[Elfsea] Pennsic Story

TWMarsh at TarrantCounty.com TWMarsh at TarrantCounty.com
Fri Aug 8 11:23:57 PDT 2003


Don Aeron Harper sent me this Pennsic story:
 
Master Iolo Fitzowen, the newest Lion of Ansteorra, who has sold crossbows
at the Pennsic war for 17 years, sets up a canvas backstop so that his
customers can test fire his bows with SCA-legal boffer arrows. He has done
this every year that he has been at that or any other war. Every day all day
boffer arrows hit the canvas and drop harmlessly to the ground.
 
This year, on Thursday, Cindy Cooper walked up with a Marshal in tow and
told him that what he was doing is against the rules.
 
Iolo replied "Oh. Well I've been doing it for 17 years."
 
Cindy said "Yes, well I've suspected that you've been doing it, but I've
never actually caught you at it." 
 
Well it was pretty incredible that not only did she happen to "catch" him
doing it, this time, after somehow missing it for 17 years, but she already
had the paperwork filled out (with the marshal's approval) to throw Iolo off
the site.
 
Iolo said "I had no idea this was a problem. We can just stop doing it, all
you had to do is ask." 
 
Cindy said "No, you're out of here. Clear out tonight."
 

In case anyone doesn't know Iolo, making and selling these crossbows is how
he makes a living. He gets fully 1/4 of his business at and because of
Pennsic.
 
So Iolo is driving the 24 hours home to Texas right now, without even so
much as a partial refund. He's bringing home several finished crossbows, if
any would like to buy one. If you were thinking of ordering a crossbow from
him soon-ish, now would be a good time. 
 

Llywelyn





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