[Sca-cooks] Pennsic history

[Stefan li Rous]

Alys Katharine mentioned:
<<<
 > It would be the best of both worlds for the mercenary Coopers

The term "mercenary" sounds derogatory.  They run a business just  
like any
other business.  They do not gouge the SCA nor the people who attend
Pennsic.  They don't raise the prices in their store.  They have gone  
out
of their way to add facilities (such as an ATM, an on-site bank and post
office), additional water lines, etc., to benefit our event.  This has
caused their taxes to be raised and they pay much more each time they
imnprove their property so that we can get to the far parking lot, have
camp sites, and so on.  >>>

Well, some of these improvements get used by other campers throughout  
the year such as much of the increased water system and the ATM. The  
post office is provided by the US postal service, although it may  
require coordination with the Coopers. The water lines through the  
Serrengetti and not planting corn in what otherwise is a producing  
asset, does cost the Coopers money. The leases they have been using  
for the parking lot shuttle, and year before last instead of the hay  
wagons, are leased from the local school district, so they aren't a  
capital expense.

They and the local economy profit get a substantial boost from  
Pennsic. Some of you may remember a number of years ago that several  
PA state troopers sat just down the road pulling folks over and  
ticketing them for having the parking permit tags hanging from their  
mirrors. IMHO, this was strictly a stunt to fill the local tax  
coffers. That cost many SCA folk money they were needing for gas and  
meals to get home. When word got back to Pennsic, and the Coopers,  
apparently the Coopers made a few calls and the troopers disappeared  
not to reappear in succeeding years.

<<<
 > (snip) It was okay when we shared the site with the Tuchux (it was
 > originally theirs, after all),

Actually, I believe that this theory has been disproved.  They did  
not find
the site first.  I think there's a web article somewhere that  
explains what
really transpired.  Stefan might know where it is. >>>

Well, with a comment like that, how could I resist, :-) although I  
wasn't sure I could find it. There may be more, but here is what I  
found in my Pennsic history file.

P-history-msg     (88K)  5/21/04    Pennsic history.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/PENNSIC/P-history-msg.html

Stefan
===============

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: "Michael Squires" <mikes  at cs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Pennsic history (was Re: Pennsic population
Keywords: Pennsic
Organization: Computer Science, Indiana University
Date: Fri, 17 Sep 1993 11:23:01 -0500

Susan Clark <sclark  at epas.utoronto.ca> wrote:
 > The Tuchux did not invent Pennsic.  There were at least fofour
 >or five Pennsics held at other sites before Cooper's Lake became its
 >permanent home.  And I have this odd feeling that the story about  
the 'chux
 >"discovering" Cooper's Lake is somewhat of an urban legend. (I've  
heard
 >at least one other story.....)  though they may have indeed been using
 >Cooper's Lake for their own events before the SCA.

Pennsics I through V were held elsewhere.  My understanding is that the
problems with Pennsics IV and V were such that a new site was needed,  
and
Cooper's Lake Campground was familiar to the SCA through the Barony- 
Marche
of the Debatable Lands.  The BMDL held some events at Cooper's Lake
Campground before Pennsic VI, although Duke Sir Dagan of the Middle was
involved somethow in setting up Pennsic VI.  Cooper's Lake was chosen
jointly by the East and the Middle, although apparently the original
agreement has been lost (about four years ago the only agreement still
on record was the agreement between the Exchequers of the East and the
Middle).

The story I was told about the creation of the Tuchux says that Wolf the
Mighty started the Tuchux after some contact with the BMDL as a way of
having fun with some of the best students in his martial arts school.
================

--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas           
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****