Cooper's Lake Event Venue and Campground
205 Currie Rd, Slippery Rock, PA 16057
3-11 Aug 2022
Finally. My first Pennsic War. I'm possibly the first resident from my small shire of Easaraigh to go to Pennsic.
I made the journey to the premier SCA war - Pennsic. What follows here are some perspectives on my journey and thoughts on the experiences and things that I witnessed.
My plans started with the knowledge that my knight and friend, Earl Benen MacTire, would be travelling to Pennsic XLIX alone this year without Countess Rosabel. After some discussion with my wife Ellen, we decided this was a good opportunity for me to get to see the war for the first time with the added benefit of helping a friend. So, I offered to travel with Benen to help him with his trip and provide support to him. As he is a long time Pennsic merchant (Renaissance Arts & Design - everyone should check them out) and attendee, assisting him would not only provide me with a confortable place to 'hang my hat' but it would also put me with one of the best guides a person could ask for for a first time trip to Pennsic.
Our trip was uneventful. Let me say that again, our trip... was uneventful. This made us both happy. After Benen's Columbus adventure story from his trip to Armistice last year, we both felt some relief in the pleasantness of a boringly routine trip from Tennessee to Pennsylvania.
We arrived at the site in the afternoon of August 3rd. My first impression on arrival was of how disorienting it would be if I was on my own. When you arrive at troll, you are pretty much in the middle of the site. You are surrounded by tents, vehicles, people, portajons, etc. The middle of the site is fairly level, so its like being dropped into the middle of a small town. Visibility of the troll area is somewhat limited, so you can see up and down the thoroughfares, but not much else. Use a northeastern style community for a visual, where the dwellings are all built close together with streets on a grid. It can be a little claustrophobic for the unaclimated. Arriving without an experienced guide or person meeting you at Troll, would really make for an overwhelming introduction to Pennsic for the first timer.
Our arrival at Troll was marked by the absence of any 'line' waiting to get in. So, we were trolled in within a few minutes. Now, I have seen the pictures and have heard the stories of the Pennsic Troll queue. So, I was quite happy to blow through the processed efficiently without any wait. My 1st takeaway is that 'Timing is eveything' for your Pennsic experience. Our arrival time, mid afternoon on a Wednesday, was a sweet spot as far as Troll is concerned.
Note, that while Troll was in a 'slow' period there were over 5,000 people onsite at this point of 'Peace Week'...
For the unindoctinated, 'Peace Week' is the first week of the Pennsic War. Pennsic is a 2 week event. During 'Peace Week', attendees settle in and setup camps, have classes and gatherings, etc. 'Peace Week' is geared toward a social experience. The second week of Pennsic is 'War Week'. And yes, this is when all of the martial activies of Pennsic take place. Back to the program...
...with still more attendees expected. Pennsic attracted somewhere just south of 8,000 people this year by the end of 'War Week'. I have been told that this was a small gathering in Pennsic terms.
The COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly affected Pennsic attendance this year. Many people I know are still very cautious about gatherings with good reason. Pennsic XLIX was the first one held since the Society reopened for inperson activities. The virus was still active across the country and impacting people. I saw several posts from people noting it as the cause for not going or leaving the event early. Precautions were present. There was a mask policy in place for 'enclosed' spaces and some other areas, like Troll. Having been a cautious person through the pandemic, I welcomed the policy and also welcomed the ability to find spaces of openess around the site where I could bypass and avoid crowds. For all the people there, Pennsic is still an open air camping event. That helped me in my decision to attend on the heels of the pandemic shutdown of SCA activities.
With so many people there, I almost expected things to feel 'crowded'. I was pleasantly surprised that for the most part, the site did not feel crowded to me. Note that I dislike crowds. It's a level of discomfort that I avoid with a passion. So, me feeling comfortable with a camp population as big as Pennsic should be received as 'a big deal' for the like minded readers seeing this.
