[Ravensfort] AAA event stories?

[Kief av Kiersted]

Heilsa all...

AAA was a fairly unique experience for me... I spent the vast
majority of my time attached to a radio and golf cart... I did
not get to fight, shop, dance, see the A&S display, barely see
the History display, do any Bardcraft...but...I did sponsor an
archer, Morganna Blackmer, in the Nobles Archery Shoot...that was
a fun experience. 

I did get to see the Ansteorran culture in a different light...as
a close, but fleeting, observer...

Arriving on-site Wednesday afternoon fairly late in the day...we
started to set up our camp... I staked out the boundaries of the
Security / Raven's Fort / Kiersted encampment, Sir Badon's
encampment, and eventually the Marshal's encampment and the
Raven's Fort pavilion site by the Field of Heroes... Sometime
later we were issued our radios and carts and got to work.
Thursday morning we attended a Staff meeting in the Great Hall
and got a final overview of what was to be our life for the next
four days... Many folks arrived early to set up their assigned
areas for the various activities...and then the populace of our
Kingdom started arriving Thursday midday...and boy howdy did they
arrive... Hundreds were camped by Thursday evening... Big
camps...small camps...large tents and tiny... Very early period
to quite late period tents... "Barbarians" to "Nobility"... Every
kind of tent to be imagined...beautiful period
constructs...Viking and "Celtic" to the High Middle ages...to
late period Renaissance...with all the accouterments... A lot of
modern tents some with modifications to assist them to "look
period" and some just tarp "lean to's" to toss a sleeping bag
under...plenty of RV's and some vehicles and trailers that were
quite nicely "disguised" with covers and even tents... There were
single folks camping where they could...and large Households with
barrier walls and decked out common areas... And Flags, Banners,
hangings and pennants...lots of color and display... Shields and
armor stands...weapons and chests...tables, chairs, benches, fire
containers...torches...lamps and lanterns... And A/C units and
fans...*LoL*...it was quite warm at times... Merchants
galore...with beautiful wares...and the Storm Cellar Tavern that
continued on even through the adversity of losing a trailer wheel
during the trip south from Namron...many folks from the north
stopped and carried pieces and parts of the gear in their
personal vehicle...good food and drink for the people of
Ansteorra... Families with kids scattered all over the site...and
man wee some of those kiddos a real pain for Security and the
Stewards...*LoL*... Horse trailers...U-Hauls...enclosed and
flatbed trailers...single axle and dual and triple axle
trailers... Little bitty cars and crew cab "duallys"... By
Saturday midday there were over **1,500** Ansteorrans and
traveling guests signed in through the gate...and that, good
neighbors, is a lot of people for a July event in Texas and
Oklahoma...

Period pavilions by the Tournament Fields...torchlight
tournaments lasting well into the wee hours of morning...dancing
of many kinds... Revels and wakes... Several Courts...the giving
of Awards well earned and, oft times, received with tears of joy
and disbelief... Master Modius being named the newest Lion of
Ansteorra...with tears streaming down his cheeks... The reading
of the Rolls of the Honored Dead...including Fredrick, one of
Duke Kein's squires recently killed in the line of duty in
Iraq... I, like many others, cried tears of pride, grief, and
frustration over our many losses of friends and family over the
years... 

The Chefs and Kitchen Crewe laboring away among burners, smokers,
and motors...under a canopy under the hot sun...all day long...
The Chirugeons answering every call anytime of the day and night
to give help and aid where needed... The waterbearers making sure
that everyone at every outdoor activity had water, pickles,
oranges, and other liquids to drink... Horses and riders...the
smells and sounds of the paddock... Society history being made
with the first ever Joust...here..at *our* 25th Anniversary
Celebration... Armored combatants...Rapier combatants... Archers
and Crossbow shooters, Thrown weapons competitions, Bardcraft,
and eversomuch more...

Fireworks...!...a beautiful display, custom designed for us, that
lasted more than 20 minutes...wonderful colors...thunderous
reports of the aerial bombs...the Kingdom achievement in colored
burning lights...and then the final "cannonade" of bombs and
bursts that set every car alarm within miles to sounding...dogs
to barking...horses to whinnying...*LoL*...neighbors to
complaining... And causing many to state that they had never seen
such a glorious display of fireworks *anywhere*...

The Hafla and the Revels...the Renaissance Dance...the Balls...
The late night "campfire" talks and bardic circles... The
Swimming Pools and floating "jello shots"... The tales told,
memories shared, and lies swapped....... Tales of love and
hate...pain and joy shared...things bittersweet and sad and
joyous... Stories of the past and plans for the future... Life
shared...food and libation shared... Pride of being Ansteorran
shared...

The Food...the feast for **500**...fabulous. The Mead...the
Ale...the Beer...the many many many bottles of "good things" that
were passed around... Steaks grilled...stews made...breads...
Breakfast, Lunch, Supper...and Midnight raids on the food...
Trips to Wal-Mart...and the Dairy Palace... Sno-cones being made
with Peach Brandy.... The Cordials...the coolers and ice chests
full of the brewers art...and soon emptied I might add...

Emergency runs in the night...leading EMS into the campgrounds on
the golf cart...carrying injured folks back to camp...assisting
those too drunk to stand to recover their senses... Chasing down
intruders...Trailriders from the outside galloping through the
campgrounds...kids on go-carts...Policemen assisting in
"corralling" the interlopers... Gate crashers...firecrackers
thrown into camps and the tavern... Dealing with frayed tempers
and frayed nerves... Lost parents...lost children...dogs and
cats...horses, parrots, and hawks...and more...eversomuch more...

The sights, sounds, smells, the heat of the sun...the sound of
distant thunder... The cool breezes at night...sometimes the buzz
of mosquitoes... The feel of sand between the toes...grit in the
air...dust... Humidity...the rustle of the leaves as the winds
blew... Blue skies and white clouds... The shimmer of light on
steel...banners snapping in the winds... Crickets and cicadas
chirping and a-hum in the night... The touch of hand clasp in
hand...comrades in arms... The taste of your Lady's or Lord's
lips at day's end...smiles shared in the night... The cry of
babies...the shouts of children at play... The clash of arms and
the exclamations of victory and dismay at defeat... The pounding
of horses hooves...the twang of bowstrings... Seeing old friends
for the first time in years...and the making of new acquaintance
and new friendships...

Music from period instruments echoing in the Hall...and drifting
through the encampments... Bards and Skalds and Troubadours...
The clink of coin and mail...the clank of armor...the distant
shimmer of light on coronets and crowns...

What it means to be **Ansteorran**...was in the air...like the
smell of good food wafting on the breeze...the tinkle of
laughter...the sight of armored men and women vying for Honor on
the field of combat... The sight of Pelicans, with beaks and
webbed feet, and the "great egg" hatching a new Pelican...

These things and more did I see and witness... I cannot find the
words to tell all here and now... Find me at a fire some where
and ply me with drink...*LoL*...and surely I will tell you tales
and stories of those things I remember about our Kingdom's 25
Year Celebration...

I am proud to be a part of Raven's Fort, proud to have served at
Ansteorra's 25th Year Celebration, and very proud to be
Ansteorran...


Your good neighbor...




=====
Wæs Þu Hæl in FriÞ through TroÞ
Kief
"Better the Hammer than the nail..."