[Artemisia] Event Thoughts

[John Lawler]

I have been folowing this topic of conversation for some time now and I am 
intrigued by some of the comments that have been made. I fully agree with 
the idea that a "site" itself can lend to the making of "magic moments". I 
spend my weekends, weeknights, and weekdays when I called in sick but really 
wasn't, building a site that is completely dedicated to the SCA. Grassy 
camping areas in a heavily wooded forest, a huge main fire pit, an arena for 
tournaments, and people....people that spend their weekends, and weeknights 
to help me build this place so that everyone may come and enjoy it. People 
have told me that when they arrive at the site they are transported back in 
time. As a site owner that is the greatest reward.

When I started in this game 12 years ago I met a man that was and still is 
dedicating his life to building a place where people could come and live the 
dream. He gives everything to this game. But to him its not a game its a way 
of life. He is able to escape mundanity at 5:00 o'clock every single day. 
This man is not rich in the monetary since of the word, but he has a 
following that comes to his house every weekend to help him build his 
castle. For 4 years I too built on the Castle.

Now that I am in Montana and have property of my own I am putting what I 
learned from this man into action. I may not have a castle ...YET! But I do 
have a site that tries to be mundane free and I have a group of people that 
help me promote events that are FUN and run as smoothly as they can and 
where you can bring pets or not, buy the feast or not, camp or not, 
volunteer or not, and its wet for you or not. We dance and beat on drums 
till whenever we get tired. Then in the morning its starts over again. Show 
up early and go home late. Bring your tent and stay a while.

If you do not have fun at these events, you cannot really blame it on the 
event or on the site for that matter. This is a game we play and the last 
time I checked games were supposed to be FUN. And in this game we are 
supposed to make our own fun. That is what make believe is all 
about...making YOURSELF (not others) believe that you are really there in 
that time in that place sewing, cooking, armoring, fighting, shooting 
arrows, dancing but most of all enjoying. And whhen you believe it others 
will believe it too and that is when those magic moments happen!

Just my 2-1/2 cents worth.

Lord Ely
Squire to Qadi Dahoud
Propietor of Castle SilverOak

Shire of Crystal Crags

An Irishman is never drunk as long as he can still hold on to one blade of 
grass and not fall off the face of the earth!