For those of you who don’t know, that stands for Society for Creative Anachronism. Put simply, they play medieval, but without the cholera epidemics. It is on my mind today because I am shortly taking some friends to lunch after they finish up a local SCA event. I was invited, very kindly, but declined partly due to feeling so out of place. I am not sure how often I can say ‘forsooth’, and I’m always nervous if I don’t know the social etiquette of any situation. Nonetheless, they seem like a group of the sort of people I nearly always like. My friends are good examples, using many of the skills in real life agriculture and householding. I find them hardworking, energetic, cheery and intelligent.
Is it silliness? I play Dungeons & Dragons, so if roleplay is silliness, then I guess I’m silly myself. Sure, anyone can go overboard on pretending to be a brave knight. One can go overboard on golf, too, or crocheting or cat ownership. SCA seems like a very crafts(wo)manly way to have a good time roleplaying and understanding how people lived back when, thus teaching history.
You’ll get real bored and real old standing around waiting for me to utter the sentence “Teaching history isn’t worth while.”
The Editorial Maverick 
I had the pleasure, several years ago, of working with a local chapter of the SCA when they leased event space to host a weekend event. Although it certainly isn’t my cup of tea, I had zero complaints about them and they left the space in pristine shape. Absolutely exemplary bunch, which is much more than I could say for the ‘high society’ functions we held in the same space.
When they came back about six months later to rent the space again, I didn’t charge them a cleaning fee or a security deposit as I knew that the folks in the fairy costumes were better guests than the ones in the tuxedos and ball gowns.
And don’t even get me started on the gun and knife show people. Sheesh.
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Interesting contrast, Shannon, thanks for sharing it. Yeah, the SCA people would take the idea of pigging up the site very adversely, forsooth. Philosophically, most that I have met would feel that the honor of their hobby and organization was on display.
Admit it. When you thought of the ones in ball gowns, at some point, you imagined them all in ball gags instead. So much more genteel!
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