MidSummer Fair
June 19, 20 & 21, 1991
Our first full-fledged event came about because if we didn't have
one, the kingdom seneschal at the time said our group would probably be disbanded. We were just an incipient canton of Stargate
at the time and were already in a bit of trouble for officers not reporting. I (Annes) was the brand new seneschal having
taken over from Alanna who dropped out to do scouting with her children. I also had only been in the SCA for about a year.
EEEKKK!!! (I said in my head) An event! Oh, no! What do I know
about putting on an event! Nothing! <run around in circles waving my hands>
After I settled down a bit, and chatted with people in the canton
like Patrick of Kilkenny, Adelicia & Talmon, and Caitlin, we decided to put on a Midsummer Faire event. Mainly because
that was about the only open date on the calendar and yes, I admit it...I pushed it a bit because it was my birthday weekend.
We were all pretty much in accord that we wanted something different
than the usual event where one big guy beat up everybody and walks off with all the loot. So we thought up our Fair format.
We designed our event so that *anybody* could be our champion.
To be our champion, you had to enter at least 5 events and win at least 3 of them. That first event we had heavy weapons and
light (we didn't call them chivalric and rapier back in the day), bardic, dance, gaming, A & S (judged by popular vote)
and archery.
We held the event at the Stones of Ravensfort and
the weather was as hot as the middle of June can get down here.
Everybody who came thru the gate was given their own hand painted
and calliged scroll for coming to our event. Everybody was given a string of beads to give to their favorite combatant or
entrant. People who entered got 1 bead; people who won got another bead and they could be given populace beads also. Our overall
winner was the one who not only entered and won but also collected the most beads from the populace for their fighting skills
or the beauty of their art or voice.
For our feast, we invited folk to bring their favorite dish and
we had a pot luck. It was great!
Our first champion was Lord Yoshi (I can't do the rest of it)
also known back then as "Ice" and who now just stepped down as the Baron of Ravensfort and now is known as H.E., Brian du
Val. We recognized others but they weren't our champion. His Excellency spoke with me a while back and reminded me that he
was our first champion. My that was a fun event!
We continued this basic format for a long time but eventually
started to get away from just a single champion to having multiple champions. I know I'm an old fogey but I did like how ours
was so different from everybody else's. We stopped doing it at Midsummer because the summers just got hotter and hotter and
now our event is in the fall and often has a different theme from year to year.
But it was fun and we all laughed a lot and pulled together as
family.
As I remember it...
Annes Clotilde von Bamburg
