If you’ve been following the Lightwood Facebook Group, you may already know about the upcoming Tournament and Feast on Saturday the 24th of August. For experienced SCAers it’s all familiar territory, but what if you’re a newcomer who’s just wandered in and you want to know what’s going on? I’m glad you asked!
Most of the time, SCA events are full-immersion, dive-in-and-try-to-swim sorts of affairs. Before you even show up you’re expected to have your garb and your feasting gear and to know a Pegasus from a Pelican, and it can be a bit intimidating. So this weekend is our best try at making it a little less of a worry.
Here’s what you have to do this time: show up and see what you think.
There. Wasn’t that a bit better?
The tournament is geared for new people to have a look. There will be lots of us there, from the canton of Lightwood in the Huon Valley and the wider barony in Hobart and parts north. We’ll have men in armour, women in speccy dresses (and no laws that say you can’t have things the other way round either!) and assorted other activities to join in if you want. If you like the look of it and want to come to the feast, that’s what we like to hear and we’ll help you to make it possible. We’ll have garb (clothing) and feasting gear (plates and cutlery) and you don’t need to know about different kinds of mythical wildlife if you don’t want to get a headache, so that’s all right.
Come along to Surges Bay Oval, about ten minutes south of Geeveston on the Huon Highway, turning left at Police Point Road. The event starts officially at 10am this Saturday, but the action will be going all afternoon. If you already know you’ll be interested enough to attend the feast, bring a dish to share — we won’t be too fussy if it’s not a perfectly medieval recipe. It’s free to be a spectator, and the price to be involved and attend the whole thing is quite reasonable, even with the damnable insurance fee we have to add on for every non-member regardless of age.
You can book by email or by phone on 6297-9959, or just come along on the day to see what you think.
But beware… this is a lot of fun, and people have been known to come for ten minutes and stay for a day, and then go home and start plotting how to obtain houpelandes and rapiers and helms and all manner of other nonsense. Watch yourself, or you may end up with a new hobby!
Good luck!