe pennsic nine or ten ) when
>the horde brought in a pig, butchered it badly, disturbed their neighbors
>for a long ways around, and then didn't even bother to bury the guts,
>attracting swarms of flies and leaving an -awful- mess.
Forgive me, oh munificient list-master, but I just *have* to correct
this. This incident pre-dates me. It does not, however, predate any
number of my brothers.
So, here's the scoop.
First, it was not a pig, but either a goat or a lamb. Second, the
poor hapless creature was lead around Pennsic for a day or two
before the butchering, treated as a "pet" ("Why, yes, children,
of course you can pet him), and then was butchered for the evening
meal, in front of a lot of people, including the aforementioned
children. Third, the "remains" were (sort of) dealt with. They
were buried, shallowly, and the Coopers found the mess about a
week after the war. Fourth, the butchering job was VERY bad.
And, finally, it was NOT the Horde. It was the Tuchux.
Names of reliable witnesses available upon request.
Fiondel
Date: Sat, 01 May 1999 11:50:30 -0400
From: Ian Gourdon <agincort at raex.com>
Subject: SC - Re: Pennsic Slaughter
> Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 05:43:12 -0600 (MDT)
> From: Mary Morman <memorman at oldcolo.com>
> Subject: RE: SC - Pigs for Pennsic.
>
> as wanda has already described, there was an incident many years ago ( i
> was there but don't remember the year, maybe pennsic nine or ten ) when
> the horde brought in a pig, butchered it badly, disturbed their neighbors
> for a long ways around, and then didn't even bother to bury the guts,
> attracting swarms of flies and leaving an -awful- mess.
>
> not that any of you would make such a muck of it, i'm just repeating the
> long, long standing pennsic rule - no slaughtering of live animals on
> site.
>
> elaina
I was there too, but I remember a sheep, and the main complaint being
(as there were no witnesses outside of the Tuchuks themselves) that they
had allowed their children to witness the slaughter. Sensibilities being
what they are, the Coopers were asked to ban such activities by the
imaginative and outraged.
- --
Ian Gourdon of Glen Awe
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 1999 20:50:16 -0700
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: RE: SC - Cooking at Faire
At 5:14 PM -0700 6/4/99, Deborah Schumacher wrote:
>Has anyone done a food booth? I must admit I wonder the logistics of it. Do
>any of the major wars have period or periodish food booths?
>Estrella had one that had hand held tarts and stuffs, they seemed pretty
>periodish and was pretty good too. What about Pennsic or Gulf Wars?
>Just curious,
So far as I can recall, the only attempt at really period food for sale at
Pennsic was the Sated Tyger, a cookshop run largely by Marion of
Edwinstowe, that for some years produced period food with period technology
(except for the refrigerators), including two big clay ovens. Marion then
developed some serious medical problems (now mostly taken care of), and I
think Johan (who was, I believe, the other principle) decided he was tired
of losing money, so they closed down. More recently, Marion has been
running battlefield bakery, which sells periodish food at Pennsic.
Ras writes:
>my favorite
>place is The Battlefield Bakery which sells completely authentic period pies,
>tarts, and other tasty morsels.
I don't think that is correct. Some of Marion's things may be period, but
I'm pretty sure she does not have a policy of limiting herself to things
for which she has period recipes.
David/Cariadoc
Date: Sat, 5 Jun 1999 17:02:13 -0400
From: Christine A Seelye-King <mermayde at juno.com>
Subject: SC - Pennsic Food
Ok, no s**t, there I was, at my second Pennsic War (um, that would have
been #12). I was an apprentice chef (mundanely) at the time, and had
been approached by William the Finn and others (Baron Dur was one of
them) to become a partner in the Pennsic Inn. It was modeled loosely on
the tavern from the Sanctuary books, and even used a Unicorn's head on
the mugs. I put money into it, and agreed to cook for the war. I went
on a two week vacation that entailed cooking over an open campfire, with
one cooking vessel, a 4' diameter shallow dished metal 'bowl', set on
rocks over the fire. I cooked stew for every lunch and dinner meal in
that thing. (And rice, some bread things, scrambled eggs, etc.) We even
went out and found two sizable stones to put in it. (Someone brought
them back to me and gave them to me in Court once we got home, she said
she just knew I would be bereft without my valuable cooking tools!) I
came down with a case of bronchitis out of it, and when I got home I
couldn't go back to work for a week because I was so ill. (Boy, was my
Chef mad!)
