Experiencing the times

Re-enactors gather to live out the Middle Ages with fightingand socializing.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Lady Anne Marie deGarmeaulx nimbly moves her hands on the long strands of thread that hang from her 3-foot-high inkle loom.
The colorful design she's working on will become trim to adorn one of the many flowing medievel-type gowns she will wear in the next week.
Inkle weaving is one of the ancient arts being practiced as more than 10,000 people of all ages from around the world descend on Cooper's Lake Campground near Slippery Rock, Pa., for the 32nd annual Pennsic War.
Considered the premier event for living history re-enactors interested in that time period, the Pennsic War is not open to the general public, but only to those who dress and speak in medieval-times garb and language.
A village with more than 300 vendors, offering everything from food and clothing to medieval weapons, sprung up on the campgrounds as well as encampments, where many re-enactors will spend the next week living and playing in personas created for their historical re-enactment, said Patricia Rayl, spokeswoman for the event.
A reason to get away
For many, it is their summer vacation, she said.
Lady Anne, known otherwise as Tracy DeGarmo, a business analyst for the Ford Motor Co. from Ann Arbor, Mich., said the Pennsic War helps her get away from the stresses of her job.
"This is a nice escape. There are no cell phones and computers, and you get to wear these really cool clothes," she said.
There are kings and queens, ladies and lords and dukes and duchesses, as well as a bevy of fighters, jesters and simple folk who walk around in full garb and speak in an old English jargon.
"Permission to enter m'Lady," Rayl asked as she approached various tents.
The Pennsic War is the largest event held by the Society for Creative Anachronism, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to the study and re-creation of the Middle Ages.
Members from around the globe representing 17 SCA "Kingdoms" come to the event to determine who has rulership over the western part of Pennsylvania. Smaller events are held throughout the year in each kingdom. Worldwide there are more than 30,000 SCA members.
Martial arts
Knights must follow certain rules and use regulation gear to participate, Rayl said. Marshals are stationed at each fighting site to check weapons, usually made of rattan, and to ensure that all fighters are safe.
The fighters say it's a martial art they practice, not just a game.
"It's a great physical workout," said George Yocum of Pittsburgh, known this week as Georg Eisenfaust. "We come here to train with some of the best fighters in the world."
The goal is to learn technique, rather than hurt an opponent. Many practice safe ways of "dying," the re-enactors say.
As in any land, there is a hierarchy, and some sport higher titles than others.
Duke Ragnvaldr, otherwise known as Jon-Erik Jacobson, a Detroit kitchen and bath designer, got his title after serving as king twice for his kingdom. Other titles are handed out for bravery and other accomplishments within the realm.
"It's a chance to still be a kid. We are still doing dress up," said Jacobson, who is attending his 12th Pennsic War.
Socializing
Lisa Gray, also of Detroit, known as Duchess Arabella, enjoys the social aspect of the event.
"I've always been impressed with everyone's willingness to help," she said.
Gray added that people can play as little or as much of the medieval game as they wish at Pennsic and still be accepted.
Jeff Skevington looks at it as an all-encompassing hobby.
Known as Duke Sir Dag Blackwolf, Skevington, a graphic designer from Michigan, got into medieval playacting because of the combat and an experience at his first Pennsic War.
"It was a feeling of common purpose with 200 other guys doing exactly the same thing with exactly the same purpose," he said.
But, he's also come to enjoy the social aspect of it.
"Nobody cares what you do for a living, what kind of car you drive or who your family is. All that matters are your words and your deeds," Skevington said.
For those not interested in battle, more than 900 classes are being offered, and plays and music will also be part of the week, Rayl said.
"There is something here for everyone," she said.