The site covers over 500 acres and Pennsic is a sprawling construct plastered across most of that terrain. From the top of Mount Eiselinn to the bottom of The Bog, Pennsic occupies a vast area. Pepper all the attendees into those camps and venues and you rarely see too many people at one time. Not unlike the town analogy above, There might be 10,000 living in a town with me, but I will never see all those people at one time. That is how Pennsic is.
After registering at Troll, We had our site tokens and went to setup the booth and accoutrements. Being a merchant, Earl Benen has a 'traditional' location in the merchants area at the end of the Barn next to the very evil Ice Cream shop. We were met there by Sir Severin (once squire to Earl Benen and famous Trimarian personage) and Sir Marek, son Thomas and Baroness Sybilla (Friends and confidants from Aethelmarc) to help with the 'tent raising'. In short order we had the main tent up, my small tent up and walls errected to keep out most of the spurious riff-raff and help to fend off the temptations of the dread sweet treat dispensory next too us.
This point on the corner of a shady lane at the end of the barn under the official 'Anus of Mordor' whitenoise broadcast would be my home and my first presence on Pennsic land. I did not realize it then but this locale would frame my Pennsic and set the tone for my event. Nothing bad about that at all. What I mean to say is that with Pennsic your location has a big influence on your experience. In this case, I got the 'merchant' affect on my event. There was a lot of foot traffic. I was in the middle of a lot of things (store, ice cream shop, merchants, ice cream shop, food court, ice cream shop, etc). I could see the fighting field. I had good access to 'hard' restroom and shower structures. I had easy access to a lot of things I would not normally have quick access to if I was out in the Sarengetti or up on the Mount or down in the Bog. My location framed my experience.
I suspect that concept is true for all attendees. My hypothesis is that Pennsic is not just one event. Pennsic is many events. The many events are held close together, times and locations overlap. Attendees travel through the two weeks, picking which 'events' they want to attend and return each eve to their chosen land. Some, never leave their land and that land is their event. You see, Pennsic as an 'event' is really big. It's too big really to be considered an event in itself. Pennsic, by my estimation, is more akin to an entire kingdom's calendar of events all held at one time. That, for the newbs like me, is what the Pennsic event is like. Pennsic is closer to a State Fair or one of those big music festivals with many stages. Calling Pennsic an event is really underselling it. My two cents.
I had brought my armor. But, I did not don it. Nagging nerve pinch in my back kept me off the field this time. With armored combat being my primary SCA activity these days, I had a lot of time on my hands. To wit, I directed it toward helping Benen run the booth. I have never been a merchant. Benen enthusiastically made efforts to induct me into the into the Hanseatic League. Not sure Ill make the cut. I do think I got a good understanding of how to be a sherpa in hot weather. Not for the meek. Merchanting is not a bad way to experience an event. But, I make no bones that I know much in my limited exposure. All I can say for sure is that Im a good helper, I appreciate the perspective and I was happy to be there. So, I watched the event through the frame of the tents doorway most of my days there and that was a good experience.
In my Pennsic acclimation, I have been educated on the legend of the Ice Mafia and I think I actually crossed paths with a 'made' member when meek young girl came into the booth and got an ‘Everyone listens to someone with an axe…‘ shirt in size small and produced a bank roll the size of my fist to pay for it. The little girl is not someone to be trifled with and I didn't. I also learned the mafia is into hawking the news in the Pennsic Independent newspaper that is produced during the event when a 6 or 7 yr old boy came up our lane. I heard him before I saw him. A child’s voice, barely audible coming unseen from the other side of the tent wall ‘Pennsic Independent , a dollar twenty-five…’. Then it repeated. And there he was in the door. Barely waist high. Had to buy one. No choice. He even had an adult bodyguard making change and carrying his bag of papers. A lot of the Pennsic myth comes to you it seems, but there is more to see than can show up on your doorstep.
I made several forays from the booth in different directions to see what there was to see. Benen also provided guided tours around the camp, pointing out things of interest and recounting stories of past events. As I have previously mentioned, Pennsic is big. You cannot see it all. Just can't. I took in what I could. Got some pictures and just watched and listened. Pennsic is a lot.