Anyway, this was the first year that the Satyd Tiger ran too, and we
were aware of the competition, even though I never made it out of camp
long enough to go there. Talk about a busman's holiday! We had
entertainment in the dining areas at night, and had a courtyard for other
activities. I think there were even some bed spaces that were there for
drinkers who couldn't make it back to camp. There were roughly 2,000
people in attendance at the War at that time. We made money out of it,
but William was robbed on the way home, and ended up paying all of us our
shares out of his own money. I did not participate the second and final
year.
The next real cooking booth I was aware of was Pagan Sisters. Then the
Middle Eastern place from Newcastle. (I may have that backwards). I am
actually glad the health department comes out and inspects the food
booths now. I was there before it was a requirement, and am happy to see
it taken more seriously now.
Now, I just cook in camp, where we entertain a lot. (Like 1,000 people
or so for the average Meridian Pennsic Party. We're not doing the
cooking for that this year, though, and I'm not singing in the choir,
either. I am going to have help in my merchant booth, and I am getting
there early. I may just have some honest-to-God free time this year!
Woo-Hoo!)
Just rambling in Pennsic reminiscences and plans,
Christianna
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 09:49:37 -0400
From: Jeff Gedney <JGedney at dictaphone.com>
To: sca-east-digest at indra.com
Subject: Re: EK: Solar Shower?
(snip)
For the sake of accuracy, the Center for Disease Control identified PW13's Episode of "Pennsic Plague" as a "Norwalk Virus" - - an intestinal Virus, (one of a family of similar viruses first identified in Norwalk, Ohio) and spread principally by ingesting food or water which is contaminated by infected stool, in much the same fashion as bacillary dysentery (caused by the bacterium Shigella Sonei), but not like Amoebic Dysentery (which is an ulcerative infection of the
bowel, caused by a protozoan, Entamoeba histolytica), which is in intreated drinking water.
Both Norwalk and Shigella are considered "food-borne" illness, in that their principle route of infection is through improperly cleaned food or utensils (or hands). Ameobic Dysentery can be caused by swimming, bathing, or drinking water which has the wild protozoan living in it in sufficient quantity.
Shigella can also be spread by flies. Flies can become a principle vector for contamination of food in areas with sever outbreaks.
I believe that flies do not spread Norwalk virus.
IIRC, The chirurgionate got a commendation form the CDC for keeping the highly contagious virus in a relatively small minority of the population in very primitive conditions.
Pennsic 13, IIRC, was indeed a dry war. There may be a correlation. A lot of
watertable concentration happens when wells dry up. Also when the wells get low, a lot of the junk floating near the top of the well water, like most algaes, a lot of other microflora, and many farm and industrial chemicals, get sucked into the water supply, where ordinarily they would not be picked up.
Brandu
(Who remembers the year of the plague, and the concept of "two exits no waiting". Our camp had very little infection, that year, but mainly because we got real psychotic about cleanliness as soon as we found out about the disease.)
From: "Susan Carroll-Clark" <nicolaaMUNGED at columbus.rr.com>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: pennsic attendence
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 1999 17:55:24 -0400
Andrea Gideon wrote in message <7ppoub$h6f$1 at autumn.news.rcn.net>...
>Does anyone have the totals yet? I arrived on Thursday and had a pretty
>high number and just wondered where we ended.
The Pennsic War Chronicle listed 10061 in Saturday's issue. However, the
issue is put to bed on Friday evening, so this number wouldn't include any
folks who arrived after that (although the number would probably be fairly
small).
My husband arrived on Wednesday and got a medallion number in the 11000s.
Medallion numbers no longer correlate with actual attendance, since everyone
who preregisters is assigned one, whether they end up attending or not.
