| From the Baron & Baroness | ||
| Several weeks ago, we went to an out-of-area event. We caravanned with friends, which wasn’t unusual—we’ve often coordinated traveling plans together and made arrangements to get a block of hotel rooms. This time was different. This time, we did some things we haven’t done for several years, some things that hearken back to our earlier years in the SCA. We carpooled a friend with us, so as to share gas expenses, in addition to caravanning with some others so that we could keep tabs on each other via our cell phones during the bad weather, and we all crashed at a friend’s house, on couches and air mattresses, so as to save the cost of renting rooms. We slept in sleeping bags in a living room with cats stomping all over us all night just like we were college students again… and we had an absolute blast. We’ve watched event attendance throughout the kingdom dropping for the past several years, and it’s not surprising. The increasing cost of gas is hitting everyone hard, and it’s making decisions to attend out-of-area SCA events harder and harder. The trend is a concerning one: groups reap less profits from events, even kingdom ones, and often end up raising onboard rates to compensate. Gentles rarely leave their immediate region, which leads to fewer teachers and attendance at academies, and less combatants at martial competitions. Fewer gentles recognize the names of candidates on kingdom order polls and more vote “abstain,” thus giving less and less useful information to the Crown. The result? We see a possible future where the SCA becomes more of a regional or even just a local game, with rare opportunities for meeting new friends, learning new things, and trying ones best against worthy opponents. Although many aspects of Society are supported and enhanced by various forms of online interaction, the SCA is still a fundamentally *personal* social group. You don’t learn a flat-snap by reading someone’s blog. You can’t smelt iron for blades via email. And you certainly can’t prepare feasts solely by yourself. So, what do we do to prevent the narrowing circle of our favorite hobby? Certainly, carpooling, caravanning, and crashing are time-honored methods for cost-cutting while traveling. Are there things we can do for our own local events to make them more economical and enticing for gentles out of our area to come visit us? Your thoughts are welcome… :) Eric & Katja |
Cover | Notables | Baron(ess) | Seneschal | Chronicler | Meetings | Kids | Events | Activities | main index