ARTICLES OF INTEREST
INDEX:
What is an SCA Household?
General Camping Tips
What to Expect at Your First SCA Event
What is an SCA Household?
Simply put, a household is a group of people who like to camp together at S.C.A. events. It may consist of a few people such as a lord, his lady and their children or even a larger extension consisting of several households. Households have no official "status" in the S.C.A..
Households are generally a group or groups of friends with common interests. They may give their household a name and even a banner to identify themselves as a whole.
House Grynmoors Device
House Grynmoors was formed in 1995 and consisted of Alric (now Ali), Mary (now Saeedah), Carlton and Neva. The household has gone through many transformations over the years.
We used to consist of many members and provide a "comunity bardic fire" where everyone was welcome to come and sit by the fire. Bards from all over the event would come and entertain everyone. We have since retired to the "quiet life" and our roster of members consists of only a few people.
Although the days of huge bardic fires is bygone, everyone is still welcome to come join us in camp to sit by the fire, talk about old times and enjoy snacks and non-alcoholic beverages.
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General Camping Tips
Use modern amenities , but try to keep them hidden when not in use.
Bring chairs!
Get rid of as much trash as you can before you go.
Ways of doing this are :
- cracking open eggs into a jar and discarding the shells, at home, before you leave. When you get to the event you can simply pour the eggs that you need, right out of the jar.
- discarding the box from dry food stuffs and putting the contents, along with the cooking directions, into a zip lock bag.
- pre-cooking Deviled Eggs: Hard boil eggs. Place whites in one zip lock bag and the egg yolk mash into another. Cut one corner of the bag with the mash in it and "pipe" directly into the whites, on site, just before serving.
- pre-cooking pasta and putting into a zip lock bag. Pour hot sauces on the pasta, on site, and serve. The heat from the sauces is generally hot enough to heat the entire dish.
- peeling and cutting cantaloupe and other melons, at home, and place in zip lock bag.
Bring as many "no-cook" foods as you can.
Nobody wants to slave in the kitchen either cooking or cleaning up when they could be enjoying some other activity!
Some examples of no-cook foods:
- Cold cooked meat (aka: cold cuts)
- Raw vegetables (sliced, pared etc.) maybe with a dip
- Deli or take out food (stews, chickens etc.)
- Salads (green, macaroni or potato)
- Pickles, olives, antipasto
- Cakes, cookies, other baked goods, etc.
Check out this list of really good tips at Current Middle Ages
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What to Expect at Your First SCA Event
You'll see period pavilions, flags and banners, lords, ladies, and people of all classes from the lowly peasant to the highest of royalty. You'll see men and women in medieval clothing often speaking in medieval terms. You'll see men and women in armor.
Here are some things you may encounter:
[visit this youtube video]
When going to an event...
Each kingdom has its own customs. Check with your local chatelaine about customs in your area.
Day Tripping---
If you plan on staying only for the day, bring a blanket or mat to sit on, food, shade, CHAIRS and other "creature comforts". Do not assume that anything will be provided for you or available for you when you get there.
Try to make a reasonable attempt at medieval garb.
Your garb doesn't have to be perfect or expensive, a simple t-tunic is a good starter. The idea here is that we want to create a medieval atmopshere so we really wouldn't want to attend wearing jeans and a t-shirt. If you can't sew, check your local thrift stores in the "vintage" clothing section. Look for "hippie" era stuff that often resembles medieval clothing or see if anyone you know can make something for you. NOTE: Medieval garb is not required for business meetings.
It's ok to first show up wearing modern attire for setting up your camp, but once you're settled in, it's time to get into persona! :)
Wear good walking shoes.
You'll probably be doing a lot of walking between the war field and your camp and around merchants row. You're going to want to have good shoes for this.
Bring a camera!
The atmosphere is very fun and often colorful. You'll want to capture these "Kodak Moments". You'll also be able to look back on ideas for garb and encampment decoration should you decide you want to participate in the SCA on a regular basis.
Bring a chair or stool that is easy to tote around.
A chair is one of the most important things to pack. Never leave home without one. Never assume seating will be provided for you at any time. You'll need it when visiting other camps and for watching activities such as royal court and war scenarios. Bring extras for your guests who want to visit your camp and may have forgotten to bring theirs!
Sunblock! Remember the sunblock!
War scenarios are often held out in open fields with no shade and are held through out the day. Sunburned and tan skin is damaged skin! If you plan on watching war scenarios, bring either a sunshade, umbrella and/or sunblock...and your chairs.
Food.
Bring food with you, do not assume food will be available. See the "General Camping Tips" article above. If you use a cooler, bring a piece of cloth with which to cover it when not in use.
Over-night Visits---
In addition to the suggestions for day tripping we also have suggestions for staying over night. See also the "General Camping Tips" article above. This not a complete list of things to bring, but rather suggestions to help you with your first event.
Tents:
Remember, we are trying to recreate a medieval atmosphere. If you are staying over night and need to use a modern tent, try to disguise it as best you can. If you don't have a tent you may rent one from your local sportings good store or ask a good friend if you may borrow one. If it turns out that you really like this hobby, don't bother investing in a modern tent. You'd be much better off investing in or making a period pavilion.
Earplugs:
AnTirians are often a noisy group. Bring earplugs if you are sensitive to noise (especially for late at night when you're trying to sleep and you need to get up early).
Bring a Project:
There are sometimes lulls in the activity and you may want to entertain yourself by working on a portable project such as cross-stitch, embroidery, knitting, crocheting, wood carving, chainmail weaving, etc.
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