Nicolaa
From: r19832345 at aol.com (R19832345)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: pennsic attendence
Date: 24 Aug 1999 12:53:20 GMT
the number put up by the Coopers at the end of troll was 10,127 this was the
final tally
xaviar7 at yahoo.com
From: dukeandrew at aol.com (DukeAndrew)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Tick's at pennsic
Date: 28 Aug 1999 07:01:11 GMT
>>>(especially for those who fought in that famous woods battle when both sides
>lost to the hornets)
>
>That was at PW IV
>
> Andrew
I believe it was Pennsic XVI - I remember it *was* Iselan's war --
unless it happened more than once (quite possible).<<<
I was co-autocrat and major workhorse/medic for PW IV. One of my squires
"killed" an Eastern fighter who fell on a hollow log filled with yellow
jackets. They did not take kindly to this and consequently won the war,
clearing the woods in fine style. The Easter fighter had well over 40 welts on
various portions of his anatomy. We did have one Lady suffer from anaphylaxsis
due to a sting of one of the yellowjackets and managed to treat her with
success.
From: "Jonathan E. Feinstein" <jonathan at sc2.com>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Tick's at pennsic
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1999 19:30:09 -0400
Greycat Sharpclaw <greycat at idt.net> wrote:
> There is an allegation that dukeandrew at aol.com (DukeAndrew) wrote:
> >(especially for those who fought in that famous woods battle when both sides
> >lost to the hornets)
> >
> >That was at PW IV
> >
> > Andrew
>
> I believe it was Pennsic XVI - I remember it *was* Iselan's war --
> unless it happened more than once (quite possible).
>
> Pennsic IV is famous for being flooded (Pennsic Puddle).
For those of us who were there, it was also the battle we all lost to
the hornets. The woods battle at at PW XVI was (if I have the year right -
they all run together after the first five or so) the one we avoided
fighting with the bees. At PW IV the battle was fought to its conclusion.
Trust me, the hornets won!
Yosef (a relative Pennsic newbie - I missed the first 2)
Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2000 10:43:38 -0400
From: "Jeff Gedney" <JGedney at dictaphone.com>
Subject: Re: SC - reasonably safe water at Pennsic
> Don't know why you folks are panicking about the water at Pennsic, and the
> port-a-castle two step. I've been going to Pennsic since 22, and have never
The Pennsic Plague occured (and I well remember it...), at Pennsic XIII.
At that time the Chirurgeonate and the event staff were caught completely
off guard. The Chirurgeonate did a masterful job of controlling the outbreak
to less than 10 % of the population, forming quarantined areas and setting
aside portapotties just for the sick people. In fact they got a letter of
commendation from the CDC for the job they did.
It was confirmed to be a water-borne Norwalk virus, and was present in
the water samples taken at the site.
Serious efforts were made by the Coopers as a result to upgrade the well
and water distribution system on site, in many cases rendering entire farm
fields unuseable for agriculture due to the presence of underground piping.
these took years to complete.
these outbreaks were regular occurences as these improvements were
made, and Pennsic increased in size and length of time, outstripping the
improvements capacities.
But they were nowhere near as severe, occurring less and less as
improvements were put into place, and the populace were more and more
aware of basic water sanitation.
By Pennsic 22 the size of pensic had peaked at or around the present
number of 8-10 thousand, and most of the cases were then isolated to
more immune challenged people. That is not to say that these precautions
should be abandoned. Far from it.
The panics last year ( and I was a part of that ) were caused by the
drought, as the drought casues a concentration of the nasties in the local
water table. Pennsic Water facilities were able to handle it, specifically
because of a new well that was much deeper (as I am led to understand).
My exwife and many of my household are Chrurgeons, and I assure you that
these cases DID still occur, though not in outbreak severity, and were
handled with sufficient precaution to prevent spread.
Also I personally know of at least three cases of pennsic trots which were
not taken to Chirurgeons point but handled in the affected person's
camp site. ( one was actually taken to a local motel to allow the use at
need of a flush toilet, shower and clean sheets and running water. They
were up and around in a day or so ).
