Andrew,
I'll be going, sans gurdy, alas. Melissa the Loud is usually there.
Dennis is often there, and several others. I haven't seen an hg gathering on
the schedule, but that doesn't mean one cannot spontaneously erupt.
I'd be up for a jam in the merchant area -- I *will* be bringing a
harp. I'm planning to arrive Saturday Aug 1.
For those on the list who have no idea what we're talking about, Pennsic
(formally, the Pennsic War) is an annual event of the Society for Creative
Anachronism (SCA), where about 12,000 costumed weirdos ... I mean, costumed
medieval and renaissance enthusiasts ... gather near Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania to camp, shop, party, play music, take workshops, shop, engage
in battles and tournaments, party, dance, fence, shoot arrows and catapults,
and have a great time for a week or two. Here's Melissa in action at
Pennsic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5ePYutRuLE
and here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjUNVx5ETFU&feature=PlayList&p=A29982842CA8BC18&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=10
It's not a re-enactment or a renaissance faire. There is no "audience" --
everyone is a participant. The authenticity level ranges from jaw-droppingly
authentic to comic book ridiculous, with most folks in between. People come
from all over the world, including non-SCA members. Age ranges from babes in
arms to octogenarians. I've been to every single one of these (we're on
#38) and it's impossible to be bored. There's a nice photo of Melissa in
this collection, http://www.pbase.com/darter02/sca
Melissa by a spice merchant: http://www.pbase.com/darter02/image/53551096
A little battle here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCgCjaD-iyw This is
a full-contact sport, not choreographed, and each participant is on his/her
honor to acknowledge the blow. Yes, that is a guy with sword and shield on
an electric wheelchair. The battle resumed after the hold called at the end
of this video and went on for who knows how long.
This is how we spend our summer vacation -- not in another country, but
in another century.
-- Tracie
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