[Periodencampments] Period Encampment at Estrella War

[John LaTorre]

Greetings, the list!

I have accepted the job of autocrat for the Period
Encampment at the upcoming Estrella War in February. (I was
the only one, it seemed, who was insufficiently reluctant.)
If you're planning to attend that War (in Arizona, USA), and
aren't planning to make other camping arrangements, this
would be an opportunity to meet some of you and put into
practice what this list is about. I know there are a lot of
kindred spirits out there who might find this worth trying
out, so I hope you'll consider camping with us. Since space
is limited, I'd appreciate your letting me know, as soon as
you can, whether you plan on camping with us, so I can
arrange with the Main Autocrat to have enough space set
aside.

The following is the announcement that I've requested the
Estrella Webminister to post to their web site:

>From the Autocrat for the Period Encampment, greetings!

I invite you to join us for a weekend of recreating the feel
of a medieval encampment and showing off all the period
tents, furniture, and camp accessories you have made or
collected over the years! This year's encampment will also
feature an area or two set aside for demonstrations of
period crafts.

The only requirements of camping in the Period Encampment
are:

1. that you keep the obviously modern stuff and activities
out of sight ... no cans or modern bottles, no visible
boom-boxes, no modern clothing (except when setting up or
breaking down), no visible ice chests or Coleman stoves, and
so on.

2. that the ambient noise be conducive to a period feel.
Music, if played on a hidden boom-box, should be period and
low-volume, so as not to distract from the feel of the camp.
We're not asking everybody to stay in persona, but modern
conversation should be kept low enough so that adjoining
tents don't hear them. But we love people playing period
musical instruments or telling period stories!

The idea here is that we're creating a set for a play in
which we are also the actors. We won't insist that
everything be absolutely period, but the closer we can get
to that goal, the more impressive the effect will be, and
the more we will learn about "How They Did It" way back
when. If you want to participate but aren't sure if an
object in your camp is up to snuff, feel free to make
contact with me and we'll talk about it.

As mentioned above, we hope to have demonstrations of period
crafts. If you practice a period skill (spinning, dying,
smithing, metal-casting, and woodworking, to name just a
few) that can be demonstrated using period (or peri-oid)
tools at the encampment, this is a wonderful opportunity to
show others your craft outside a classroom setting. If you'd
like to participate in these demonstrations, please let me
know what you do and what you can bring to contribute to the
activity.

I can be reached by telephone at (916) 457-2321 (no calls
after 9 p.m. Pacific time, please), fax (916) 922-5501, or
via email at:
jlatorre at midtown.net



--

John LaTorre (Johann von Drachenfels)

"Always do right. It will gratify some people & astonish the
rest."
--Mark Twain