Brandu
Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2001 11:46:18 -0500
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
From: Ted Eisenstein <Alban at socket.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Pennsic Bread Baking
>What runestone??? There is a "Runstone Hill". Been there. Walked up
>the #$% at ! thing too many times. If there is a runestone, someone
>please tell me the story behind it.
It was carved mostly by Lars Vilhlamson (whose name I always misspell),
now a Calontir triple peer, and proprietor of Please Touch pottery at the
top of the Street of Gold. I belive the runes say "Annual Enemies,
Eternal Friends", and something about the date it was put up, and who
did it. It is, indeed, on Runestone Hill, by (if memory serves) a flat spot
somewhere vaguely in the middle - and surrounded by lots of campers.
You could always ask him for better details, of course.
Alban
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2003 09:38:01 -0400
From: "Robin Carroll-Mann" <rcmann4 at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] question: Medieval restaurant at Pennsic
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
On 18 Jul 2003, at 22:21, david friedman wrote:
>>>
You are probably thinking of Battlefield Bakery. That was Marion of
Edwinstowe's second project, some years after the Sated Tyger, which
she was also part of. As best I recall, the food was a mix of period
and perioid.
--
David/Cariadoc
<<<
I remember both with pleasure. The Sated Tyger had two clay ovens labelled
"Hansel" and "Gretel". The Battlefield Bakery was not only a tasty
establishment, but a generous one. At the close of the day's business,
leftovers were delivered to gentles working at Troll, Security, etc.
::sigh:: Ou sont les Pennsiques d'antan?
Brighid ni Chiarain *** mka Robin Carroll-Mann
Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 12:01:28 -0400
From: "Phlip" <phlip at 99main.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] question: Medieval restaurant at Pennsic
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
>>>
The Battlefield Bakery was not only a tasty
establishment, but a generous one. At the close of the day's business,
leftovers were delivered to gentles working at Troll, Security, etc.
::sigh:: Ou sont les Pennsiques d'antan?
Brighid ni Chiarain *** mka Robin Carroll-Mann
<<<
Ah, YES!!!! The year they invented the vegetarian pasties, they were giving
the ones at the end of the day to Chirurgeon's Point. Although my usual
shift was from noon to 4, somehow I always made it up there every evening,
in case Battlefield Bakery had dropped some off. The rest of the Chirurgeons
quickly learned who got the vegetable ones ;-)
Now, guys, I'm most certainly not a vegetarian, but these were wonderful.
And don't get me wrong, the meat ones were good, but these were exquisite.
I'd kill for that recipe...
Phlip
ath: be1.texas.rr.com!cyclone.austin.rr.com!border2.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!peer01.cox.net!cox.net!elnk-pas-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!stamper.news.pas.earthlink.net!newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net.POSTED!442b521e!not-for-mail
From: Chris Zakes <moondrgn at earthlink.net>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Do sheet walls still make Westerners boggle?
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Xref: be1.texas.rr.com rec.org.sca:344147
On Mon, 23 Aug 2004 21:57:53 +0000 (UTC), an orbital mind-control
laser caused Arval <arval at mittle.users.panix.com> to write:
>I wrote:
>
>>>The style of camping that I described as typical in the East --
>>>well-defined boundaries around camps and reasonably well-defined
>>>walkways -- is found at events other than Pennsic, even very small
>>>ones, or at least was back in the days when I was attending a lot of
>>>events. And it pre-dates formal land allocation at Pennsic.
>
>jk replied:
>
>> But that wasn't always so in the east OR at PENNSIC.
>
>It was the norm as early as Pennsic X, at least in the more central
>parts of the event. Are you thinking earlier than that?
>
>===========================================================================
>Arval
I can recall seeing sheet walls and roped-off campsites at Pennsic IX,
including a single pup tent in a roped-off space that was maybe 10x15
feet.
It wasn't *every* campsite, but most of them had some form of boundary
marker.
-Tivar Moondragon
Ansteorra
Did you not ask why against one man they send a hundred swords?
Because they know this one man for a friend of mine!
-Cyrano in "Cyrano de Bergerac" by Edmond Rostand
From ??? at ??? Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 1999
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From: jk <klessig at cox.net>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Do sheet walls still make Westerners boggle?
