Loser Get Pittsburgh

The Village of Slippery Rock, Butler County is normally a quiet little college town in
north, western Pennsylvania, but for each year in early August when Coopers Lake
Campground erupts in a riot of colors, sounds and activities. Pennsic War has come to
Slippery Rock.

This is an aerial picture

from 2002 of most of
Pennsic War. Image
from
http://meisterin.katarina.
home.comcast.net/~meis
terin.katarina/pennsic-

Pennsic is the first and largest inter-kingdom event (or War) in the Society for Creative
Anachronism (SCA), drawing over 10,000 people a year. The SCA is an international
club for the study, education and celebration of all things medieval (with a focus on
Europe). As well as forgotten knowledge and skills of the medieval world the SCA
promotes the practice of the knightly virtues of chivalry, honor, honesty, and courtesy, all
the areas of most importance to the modern medievalist. Pennsic is the Holy Grail for
the modern medievalist. At Pennsic the modern medievalist can take classes on nearly
any medieval topic at Pennsic University, go to medieval; parties, concerts, plays or
shops, and watch (or take part in) tournaments and melees battles. There is something for
everyone.
 Middle-Eastern
dancing and music can
be found all about the
site. Image from,
http://www.majidaanw
ar.com/links_files/mz_
i j

It is completely up to the individual to determine what they want to take part in and to
what level of involvement. But, everyone must wear medieval clothing on site or a
reasonable attempt at it. Modern items are everywhere. Nylon and period canvas can be
seen standing one next to the other adding the colorful visual of the site, people in perfect
Elizabethan regalia smoking a cigarette, talking on a cell phone and drinking an iced latte
and million things that reinforce the fact that it is anachronism not reenactment. The
difference is that reenactment is as close as possible to how it really was; anachronism is
just taking the best parts out of the past to the present. Pennsic is like the worlds largest
renaissance fair where everyone is a participant who lives on site in a tent and only does
the medieval things they want to do.

This is an image
of the thrown
weapons range.
Image from
1994,
http://farm4.stati
c.flickr.com/357
4/3839787950 e

How did the SCA start its first war? A king declares war on himself and subsequently
loses. The international SCA is broken up into regions called kingdom each with a king.
Kings are determine by single combat (or tournament) every six months. Back in 1970
Cariadoc King of the Middle Kingdom declares war (proposes an inter-kingdom event)
with the East Kingdom. In 1972 Cariadoc moves into the East Kingdom, wins Crown
Tourney and accepts his own declaration of war. The end of September 1972 the first
Pennsic is held with less than 150 in attendance near Waterford Pennsylvania. The
Middle Kingdoms army defeats the East Kingdoms army meaning Cariadoc was the
first king in history to declare war on himself and lose.

This is a picture of two

Lords in single combat
as is done in Crown
Tourney. Image From
2009,
http://www.claireturne
r.com/coppermine/alb
ums/Pennsic38%20%5
B2009%5D/normal_P
ennsic2009009.jpg

Pennsic has grown from a large event that happened to be run by two kingdoms to the
third largest city in Butler County. The size of the population and the level of out-going
mail from the site necessitated the establishment it own post office for the little time
Pennsic City exists. Pennsic brings together over 200 medieval merchants, around
2,000 armored fights, hundreds of fencers, projectile weapons enthusiasts and thousands
parties and student of the medieval period. Nowhere else on earth can a person roll out of
their tent go to a class on wire-weaving, put on armor, fight along side 2,00 people, die
repeatedly, and still be able to shop, take more classes and finally party the night away.
Most people that attend Pennsic are from the Midwest and East Coast of the United State
and Eastern Canada but many come in from much further west like California. The
SCAdians whom live in Europe and eastward Pennsic is their nearest war. There are a
few who fly in from as far as Australia and Japan for this event. People have quit job and
became temporary homeless so as to be able to go to Pennsic. The average attendee spend
more time effort and money for this event than all that years holidays put together. The
average attendee will spend over $1,000 at Pennsic has grown into the single largest
medieval gathering in the world.
 This is an image from a
Royal court of the
Kingdom of
Aethelmearc.
Image from,
http://farm4.static.flickr.
com/3173/2930209745_
6fa9651918.jpg?v=0

Keeping a war going is great for business. Nearly all the businesses surrounding Coopers
Lake Campground gear-up weeks ahead of time for Pennsic. They need to make sure
they have all the last minute, forgotten or items that just did fit in to the pack vehicle or
anything the attendees may need. These items are wide ranging in purpose and expense.
An attendee may need hardware, clothes, food, party supplies and camping equipment or
one of a thousand over things. Yearly the local supplies of firewood, alcohol (especially
mead) and camping equipment is decimated in a 20 mile radius of Pennsic. Pennsic
boosts sales in Butler County second only to the days leading up to Christmas.

This is an image
the one thousand a
side field battle.
Image from,
http://www.bogpa
ges.com/SCA-
photographs/Penns
ic-
Wars/Pennsic38Tu
esday/9658788_h
UiMb#651875773

Pennsic, the greatest event you never heard of. The modern medievalist has all of their
interests catered to at Pennsic. As long as Pennsic continues the medieval period will
never end.
 This is an image the Rune
Stone, erected in honor of
Pennsic X. Image from,
http://www.pennsicwar.org/
images/runestone.jpg

Bibliography: Works Cited

Bedgood, Al, The Known World Handbook: The Society for Creative Anachronism and
the Current Middle Ages, Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc, Milpitas, CA, 1992.

Cramer, Michael A., Medieval Fantasy as Performance: The Society for Creative
Anachronism and the Current Middle Ages, Scarecrow Press, Lanham, MD, 2010.

Forward into the Past: An Introductory Guide to the S.C.A., Society for Creative
Anachronism, Inc, Milpitas, CA, 1989.

Kitchen, E. F., Suburban Knights: A Return to the Middle Ages,

ODonnell and Domnaill, The Knight Next Door: Everyday People Living Middle Ages
Dreams, IUniverse, New York, 2004.

Pennsic.net
Pennsicwar.org

Reid, L., Talk the Talk: The Slang of 65 American Subcultures, Writers Digest Books,
Cincinnati, 2006.

Rodwell, Andrew Douglas, Anti-Modern Performance in the Society for Creative

Anachronism, National Library of Canada, Ottawa, 1998.

SCA.org

Smith, David, SCA is Getting Medieval on Campus, The Daily Collegian, University
Park, PA, March 28, 1997, page D5.

Winslow, Matt, The Pennsic War, DVD, Winslow Productions, Spruce Creek, 2005.