The Road to Reenacting

I always liked the Middle Ages.  There is a certain je ne sais quoi about that time.  It was a period of lavish feasts and really nice looking dresses.  The era had a fairy tale magic surrounding it with tales of gallant knights and sorcerers.  It was a time when mythical beasts like the dragon and unicorn thrived.  A time of beautiful stained glass windows, soaring cathedrals, and epic storytelling.

 Reading the tales of King Arthur led to reading books that explained the myth which led to reading general histories about the time period.

 Movies set in the Middle Ages were always a pleasure to watch with castles as their settings and rich costuming.  Watching movies led to going to the Ren Fairs at Tuxedo and Sands Point.

When you see the medieval drama performed live with real people you can talk to, it dawns on you that this just might be something you can do.  Confirmation came for me when I went to the Sands Point Medieval Festival and picked up a brochure about the preforming group.  That’s when the herald’s message hit home—these are ordinary people jousting, fencing, and playing weird medieval instruments.  They aren’t necessarily trained Shakespearean actors or stunt people or people with a PhD in medieval history.  Yes, you too can be a medieval reenactor.

It still took me a couple of years to take the plunge.  Part of it was no time.  Part of it was the fear of the unknown, where to get that gown, how to learn medieval speak, where to get medieval feastgear.

One day the Sunday edition of Kidsday ran an article a child wrote about her father, a knight.  The article finished with the contact information for the Seneschal (President of the local chapter) of the SCA who lived at the time in Plainview.

You mean there are people in my backyard who do this!  How could I not make the call?

When I attended my first meeting, I felt like I finally belonged.  Here were people that shared a passion for the lifestyle of a bygone era.  People who didn’t think it strange to want to learn what others might consider “useless skills” like fencing.  People who don’t think you’re strange because you like Shakespeare or think you need to grow up because you want to play dress up.

I was hooked and lived out my fantasies of wearing gorgeous gowns, learning how to fence, of drinking mead out of a goblet.  On this pilgrim’s progress I met wonderful people, entertained numerous people and have been having the time of my life. I only wish I had done it sooner.