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Arval <arval at mittle.users.panix.com> wrote:
>I wrote:
>
>>>The style of camping that I described as typical in the East --
>>>well-defined boundaries around camps and reasonably well-defined
>>>walkways -- is found at events other than Pennsic, even very small
>>>ones, or at least was back in the days when I was attending a lot of
>>>events. And it pre-dates formal land allocation at Pennsic.
>
>jk replied:
>
>> But that wasn't always so in the east OR at PENNSIC.
>
>It was the norm as early as Pennsic X, at least in the more central
>parts of the event. Are you thinking earlier than that?
>
>===========================================================================
>Arval arval at mittle.users.panix.com
if I recall, 9 was my first, but I remember at least 3 before the mass
quantities of walls went up, and before land grab became such a
problem. [ And land grab, I think needs massive changes, such as every
year 30% of the groups [at random] get no priority]
jk
From ??? at ??? Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 1999
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From: quester at infionline.net (Harold Groot)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Do sheet walls still make Westerners boggle?
Reply-To: quester at infionline.net
Message-ID: <412b061a.26510578 at news.west.earthlink.net>
References: <ii11h0hmlt5nk1iukp5n1c33o9jh47qroj at 4ax.com> <ceu906$2ig$1 at reader1.panix.com> <I1zu11.KKp at kithrup.com> <cf0np0$pjt$2 at reader1.panix.com> <92mki0durumlue2ndu01ffj7u7hd0s1ugb at 4ax.com> <cgdp91$90i$1 at reader1.panix.com>
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On Mon, 23 Aug 2004 21:57:53 +0000 (UTC), Arval
<arval at mittle.users.panix.com> wrote:
>I wrote:
>
>>>The style of camping that I described as typical in the East --
>>>well-defined boundaries around camps and reasonably well-defined
>>>walkways -- is found at events other than Pennsic, even very small
>>>ones, or at least was back in the days when I was attending a lot of
>>>events. And it pre-dates formal land allocation at Pennsic.
>jk replied:
>> But that wasn't always so in the east OR at PENNSIC.
>It was the norm as early as Pennsic X, at least in the more central
>parts of the event. Are you thinking earlier than that?
>Arval arval at mittle.users.panix.com
I think you exaggerate this a bit, Arval - or at least, our
recollections differ. While there were some groups with mass camps
and fenced borders back at Pennsic X, I would not say that they were
"the norm" back then. I would put their numbers at less than 25%.
The percentage grew each year, however, so they would have reached a
simple majority not too much later - maybe Pennsic XV?
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2004 23:09:52 -0400
From: "Phlip" <phlip at 99main.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Pennsic Potluck, revisited- OT sidenote
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
> We arrived Monday to find that our assigned place in the Disability
> Camp was right next to the tent of the lady who had died on Sunday. I
> never met her, but her friends were understandably shaken. If I had
> arrived as planned, I would have gotten there in the middle of that.
>
> It made this Pennsic rather subdued. I didn't "do" much this year...
> except relax... and that was enough.
I can understand that, but for those of you who were wondering, the lady,
according to the stories I have heard, was quite well aware that she was in
very serious shape, and chose to come to Pennsic anyway. It is our belief
that she chose to die there, and we all wish her a gentle passing.
Can't say as I blame her, either.
Saint Phlip,
CoDoLDS
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: djheydt at kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt)
Subject: Re: A Pennsic History Question
Organization: Kithrup Enterprises, Ltd.
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2004 20:37:47 GMT
Lyle H. Gray <gray at no.spam.cs.umass.edu.invalid> wrote:
>"Dana Tweedy" <reddfrogg at Nospam.com> wrote
>
>> Does anyone know where there might be a list of the winners of the
>> Pennsic War, going back to Pennsic I?
>>
>> I'm working on a project that commemorates Pennsic, and I would like
>> to be able to indicate which side won the war that year.
>
>The Midrealm won Pennsic I. I _think_ (but am not sure) that the Middle
>Kingdom won the first 10 Pennsic Wars.
>
>BTW, Pennsic VI was the first Pennsic held at Cooper's Lake.