There were a lot of merchants. Not as many as normal from what I understand, but a lot more that you will find anywhere else. Benen says a new SCAdian can come to Pennsic and leave fully kitted out for whatever their interests are provided they have the coin. That is a true statement. Everything to be had for a medieval recreationist was there. I think you could even make the case, for those not interested the whole Pennsic, to just plan a long weekend and drive up to Slippery Rock, get a room at an inn, daytrip the site and shop. That would be a worthwhile and fun trip for many I know.
In addition to the Cooper's store and restaurant, there were several food vendors selling sustenance. Food, drink, deserts... all were available. A person could go to Pennsic without packing any food. We were fortunate to have dinner brought to us by Baroness Sybilla and Sir Marek the first few nights before we started foraging. Though foraging at Pennsic is a minor affair with sundries being as plentiful as they are. I think bringing some water would be the only thing I would recommend as required, though you could get that readily at the Cooper's store alond with ice.
Heat was a big deal for the first half of our stay. While the temps were lower than they were in Tennessee, the humidity hovered close to 100% for several days. There werent many storms, but we were grateful for the breeze the storms brought for the relief provided. I took to showering late in the evening and found I was usually soaked by the time I got back to my cot. It made for a sweltering several days. Things did moderate toward the latter half of the time there. The temps cooled and the humidity lessened to a point that was almost ideal.
My biggest takeaway from the trip will be the time spent with people. Being just a 'poor 'ole rustic Meridian', getting some exposure to this SCA world at large did me good. I got to spend some quality time with Sir Severin, a brother from another land. I was intoduced to the progenitor and progenitrix of Earl Benen's chivalric peerage - Sir Tnek and Mistress Tannis (Tnek begat Quenton begat Brendan begat Benen). Duchess Rebekah helped Benen with midnight madness. I was given insight of the trials of an Aethelmarc Warlord from Sir Marek. In the mornings, we broke fast and some days Sir Lothar or Sir Johannes would join us. Through the day, we had visits from many others (not we so much as he - Benen) and I got to hear many stories. The evenings were met with the hunt for dinner, winding down discussions with many people who visited us and who we visited. All of these interactions were rewarding and fulfilling. All of them. Being a generally limited social creature (meaning Im generally insular in my social activies) the exposure to all of the comings and goings was a pleasant change to my norm. Most of all, getting to spend some time with Benen made the days worthwhile. Almost felt like I was making up for the years we didn't know each other in some small way. It was good 'bonding time' that I am thankful to have shared in.
Pennsic offers much in just plain tourism. The Runestone, where pilgrims deposit tokens in homage to the place, has a mystic feel about it along with its quiet space in the trees. The manorhouse on the lake that so often appears in pictures only hints at the vastness and ingenuity found in the camps hidden and tucked away around the lake in the wood. The infamous Bog. The various armies marching to and from trom the fighting field singing songs and horns blaring add daily color to the camps with banners in the wind and tabard worn. There is also the vast view of the entire site from the vantage of Mount Eislinn above the Pennsic numerials carved in its side Whether sitting in one spot and watching the thrum move past or exploring Pennsic on walkabout, you would be hard pressed to not see something new and interesting.
Our trip ended with the hard stop shutdown of merchanting on Friday, 8/12. The Cooper's do not play around and all merchanting came to a hard stop early in the afternoon. We packed the camp. Marek, Sybilla and company help with the loadout. Farewells and hugs exchanged. As began to dusk settle over the camp, we were on the road south to our home on the plateau.
My journey was fruitful. While I was a spectator through most of it, the experience is rewarding. I now understand why people would say that everyone should make a trip to Pennsic at least once in their SCA lifetime. Hopefully, I will be able to go again and maybe try some different things. Time will tell.
Well met friends. Safe journey to thee!
Baron Eoin Mac Cana called 'Clyde'
Squire to Earl Benen MacTire
Warden of the Northern Plateau
Shire of EasaraighKingdom of Meridies
