Tags
online A&S, Online Activities, Pax Interruptus, Thescorre, virtual A&S, Virtual Court, Virtual Learning
Baron Sir Athos participating in the fighting at Pax in 2016. Photo by Baroness Katja.
Pax is happening tomorrow and Saturday!
Over the past four months, nearly all current and near-future events and practices across the Known World have been cancelled or postponed due to the COVID19 pandemic.
The Barony of Thescorre, however, rather than cancelling its annual summer camping event, Pax Interruptus, decided to move it online to offer a virtual event this weekend.
Although there cannot be in-person heavy fighting, fencing, archery, and thrown weapons as the event has boasted for almost 40 years, there will be online classes, some drumming, a bardic circle, a baronial court, and videos to celebrate past Pax events and Thescorre history throughout the day on Saturday. Numerous Thescorreans provided photographs for the nostalgic slideshows.
For those of you desperately missing the opportunity to see friends and hang out as you normally do at the event, there will be open socializing time available throughout Saturday.
On Friday, the Barony will host a concert by the international minstrel group Wolgemut, famous and well loved for its performances at SCA events like Pennsic and Gulf Wars as well as numerous Renaissance faires and events throughout the world.
Further, to support the merchants who normally offer their wares at the event, there will be a virtual merchants row.
The event will take place in several rooms on Zoom.
According to Their Excellencies Eldjarn and Dubheasa:
It’s important for our SCA community to continue having opportunities to interact, even when required to be physically separate. We may not be able to have our usual martial activities, but we can still see, socialize, and learn from each other. It’s a time to reminisce and continue to acknowledge the contributions of our populace. Sharing goodwill and appreciation is critical to the emotional well-being of many while we must isolate away from our friends and family. We would much rather do so face to face, but for the time being at least, this is what we can do safely. Come join us this weekend.
Schedule
Friday: 7 p.m., Room 4, Wolgemut concert
Saturday:
| 9:00 a.m. | Rooms Open
Rooms 4, 5, & 6 |
| 9:15 to 9:45 a.m. | Virtual Weedwalk with Sadira
Room 4 Since we can’t gather at the campground, come join me in my garden and field of weeds – I mean “lawn” – for a virtual weedwalk, featuring food, medicine, and tool plants that can be found in this area! Videography by Nuzah. The revised handout that would have been used for Pennsic 2020 can be accessed online here. Several poison plant handouts, originally intended for child care students who wanted to open home day care centers, which may be handy for parents in this time of “crisis schooling,” are here and here. |
| 10:00 to 10:50 a.m. | Wash Your Hands! with Gwenhwyvar Thredegold
Room 5 Making a felted wool soap ball. If you want to play along, you’ll need a bar or two of your favorite soap and some wool roving or felting wool in whatever colors you want. This is a kid-friendly project! |
| 11:00 to 11:50 a.m. | 14th Century Parti-Colored Cotehardie with Gwen Cooke
Room 6 14th century parti-colored cotehardie history and construction. Have you ever wanted to know a bit about the history of those lovely multi-color dresses we see folks wearing at events? Ever wanted to display your heraldry in an absolutely stunning fashion? Ever wanted to hide geeky references to your favorite things in some of the most comfortable garb you’ll ever own? Come on over to the cotehardie class! Creating a parti-colored cotehardie with handmade fabric buttons may be just the project you need to undertake. We’ll chat a bit about the history and documentation behind the construction of a parti-colored cotehardie and then I’ll walk through the steps in constructing the garment and how to add little bits of heraldry or other fun moments into your garb (like my Gryffindor-themed red and gold cotehardie). I’ll happily talk through the process as well as how the steps of construction of the dress can also be used to create a parti-colored tunic as well. The class will discuss history, documentation, the steps to create, and even the hand-sewing techniques that will help your clothing hold up for years of events. |
| Noon to 1:00 p.m. | Their Excellencies Eldjarn & Dubheasa Sit in State
Room 5 An open time for gentles to speak with the Baron and Baroness of Thescorre. Their Excellencies will speak to individuals or small groups in turn, so please be patient while waiting in the queue. |
| 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. | Middle Eastern Drumming & Dancing
Room 5 Raven Raqs Beladi, Thescorre’s longtime drumming and dancing troupe, will hold a casual circle/hafla. Gentles are welcome to listen, dance, or drum along, but please silence your microphones. Chat will be available. |
| 4:00 p.m. | Baronial Court
Room 4 Their Excellencies and Baronial Herald Andrew will address the populace. |
| 6:00 p.m. | Thescorre Fighters Video
Room 6 An entertaining video created by the Barony’s fighting community that they hope you will find amusing and touching. |
| 6:30 p.m. | Pax Through the Ages – A Slide Show
Room 5 A compilation of photographs of various activities and gentles at the event over the past several decades. |
| 7:00 p.m. | This Is Thescorre – A Slide Show
Room 4 A compilation of photographs celebrating the Barony and its people over the past several decades. |
| 7:30 p.m. | Bardic Circle
Room 6 An open circle for singers, storytellers, and poets to perform. |
Open Socializing
In addition, Zoom rooms will be available for free chatting and hanging out at various times throughout Saturday:
- Room 4, 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Room 5, 11:00 a.m. to Noon
- Room 6, Noon to 5:45 p.m.
- Room 5, 3:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
Merchants Row
Finally, the pandemic has taken a huge toll on merchants throughout the Society for Creative Anachronism, many of whom make a majority of their livelihoods at spring and summer events each year. In order to support them and provide visibility, the Barony is hosting a virtual Merchants Row.
Links and business information for various merchants will be available here. The page will go live this weekend and be available through to the end of July (when Pennsic would have occurred). Please support SCA merchants if you can.
Login Access
No login information will be released through any public social media channels in order to prevent scammers from joining the Zoom rooms.
If you are not on Thescorre’s email distribution list and wish to attend the event, please email Thescorre’s webminister, Baroness Nuzha bint Saleem, at webminister AT Thescorre DOT org.
She can also be reached via direct message on Facebook Messenger at “Melinda DeHollander.”
More Information
For more about the event, please see Thescorre’s website here and the event Facebook page here.
For more about Wolgemut, please see their Facebook page here or their website here.
Reporting by Baroness Katja Davidova Orlova Khazarina (Chris Adler-France)