_Time_ magazine reviewed Pennsic I. Got a whole page. I used to
have the page around; can't find it at present; but a good
library ought to have bound volumes from which you can photocopy.
All I can remember offhand is the Queen of the Middle coming home
to a sinkful of dirty dishes and realizing she wasn't Queen any
more.
Dorothea of Caer-Myrddin Dorothy J. Heydt
Mists/Mists/West Albany, California
PRO DEO ET REGE djheydt at kithrup.com
From: "Susan Carroll-Clark" <sclark55 at rogers.com>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: A Pennsic History Question
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2004 21:06:19 GMT
> >The Midrealm won Pennsic I. I _think_ (but am not sure) that the Middle
> >Kingdom won the first 10 Pennsic Wars.
If you can find a copy, the booklet for Pennsic XX had a nice history
section.
Quickie summary:
PW I - Middle
PW II - disputed
PW III - Middle
PW IV - Middle
PW V - Middle
PW VI - tie
PW VII - Middle
PW VIII - tie
PW IX - Middle
PW X - East
PW XI - East
PW XII - East
PW XIII - tie
PW XIV - tie
PW XV - East
PW XVI - Middle
PW XVII - Middle
PW XVIII - East
PW XIX - East
PW XX - Middle (my first Pennsic)
Nicolaa
From: "Brian M. Scott" <b.scott at csuohio.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: A Pennsic History Question
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2004 22:01:44 -0400
On Wed, 01 Sep 2004 01:02:26 GMT, Dana Tweedy
<reddfrogg at Nospam.com> wrote in rec.org.sca:
> "Brian M. Scott" <b.scott at csuohio.edu> wrote
>> On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 21:06:19 GMT, Susan Carroll-Clark
>> <sclark55 at rogers.com> wrote in rec.org.sca:
>>>>> The Midrealm won Pennsic I. I _think_ (but am not
>>>>> sure) that the Middle Kingdom won the first 10
>>>>> Pennsic Wars.
>>> If you can find a copy, the booklet for Pennsic XX had a nice history
>>> section.
>>> Quickie summary:
>> [...]
>>> PW XIII - tie
>> The plague won.
>>> PW XIV - tie
>> The rain won.
>>> PW XV - East
>>> PW XVI - Middle
>>> PW XVII - Middle
>>> PW XVIII - East
>>> PW XIX - East
>>> PW XX - Middle (my first Pennsic)
>> The bees won one somewhere in here, but I'm damned if I can
>> remember which.
> The bees won Pennsic XVI, I was working the woods as a
> chiurgeon that war. I remember the battle being called
> off due to yellow jackets.
> My first Pennsic was Pennsic XIV. The rain stopped before
> the opening ceremonies that year, so you really can't say
> the rain won.
Considering the number of people who were flooded out, and
the genuine need for a soup kitchen at the time, I'm happy
to say that the rain won. (And the mud was a problem the
whole war.)
> Pennsic IV was the famous "Pennsic Puddle".
Yes, but it was basically a weekend event. Had it been a
week or two long, the rain wouldn't have been nearly as
memorable. PW IV was in my neck of the woods (though before
me), so I've heard quite a bit at first hand, and my
impression is that PW XIV may well have been worse on an
absolute scale.
Talan
From: alchem at en.com (James Koch)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: A Pennsic History Question
Date: 1 Sep 2004 21:02:05 -0700
"Anthony J. Bryant" <ajbryant_NOSPAM at indiana.edu> wrote
> Brian M. Scott wrote:
> > Yes, but it was basically a weekend event. Had it been a
> > week or two long, the rain wouldn't have been nearly as
> > memorable. PW IV was in my neck of the woods (though before
> > me), so I've heard quite a bit at first hand, and my
> > impression is that PW XIV may well have been worse on an
> > absolute scale.
>
> I imagine the deluge on the tail end of this year's Pennsic would be
> history-making under that old criterion. You're right, of course. Since the
> extension of Pennsic to a two-week event, it would have to be a hugely long,
> multi-day downpour to enter the legend that is "Pennsic Puddle."
