Lords and ladies from across the land traveled far and wide to celebrate the feast of St. Hubertus with the local Society for Creative Anachronism chapter this weekend.
The three-day event featured activities, artisans and musicians highlighting the crafts and culture of medieval times.
The event was hosted by the Society for Creative Anachronism's local chapter, the Shire of Pilgrims Fount, an educational, nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping history alive through the exploration and replication of medieval arts. Over the weekend, weavers, bards and blacksmiths gathered at Camp Couchdale to fellowship with other enthusiasts of the Middle Ages and Renaissance period and enlighten the public on how people lived thousands of years ago.
"We are a social society first and foremost that does research and recreations of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The key to the SCA is that we are a knowledge-based organization with a mission to take the knowledge we learn and bring it back to our community," said Treasurer Travis Gates.
Gates says the celebration is reminiscent of a time when the Catholic Church would hold celebrations for each saint. Traditionally, the day would consist of rapier hound tournaments, jousting, puppet shows for children, and a grand feast. For the most part, the SCA recreated an authentic feast for the celebration of St. Hubertus.
The feast included several family activities, including kazoo building for children, a rapier hound tournament, the great hobby horse race, the grand water balloon fight and, of course, a grand feast. Guest were also able to witness firsthand how some artisans created traditional garb and how monks and nuns rewrote and illustrated ancient texts.
"At both of the events we do, we celebrate the arts. We try to recreate the methods and then the end results of the sciences and the arts of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. That's anything from making hat pins to undergarments, to full outfits. We break everything down and document it so that we know exactly where it came from and how it got there," Gates said.
Each member of SCA creates a unique persona and builds their character around it. They choose when and where their character lived in medieval times and often create a detailed back story for their character. Depending on who they choose to portray, some members take it upon themselves to hand make each item of garb and any props their character might need, according to the members.
"I don't sew. A lot of people will tell you that it's (their) persona or (their) character would have actually made (their) clothes. Everyone has a different time period that we teach from so some of these people pride themselves in handmaking everything. My persona actually comes from 1522 and we had a thing called stores so I shop a lot," Gates said, laughing.
"I actually know people who loom their own garments and that takes a lot of time," he said.
One of the Shire's newest members, Jason Nickerson-Tinna, is one of a handful of musicians involved with SCA. He said that the organization has given him the opportunity to pursue his longtime interests in different areas of classical music while still enjoying the active social side of the group.
Nickerson-Tinna was involved with another SCA chapter in Arizona, where he began participating in the music program and began learning the tunes and techniques unique to the periods featured in SCA. After returning to Hot Springs, he quickly became involved with the organization's local chapter.
"I played in band all throughout school and even after school. Now, I get to live out my musical passion with researching and recreating Medieval and Renaissance music," Nickerson-Tinna said.
For many, their role in SCA allows them to explore their interest in these time periods and get a small taste of what life might have been like in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, according to President Teresa Horner.
"We are all doing something to keep the history alive and I love the people I get to play dress up with," she said.
"This is the foundation of our current society. It's where a lot of our laws come from and why we do what we do today and it's important to keep that alive," she said.
In addition to tournaments, a Largesse, and hobby horse racing, the SCA also collected donations for Ouachita Children's Center "Dobby Day" fundraiser. Members brought along hygiene products, socks, underwear, and other similar items children living at the center might find themselves in need of. Gates said each year the group picks a local charity to help support.
The Shire of Pilgrims Fount meets on the second Sunday of each month at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts.
Local on 07/30/2018