>
> Effingham
I have been attending Pennsic since the first and I have never seen it
rain as hard and for as long as at this past event. That said, the
total amount of water that fell probably did not equal and certainly
did not exceed the rain that hit us at Pennsic 4. Pennsic 4 was
actually longer than a standard weekend event. In fact it was the
first non-weekend Pennsic. It started on Thursday night and ran
through Monday (Labor Day). The rain started before the event on
Tuesday morning around 9:00am and continued on and off until Thursday
evening when it began to rain steadily. It was never a torrential
downpour as at this past Pennsic, it was a constant rain tapering off
to a drizzle and then back to an average rain. What happened was a
low pressure zone stalled over Lake Erie and just sat there for a week
spinning the same clouds back over us. So basically the entire event
was rained out with the exception of the woods battle which went on
regardless. We toughed it out until Sunday afternoon when Duke Andrew
announced that the rest of the event had been cancelled and we were
all to leave the site immediately. So began the death march to the
cars. At that point nothing short of a helicopter could have gotten
back to the campground by the woods. The muck was too thick for a
keel and too thin for a wheel. After we left, it continued to rain
through Monday. Several local rivers overflowed and there was
extensive flooding all around Northeast Ohio. So imagine if at this
past Pennsic it started raining on the evening of the last Wednesday
and continued to rain steadily night and day through Sunday.
Basically stretch out the rain we had and add a bit more.
Jim Koch (Gladius The Alchemist)
From: Phlip <phlip at 99main.com>
Date: September 15, 2004 9:56:54 PM CDT
To: SPCA <spca-wascaerfrig at yahoogroups.com>, PennsicW10 at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [spca-wascaerfrig] Fw: [EK] RE: Early Pennsic, was Tuchux
Thought this might interest you guys ;-)
Saint Phlip,
CoD
----- Original Message -----
From: "Duchess Gabrielle" <duchessg at direcway.com>
To: <sca-east at indra.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2004 10:50 PM
Subject: [EK] RE: Early Pennsic, was Tuchux
> Greetings from Duchess Gabrielle, East Kingdom Archivist,
>
> Following is an interesting letter from the EK Archives regarding
> Pennsic War VI, dated 26 March AS XI:
>
> "Herewith my report on the two war-sites that I have seen, as you requested
> of me one week ago in the Shire of Morgana. The two sites are the
> campground designated Cooper's Lake, and the Conference Center of the
> New York State University College at Fredonia.
>
> Price: The price is right for each of the sites. For the Cooper's Lake site,
> the people who are organizing it are talking in the range of $3 per person
> for the weekend. At the Fredonia site, the charge is $1/person/night, and
> the Seneschale is talking a charge of $1/person/weekend to cover extra costs
> such as renting a field for additional parking. For someone who stays two
> nights (i.e. arrives Friday night and leaves before Sunday evening) the cost
> is therefore the same, and not much different no matter what the
> person's plans are.
>
> Location: Again, not much to choose from, considering the distance that most
> people have to travel to get to either of the sites. The Fredonia site is
> marginally closer to the northern part of the East Kingdom, and certain
> parts of the Midrealm (i.e. Northwoods & Neorlanda). Similarly the Cooper's
> Lake site is closer to the southern areas of both Kingdoms.
>
> Facilities Layout: The Fredonia site is laid out in hilly woods, with
> moderately little open level ground. There are sufficient campsites for
> small tents in the woods near the lodge that the remaining pavilions which
> require large expanses of land could be set up in the open fields. There is
> a good deal of up-and-down motion required to get from one place to another.
>
> There is a very nice lodge with flush toilets, and there are also
> pit-toilets around the area near the lodge. There is adequate running water
> for the people for the weekend, though one will have to trek to the lodge to
> get it. Since there is only sufficient open space for pitching pavilions,
> there would be no chance for an open-field battle at the war. There is a
> lot of wooded area with many mapped (and more unmapped) trails running
> through it, and certainly there is sufficient room for any number of
> woods-battle scenarios. There are also several bridges. Due to the very
> hilly nature of the ground, which would make flanking movements tricky, it
> would be an interesting place to hold such a war. There is no problem with
> drainage in the rain.